ABSTRACT
Food security has been a problem of concern to humanity from the beginning of time. Cohen (1977) summarized much of the earlier literature, and Dyson (1996), Hillel (1991), Evans (1998), and Wild (2003) have discussed it in the light of more recent findings. Dyson, a demographer, provides a remarkably well-balanced account of the information currently available, while stressing the inadequacies of the environmental data;
Hillel, a soil scientist, emphasizes the long-term damaging effects of poor soil management on sustainable production; and Evans, a plant physiologist, stresses the resilience of plants to changing conditions. But all four conclude on an optimistic note.
