Famine, Pestilence, Plague and War: Malthus is on His Way

Malthus may have been right after all.

At a symposium entitled, "The World Food System and Global Agribusiness: The Role of Public and Private Policymakers," four experts warned that the world's nations may not be able to meet the growing population's demand for food.

James E. Austin, a professor of business administration at Harvard, said that while the world's food supply has continued to grow at an increased rate in the past half century, per capita growth rates have actually declined. "We're barely keeping ahead of the Malthusian progression," said Austin.

Assistant Secretary of State Richard E. Lyng said the problem may be the fault of the different governments. "Farmers find they are in competition with foreign treasuries," said Lyng, "Export subsidies and domestic subsidies are impediments to fair trade."

There is hope, however. "Biotechnology is the most important revolutionary factor that has occurred in the agriculture world," said George M. Moffet, professor of agriculture and business.

Mallinckrodt Professor of Medicine Kurt J. Isselbacker '46 said biotechnological techniques can be used to change the nature of plants and animals, and to reduce the fat content of food. "It behooves us to reduce our fat intake from 42 to 30 percent of carbohydrate intake."

The race against Malthus may be a tight one, but Goldberg said, "The human mind has always found the creativity to make the next breakthrough."