How has a growing world population affected food production?

World population is defined as the number of humans living on the earth at a given moment. The world’s population is now estimated to be around 7.7 billion people. According to an article by Max Roser, "Future Population Growth," the rate of growth of the world’s people reached its peak in the late 1960s, when the number was increasing about 2 percent each year. Since then, it has slowed to just 1 percent. Nevertheless, by the year 2060, one estimate made by the United Nations is that the Earth’s population will reach 10 billion people.

Iowan Norman Borlaug

Iowa has a special place in the story of world population growth. In the 1960s, agricultural scientists increased efforts to boost food population in developing countries that were experiencing rapid population increases that threatened to lead to food shortages and starvation. Iowa-born agronomist Norman Borlaug was an acknowledged leader of this effort that became known as The Green Revolution. Borlaug developed improved crop varieties adapted to the climates where they were grown that proved to be tremendously successful. He also persuaded government and the farmers themselves to promote the new seed. A Borlaug biography claims that the increases in food production that resulted saved an estimated one billion people from starvation. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his efforts, the first time the award was given to someone in agriculture. Later, Borlaug helped to create the World Food Prize with headquarters in Des Moines to continue to recognize those who are helping to feed a hungry world.

Factors of World Population Growth

Two key factors in population growth are mortality and fertility. Mortality refers to the ages at which people die. As people live longer, the population increases. Improvements in education, medicine, food and living conditions have extended life expectancy, boosting the world population. Developing countries benefited during the last half of the 20th century from expanded medical services which led to longer and healthier lives for their people. It also helped to increase the number of people who need to be fed.

Fertility measures the average number of births per woman of child-bearing years. A critical factor here is not just the worldwide fertility rate but the rates in different parts of the world. Women in highly developed countries like the United States and Europe are having fewer children than they did fifty years ago. In contrast, the rates in some of the poorer countries of Africa and the Middle East continue to have more children. Droughts, wars and migrations have created emergency conditions when these countries cannot feed themselves but must rely on international assistance to prevent widespread starvation. Some developed countries now face a critical shortage of younger workers while other areas struggle to feed and educate increases in children.

Iowa's Role is Addressing a Rising World Population

Iowa enters into the global conversation in other ways as well. The demand for ethanol made from corn diverts a sizable portion of the crop each year from food to fuel. While it helps to raise prices for producers, it makes it more expensive for poorer countries to buy the corn their need for food. Scientists are now able to genetically modify crops to make them more productive and disease resistant. However, there are concerns about introducing some genetically modified crops when their long-term impacts are unknown.

Food production is an issue of vital concern to everyone. Iowa as a food producer is and will continue to be an important player in the discussions and implementation.

Supporting Questions

How has world population changed over time?

• S.J.Res.158 - A joint resolution designating October 21 through 27, 1990, as "World Population Awareness Week," June 16, 1989 (Document)
• NPR's "7 Billion: How Did We Get So Big So Fast?" October 31, 2011 (Video)
• "World Population" Growth Animation, March 26, 2015 (Video)
• United Nations' World Population Prospects Report, 2017 (Document)

How has food production changed over time to accommodate a growing population?

• Letter Correspondence between Mahatma Gandhi and George Washington Carver, February 24, 1929 to July 27, 1935 (Document)
• "Checking the Corn in Hills" in Jasper County, Iowa, May 1940 (Image)
• "GMOs Are Safe, But Don't Always Deliver On Promises, Top Scientists Say," May 17, 2016 (Audio)
• "Seeds Of Change: Mini Gardens Help Drive The Growth Of Food At Home," May 31, 2017 (Document)
• "Amid GMO Strife, Food Industry Vies For Public Trust In CRISPR Technology," October 25, 2017 (Audio)

How has a changing world population affected how land is used?

• "The Crop Outlook" Newspaper Article, June 30, 1906 (Document)
• Family Working on the Farm, between 1915 and 1923 (Image)
• "Recognize Iowa as Agricultural State" Manzanar Free Press Article, November 10, 1943 (Document)
• Kaestner Family at their Century Farm near Luzerne in Benton County, Iowa, August 8, 2016 (Image)
• Lush Soybean Field on Dean and Julie Folkmann's Hog Farm in Newhall, Iowa, August 8, 2016 (Image)