By David Perry
In 1798, Thomas Malthus published An Essay on the Principle of Population, in which he predicted that while population would grow geometrically, food production would grow only arithmetically.
In simpler terms, the world’s population would quickly exceed our ability to feed it.
According to Malthus, this would lead to “sickly seasons, epidemics, pestilence, and plague” and, finally, “gigantic inevitable famine.”
Despite this dire prediction, over 200 years have passed and agricultural innovation has managed to stay ahead of the population curve.
