ABSTRACT
Much of the growing volume of books, articles and reports about sustainable development still fails to reflect a concern for human needs; priority is given to the discussion of ecological sustainability with little or no mention of development. One of the most confusing and contentious aspects of the population issue is the relative importance of population growth as a factor in sustainable development. One situation is where slash-and-burn farming is common. This is a form of rotational cultivation which can be highly sustainable if population density is low and if there is no pressure to produce crops for export. Poverty, low agricultural prices and appalling communications often prevent poor farmers from making the investments or applying the technologies which would enable them to increase yields to feed increased numbers. One of the lessons from examples is that action in countries with too rapid population growth needs to be taken urgently.
