M. K. Bennett on Population and Food Supply

Post-World War II debate about the Malthusian race between population and food supply was elucidated in a 1949 article by an eminent agricultural economist. The deductions presented have been largely justified in the ensuring 40 years despite the assumption that global population would be 3.3 billion in the year 2000 a mark which was exceeded in 1965. Although global food production has exceeded this growth a wide difference in adequacy remains in per capita diets especially in countries that are unlikely to expand domestic food production. In 1948 academic and public officials were issued warnings about future global food shortages. Already the post=war baby boom was being felt and was outstripping population losses associated with war casualties. Conservationists of the day also recognized the effects of erosion and desertification resulting from mistreatment of the soil. Calls were made to improve diets through the consumption of more animal products even though it was recognized that such a move would place extra strains on resources. Another new idea was that fostering international use of lifesaving techniques would only condemn those saved to a life of misery. While these ideas were supremely pessimistic they were also vague and nonspecific. A review of the history of global food supplies or intake in the preceding 50 years when population increased by 750 million was made taking into account the average per capita intake of total calories and the proportion gleaned from grains and potatoes. A consideration was then given of what was preventing more food and more varied food from being produced and distributed to those who needed it. The current theory was that any acre of land has a maximum theoretical (economic) productivity dictated by the current state of technology which may or may not be presently achieved and will probably be increased as technological advances are made. The gap between agricultural practice and agricultural potential was mimicked by the gap between food harvested and food eaten which was caused by losses in storage and transportation. In conclusion the possibility of one of the direst calamities the reduction in per capita ingestion of animal products among the white races was conceded as was the possibility of mass starvation. However the possibility of permanent world wide hunger (with everyone hungry at once) within the foreseeable future was denied. If such a situation would occur it was thought that it would be caused by forces greater than overpopulation and soil degradation alone

Agricultural economics · Agriculture · Consumption (sociology) · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Food processing · Geography · Per capita · Political science · Population · Population growth · Social science · Sociology · Agricultural risk and resilience · Demography · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Law

• International Contrasts in Food Consumption

  Open Access•Merrill K Bennett•Geographical Review•1941

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