Overpopulation and Hunger in the

Developing World

Agron 342World Food Issues

Ethan Morford

Overpopulation

• 6.9 Billion People on Earth (US Census Bureau)• The FAO approximates 1/6th of the world

population is malnourished every day. • (952 Million People)

What are our options?

• Give food to everyone in need…• Force people to stop having children…• Educate the uneducated…

What else can be done to help fix this problem

Have we reached our maximum carrying capacity

Will overpopulation fix itself

Give Food to Everyone in Need

• If this seems like the easy way out, then you are probably right.

• “End Hunger groups” are in almost every country• Almost all are funded from donations• The problem with these groups

• How much food actually gets to the people in need• Much of the “relief” never makes it to the people it was

intended to go to• Charity will lead to even more problems

Force People to Stop Having Children

• This option has been tested in a few places around the world– China• One Child Policy • Birth rates have dropped, but still have 1 million more births than deaths every five weeks (China)• Forced abortions are a problem• Baby boys are valued• Girls are shunned or given away

Educate the Uneducated

• Some say that education is the best birth control– Women will have more opportunities if they are

educated• This leads to lower birth rates

• When lack of education is present– Abortion rates are high due to lack of knowledge

Can this problem fix itself?

• If developing countries become more developed

• Mortality rates need to drop, then birth rates will follow suit

• It has proven to work in multiple countries

Ethical Issues

• Is it unethical for the government to limit population growth?– One child law,

• Is it ethical to have 7 billion people on one planet?– Resource depletion– Poor quality of life for many people• Utilitariansim

– Achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people

– The more people we have, the harder it for utilitarianism to work

Bibliography

1) China's One Child Policy. Malcolm Potts BMJ: British Medical Journal , Vol. 333, No. 7564 (19 August 2006), pp. 361-362 http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.iastate.edu:2048/openurl?volume=333&date=2006&spage=361&issn=09598138&issue=7564&Food

2) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations http://www.fao.com

3) Human Sterilization. Clarence J. Gamble. The American Journal of Nursing , Vol. 51, No. 10 (Oct., 1951), pp. 625-626 http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.iastate.edu:2048/stable/3468247?&Search=yes&list=hide&searchUri=%2Fopenurl%3Fvolume%3D51%26date%3D1951%26spage%3D625%26issn%3D0002936X%26issue%3D10&prevSearch=&item=1&ttl=2&returnArticleService=showFullText

4) US Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html