Population and Food examines recent trends in food production and assesses the prospects for feeding humanity in the twenty-first century. With case studies from throughout the developed and developing world, the book suggests that food production in most world regions has kept ahead of population growth, that future food production prospects are encouraging, and that in all probability the people of the world will be better fed in the twenty-first than in the twentieth century.
Author(s): Tim Dyson
Series: Global Environmental Change Series
Edition: 1
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 1996
Language: English
Pages: 256
Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
CONTENTS......Page 7
FIGURES......Page 10
TABLES......Page 11
PREFACE......Page 12
ABBREVIATIONS......Page 15
POPULATION AND FOOD......Page 17
SOME HISTORY AND THEORY......Page 19
SOME ANTI-MALTHUSIAN VIEWS......Page 21
THE MODERN NEO-MALTHUSIAN CASE......Page 25
A QUESTION OF BALANCE......Page 31
CONCLUDING REMARKS......Page 35
DATA SOURCES AND DATA QUALITY......Page 37
DIVIDING UP THE WORLD......Page 40
THE DEFINITION AND EXTENT OF HUNGER......Page 45
CEREAL PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION, TRADE AND AID......Page 50
POPULATION GROWTH AND FOOD SUPPLIES......Page 56
AN ASIDE ON FOOD SECURITY......Page 60
CONCLUDING REMARKS......Page 64
TRENDS IN WORLD CEREAL PRODUCTION......Page 66
WHERE IS THE ‘GREEN REVOLUTION’?......Page 70
FOOD CRISES AND FAMINES......Page 74
The ‘world food crisis’ of 1972–74......Page 75
The crisis of 1983–84......Page 78
Postscript on famines......Page 79
Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East......Page 80
South Asia and the Far East......Page 85
Latin America, North America/Oceania and Europe/FSU......Page 86
RÉSUMÉ AND COMMENTARY......Page 87
CHANGES IN HARVEST VARIABILITY......Page 90
TRENDS IN FOOD TRADE AND AID......Page 92
TRENDS IN FOOD PRODUCTION, AVAILABILITY AND VARIETY......Page 95
CONCLUDING REMARKS......Page 98
FUTURE DEMAND FOR CEREALS......Page 102
The demographic basis of growth in demand......Page 103
The non-demographic basis of growth in demand......Page 106
Future demand: a synthesis......Page 108
FUTURE SUPPLY OF CEREALS......Page 115
Basic agricultural resources: cropland, irrigation, fertilizers......Page 116
The relative contributions of area and yield......Page 120
Yield levels and trends......Page 123
The importing regions......Page 125
The exporting regions......Page 130
OVERVIEW OF THE SCENARIO......Page 131
CONCLUDING REMARKS......Page 133
Global warming......Page 135
Ozone depletion......Page 140
Soil degradation......Page 141
Water for agriculture......Page 146
Fertilizers......Page 151
Pesticides......Page 152
Foodcrops and biotechnology......Page 153
PHYSICAL AND HUMAN CAPITAL......Page 156
INSTITUTIONS AND MARKETS......Page 157
FOOD PRICES......Page 160
CONCLUDING REMARKS......Page 161
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA......Page 163
THE MIDDLE EAST......Page 169
SOUTH ASIA......Page 171
THE FAR EAST......Page 175
LATIN AMERICA......Page 181
EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION......Page 182
NORTH AMERICA AND OCEANIA......Page 185
CONCLUDING REMARKS......Page 188
CONCLUSIONS......Page 190
FORECASTS......Page 191
CAVEATS......Page 193
TEMPERED HOPE......Page 195
APPENDIX: COUNTRY DATA AND FOOD SECURITY INDEX, AROUND 1990......Page 197
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 203
INDEX......Page 213
