Demography, Food Production and Famine Risks in the Twenty-first Century

The main purpose of this article is to address the question of whether the world can feed itself during the twenty-first century.The article starts with a brief review of the chief demographic effects of famines -with special reference to their possible practical significance.It then considers so-called 'neo-Malthusian' dimensions of famines -in particular, the widespread notion that population growth may outpace growth in the global food supply.The authors dismiss such concerns for the near term future, but contend that in certain respects, population growth and population scale may be of considerable significance apropos the risk of future famines -especially if cognisance is taken of issues of global sustainability and the longer run.For reasons of efficiency the following arguments are largely arranged in point form.