Should We Try to Feed Humanity? If so, How?

[JBeukema]

The world's demographers this week increased their estimates of the world's population through the coming century. We are now on track to hit 10 billion people by 2100. Today, humanity produces enough food to feed everyone but, because of the way we distribute it, there are still a billion hungry. One doesn't need to be a frothing Malthusian to worry about how we'll all get to eat tomorrow. Current predictions place most of the world's people in Asia, the highest levels of consumption in Europe and North America, and the highest population growth rates in Africa -- where the population could triple over the next 90 years.

Perhaps those regions with unsustainable populations should be encouraged to stop making so many children?

 

[Tank]

We feed them, they breed them

 

[Mr. H.]

Not to worry: "Farmers Feeding The World" is here...

http://www.agweb.com/farmersfeedingtheworld/

 

[editec]

We'll either solve this problem or the invisible garrote of the market will.

I'll venture a guess and say that we're going to pretty much let the market do our dirty work for us.

 

[martybegan]

We'll either solve this problem or the invisible garrote of the market will.

I'll venture a guess and say that we're going to pretty much let the market do our dirty work for us.

The distribution problem is often the result of local government corruption/authoritariansim. Then you have the intentionally mismanaged clusterfucks like Zimbabwe, a country with land rich enough to support all its people but run into the ground by its idiotic leadership.

The root cause of this ironically is the increase in medical care, even at the poorest levels. People used to have 12 kids because only 5-6 of them ever made it to adulthood to reproduce themselves. Now even in 3rd world slums 8-10 of the 12 are surviving, and propegating the cycle.

Until social mores at our more primitve levels of society embrace the limitiation of family size, we will keep growing in population until a tipping point is reached. This again is a bigger problem for 3rd world countries. Most developed nations have the opposite problem where too few children are being born to maintain population without immigration.

 

[Douger]

Wheat......... treated with oral birth control.

 

[Mr. H.]

Wheat......... treated with oral birth control.

It's not just for breakfast anymore...

 

[syrenn]

The world's demographers this week increased their estimates of the world's population through the coming century. We are now on track to hit 10 billion people by 2100. Today, humanity produces enough food to feed everyone but, because of the way we distribute it, there are still a billion hungry. One doesn't need to be a frothing Malthusian to worry about how we'll all get to eat tomorrow. Current predictions place most of the world's people in Asia, the highest levels of consumption in Europe and North America, and the highest population growth rates in Africa -- where the population could triple over the next 90 years.

Perhaps those regions with unsustainable populations should be encouraged to stop making so many children?

I agree. We should stop feeding the world. If a population is unable to feed itself it should die out.

 

[Anachronism]

I agree. We should stop feeding the world. If a population is unable to feed itself it should die out.

Truer words have rarely been spokem syrenn. It's this silly little thing called PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Until we start making people both inside and outside this country be responsible for their own actions and well being, things are just going to get worse.

 

[boedicca]

We'll either solve this problem or the invisible garrote of the market will.

I'll venture a guess and say that we're going to pretty much let the market do our dirty work for us.

What a dram of bilge water.

"Do our dirty work"?

The markets have enabled fewer and fewer farmers to feed more and more people.

Government policies have led to destruction of agricultural output, cf. The Soviet Union, Zimbabwe...and how in CA's central valley.

 

[brokenarrow]

The world's demographers this week increased their estimates of the world's population through the coming century. We are now on track to hit 10 billion people by 2100. Today, humanity produces enough food to feed everyone but, because of the way we distribute it, there are still a billion hungry. One doesn't need to be a frothing Malthusian to worry about how we'll all get to eat tomorrow. Current predictions place most of the world's people in Asia, the highest levels of consumption in Europe and North America, and the highest population growth rates in Africa -- where the population could triple over the next 90 years.

Perhaps those regions with unsustainable populations should be encouraged to stop making so many children?

10 billion people by 2100

In Tiajuana alone?

 

[brokenarrow]

We feed them, they breed them

The Morning After Pill​

Only 13 million more to go!​

 

[JBeukema]

We feed them, they breed them

Only 13 million more to go!

​

Since you posted that picture, I must ask whether you know who's in it and what was occurring the moment that photo was taken.

 

[brokenarrow]

We feed them, they breed them

Only 13 million more to go!​

Since you posted that picture, I must ask whether you know who's in it and what was occurring the moment that photo was taken.

It's a South Vietnamese General executing a traitor.
General Nguyen Ngoc Loan killing Vietcong operative Nguyen Van Lem

After Nguyen Ngoc Loan raised his sidearm and shot Vietcong operative Nguyen Van Lem in the head he walked over to the reporters and told them that, "These guys kill a lot of our people, and I think Buddha will forgive me."

Captured on NBC TV cameras and by AP photographer Eddie Adams, the picture and film footage flashed around the world and quickly became a symbol of the Vietnam War’s brutality. Eddie Adams’ picture was especially striking, as the moment frozen is one almost at the instant of death. Taken a split second after the trigger was pulled, Lem’s final expression is one of pain as the bullet rips through his head. A closer look of the photo actually reveals the bullet exiting his skull.

 

[Momanohedhunter]

Soylent Green.