World Population and Food Supplies

Abstract

The subtitle of the article by Charles Mann, “Reseeding the Green Revolution” (Special News Report: World Food Prospects, [22 Aug., p. 1038][1]) reads, “High-yielding varieties of wheat, rice, and maize helped double world grain production. A repeat performance is now needed [because of continuing world population growth], and that will require a new commitment to agricultural research.” It seems important to repeat the question that Garrett Hardin ([1][2]) often asked: “Do we have a shortage of food or a longage of people?” Is it responsible for scientists to hold out the hope that endless population growth can be matched by endless doublings of world food production? At some point, probably sooner rather than later, we are going to run into the limits set by the law of conservation of stuff. The people of the world would be better served if we scientists gave our primary attention to the achievement of zero or negative population growth, first in the United States and then worldwide, so that further increases in agricultural production could be devoted to substantially improving diets worldwide. 1. [↵][3]1. G. Hardin , Science 162, 1243 (1968). [OpenUrl][4][CrossRef][5][PubMed][6][Web of Science][7] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.277.5329.1038 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [4]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DScience%26rft.stitle%253DScience%26rft.issn%253D0036-8075%26rft.aulast%253DHardin%26rft.auinit1%253DG.%26rft.volume%253D162%26rft.issue%253D5364%26rft.spage%253D1243%26rft.epage%253D1248%26rft.atitle%253DThe%2BTragedy%2Bof%2Bthe%2BCommons%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1126%252Fscience.162.3859.1243%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F9563937%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [5]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1126/science.162.3859.1243&link_type=DOI [6]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=9563937&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fsci%2F277%2F5333%2F1745.4.atom [7]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=A1968C243100008&link_type=ISI