SOC 808 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Thomas Robert Malthus, Subtropics, Rockefeller Foundation
Document Summary
Is population a problem: essay on the principle of population 1798 by thomas. Why incorrect: technological advancements, synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, improved seed varieties, machinery, pesticides, birth control, wealth and urbanization = reduction of family size, education = later marriage and fewer children, some populations are shrinking, green revolution. Green revolution the green revolution was the technological response to a world-wide food shortage which became threatening in the period after wwii. Other crops: mexico (1650-1970, 300,000 to 2. 6 million metric tons of wheat. India (1950-2000: 6 to 82 million annual tons of wheat, worldwide (1950-1990, 14 to 144 million tons of food. Overall impacts: large increases in world food production, famine decreased by 20, 25% increase in per capita calories intake. Green revolution concerns: plateaus in yield. Increase cost in production irrigation, fertilizer, pesticides: storage, transportation, marketing challenges, environmental problems, population will overwhelm food supply.
