ABSTRACT
The previous chapter was concerned with the character and trends of agricultural production in the Third World, and with the ways in which agricultural systems in contrasting circumstances are the products of a long process of adjustment to frequently hazardous environments and frequently marginal economic circumstances. In spite of continuing problems of malnutrition, and powerful media images of the impact of famine, Chapter 4 demonstrates that in the modern world of growing population and an increasing pace of relentless commercialization, Third World farmers have responded by raising their output, partly by increasing the land under cultivation or the number of livestock produced, but also by substantial increases in the intensity of farming and the level of yields. Advances in agricultural production are required to feed growing populations, and in many countries, especially in Africa, higher production has not meant any relaxation of the constraints of hunger, malnutrition and poverty; in many areas the situation has become worse. There is thus a continuing need to increase the output of agricultural produce and the availability of food within the Third World.
