ABSTRACT

Originally published in 1995, after decades of steady growth, this book was written at a time when the world’s food supply was no longer keeping up with population increases. This book examines the causes of the imbalance in the food/population equation and suggests ways in which Malthusian checks can be countered. It calls for an international strategy to restore global security, and a budget to implement it, with a massive redirection of the world’s financial resources. On one side of the argument the authors advocate increased expenditure on family planning services, education, and women’s rights. On the other, they stress the environmental importance of reforestation and soil conservation schemes to halt the deterioration of the agricultural resource base.

chapter 1|14 pages

Entering a New Era

part I|38 pages

Reading the Trends

chapter 2|12 pages

Food Insecurity

chapter 3|13 pages

Ninety Million More

chapter 4|11 pages

Climbing the Food Chain

part II|34 pages

The Three Food Systems

chapter 5|14 pages

Overharvesting the Oceans

chapter 6|7 pages

Overgrazing Rangelands

chapter 7|11 pages

Limits of the Plow

part III|52 pages

Losing Momentum

chapter 8|12 pages

Spreading Water Scarcity

chapter 9|11 pages

The Fertilizer Falloff

chapter 10|14 pages

Struggling to Raise Yields

chapter 11|13 pages

Environmental Deductions

part IV|40 pages

Looking Ahead

chapter 12|15 pages

Carrying Capacity: The Big Four

chapter 13|9 pages

Carrying Capacity: The Next Nine

chapter 14|14 pages

The Growing Imbalance

part V|26 pages

Taking Charge

chapter 15|9 pages

Reassessing Population Policy

chapter 16|15 pages

Turning the Tide