Food production, population growth

V., New York, 1994, 830 pp. Part 1 examines world population growth, agricultural production, and food suppHes Part 2 presents the development of... 

There are serious questions about the effect of continued growth of the human population. We often focus on the matter of adequate food production, but large populations also affect the environment and our need for energy. Chemists can furnish the tools to help deal with the political and social questions. Some population growth occurs not because it is intentional, but because adequate methods for birth control are unavailable to people in poor countries. Thus one challenge for chemists is to develop better methods that would be safe, effective, and inexpensive and would enable all people to pursue their own decisions regarding population growth. 

Helleday T, Tuominen KL, Bergman A, Jenssen D (1999) Brominated flame retardants induce intragenic recombination in mammalian cells. Mutat Res 439 137-147 Hern J, Feltz HR (1998) Effects of irrigation on the environment of selected areas of the Western United States and implications to world population growth and food production. J Environ Manage 52 353-360... 

In the past few decades food production has increased through plant breeding, fertiiizer use, mechanized farming, and chemical pest control. The most recent U.N. study, the FAO World Food Report, indicated that 1984 food production was greater than 1983. But the report noted that further improvements will be required if food production is to keep pace with population growth. One area for potential improvement is the control of weeds. We have been working on a novel approach to weed control, and find the preliminary results encouraging. 

The importance of chemical innovation is not confined to chemical firms. It is equally important to the economy and to society as a whole. New technology provides the major improvements in productivity that help control inflation and that contribute to the nation s economic growth. At the same time, society needs new chemical technology to help solve many of the pressing problems of our time such as energy conservation and supply, production of food, preservation of environmental quality, and control of population growth. 

Given projected levels of population growth, world food production must more than triple in the next 50 years to adequately feed 9.6 billion people. A long-term solution may turn on increasing crop productivity on the arable land affected by aluminum toxicity, and citric acid may play an important role in achieving this goal. 

Reducing population growth would be another way to address the problem of diminishing wildlands. After all, fewer people on Earth would mean that less land needs to be used to grow food. But who decides how to go about this Some countries oppose birth control and others are encouraging their citizens to reproduce, even providing incentives to do so (Chivers 2006). Clearly, there are a host of social, economic, and political issues that mediate the relationship between agricultural production, human nutrition, and habitat protection. 

Food demands for other com refinery products are expected to expand with population growth or possibly more rapidly with new product development and technological improvements that would lower unit costs. Similarly, expanded industrial uses can be expected with growth in the US economy and possible new uses and applications made feasible through research. 

There is also a big gap between real and perceived risk. In Europe and the United States the public is mainly concerned about residues and food safety. With proper precautions, however, this is not a real problem, as residues in food are low and do not contribute significantly to our total intake of chemicals. Actually, there are no cases confirmed in which residues of modem pesticides in food were the cause of poisoning of humans. As there is a large overproduction of agricultural commodities in western countries, people worry about minor risks, like pesticide residues, as they do not have to worry about supply of food in principle. The picture is strikingly different in other parts of the world, where food production does not match the growth of the population and where malnutrition and famine are well known. 

How many people can the world support with present-day technology 31 Opinions vary, but it is clear that one cannot expect endless population growth and endless increases in food production.32 It is important to support these people in a sustainable manner that does not foreclose any options for future generations. This means that practices that permanently damage land by loss of topsoil, nutrients, depletion of groundwater, or other, must be... 

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