Abstract

Growth of the global food supply and predicted increases in the human population have been well-studied and modeled. Increases in food production have been based on a paradigm established in the post-World War II era which addresses increases in the need for food through the application of basic and translational scientific research to agricultural problems, with the assumption that technological solutions to food production can be used to reduce or eliminate hunger. However, the role of increased agricultural production has not been adequately addressed as a factor in population expansion. While there is at present no viable and acceptable alternative to the current food production paradigm, the role of increased food production can and should be examined in the context of irremediable environmental damage and as a driving force in population growth