Thomas Robert Malthus Sources: ashlab/.../ apgeographymaura.wikispaces.co m/file/view

Essay on the Principle of Population Main postulate of the essay (now known as Malthus’ Iron Law of Population): The population increases in a geometric ratio, while the means of subsistence increases in an arithmetic ratio. Basically, that the population is growing too fast, and eventually the world’s food supply will be insufficient to provide for everyone.

In An Essay on the Principle of Population, published in 1798, Malthus claimed that the population was growing more rapidly than the Earth’s food supply because population increased geometrically, whereas food supply increased arithmetically. Today: 1 person, 1 unit of food 25 years from now:2 persons, 2 units of food 50 years from now:4 persons, 3 units of food 75 years from now:8 persons, 4 units of food 100 years from now:16 persons, 5 units of food Malthus’s reasoning: food production grows by ADDITION of more acreage into cultivation, whereas population grows by MULTIPLICATION of human beings. Malthus’s idea of geometric population growth is now commonly referred to as EXPONTENTIAL GROWTH. HOW CAN HIS THEORY BE REPRESENTED ON A GRAPH?

Malthus predicted that overpopulation and lack of food would lead widespread starvation and disease Looking that the numbers and J-curve of population growth, he figured that population was going to catch up quickly.

Essay on the Principle of Population Malthus believed that natural disasters, wars and poverty (“positive checks”) were all necessary in order to keep a check on the population. In later editions, Malthus started to advocate abstinence and birth control (among the poor) in order to limit the population.

What factors influenced Thomas Malthus’s thinking? Thomas Malthus ( ) lived in England during the British Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions: The British Agricultural Revolution ( ): Period of tremendous increase in agricultural productivity and net output, supported by advances in science, engineering and elementary botany.. As the revolution in industry progressed, machines became available that increased food production with ever fewer laborers. Population Increase: the population of England and Wales, which had remained steady at 6 million from 1700 to 1740, rose dramatically after The population of England had more than doubled from 8.3 million in 1801 to 16.8 million in 1851 and, by 1901, had nearly doubled again to 30.5 million. British Industrial Revolution: The agricultural revolution supported unprecedented population growth, freeing up a significant percentage of the workforce, and thereby helped drive the Industrial Revolution.

Based on his observations, what did Malthus conclude? Gross domestic product (GDP) refers to the market value of all goods and services produced within a country in a given period. It is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living.

What do the spikes in food supply represent? What factors did Malthus fail to take into account? What ended up happening instead?

Darwin and Malthus Malthus’s theories influenced Charles Darwin. –Idea that animals will continue to breed until the food supply becomes limited, at which point there will be competition for the scarce resources. Which led Darwin to theorize about biological fitness. –"It is the doctrine of Malthus applied with manifold force to the whole animal and vegetable kingdoms"

Malthus’s First Assumption 1.Although Malthus foresaw the development of new agricultural technologies, he did not realize to what degree new technologies would increase food production. What factors increased food production and why?

Developments that increased food production in 19 th century More animal power was available and from the 1820s and 30s onward, machines improved the cutting and threshing of grains. Agrarian capitalism influenced the organization and employment of the workforce, leading to better farm management and more efficiency. Chemical fertilizers were introduced to increase crop yield.

Malthus’s Second Assumption Malthus believed that the population growth was driven primarily by the poor. They were having larger families yet were unable to provide adequately for them. What he did not account for was: Increase agriculture to support a larger population. EFFECIVE CONTRACEPTION THE CHANGING ROLES OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE’S REPRODUCTIVE DECISIONS.

Malthus’s Third Assumption He did not recognize that famine is usually related not to a lack of food, but to the unequal distribution of food.

Neo-Malthusian Concern #1 #1 SUSTAINABILITY: When the population reaches 10 billion, there may be problems keeping up with food demand. –Soil erosion –Soil nutrient loss –Depletion of irrigation sources (water) –Soil salinization (salt accumulation)

In her work ‘The Conditions of Agricultural Growth: The economics of agrarian change under population pressure’ (1965), Boserup challenged Malthus’s conclusion that the size of the human population is limited by the amount of food it can produce. She suggested that food production can, and will, increase to match the needs of the population. Drawing on her knowledge of farming in the developing world, where populations were growing quickly, Boserup argued that the threat of starvation and the challenge of feeding more mouths motivates people to improve their farming methods and invent new technologies in order to produce more food. Esther Boserup

Works Cited “An Essay on the Principles of Population”: My Life by Alfred Russel Wallace, y/Malthus.htmhttp:// y/Malthus.htm hushttp:// hus