Author T.R. Reid reflects on the source that started the discussion of world population:

I began my study of the world’s food supply by reading the famous tract that first got the world interested in the topic: Thomas Malthus’s 1798 pamphlet “An Essay on the Principle of Population.” It was there that Malthus first set forth his seminal notion that population growth would inevitably outstrip growth in the food supply, and vast numbers of people would starve.

I had always been taught that Malthusian economics was fundamentally wrong. Developments since he wrote the book have done nothing to support his thesis; the planet now has about six times as many people as it did in Malthus’s day, and we are better fed overall than ever before. And I must say that reading the Malthus essays (Malthus actually wrote four different versions over a ten-year period) did not convince me that he was right.

Still, I loved the book, which is really a strongly worded editorial. It is a small gem of advocacy, full of lively prose and sharp bursts of sarcasm. As an exercise in persuasive writing, it’s marvelous. It also did a nice job of focusing on the two basic questions that are wrapped up in the problem of the global food supply: Can we produce enough food? And can we distribute it where it’s needed?

There are many editions of Malthus in print and countless more in libraries. I got a kick out of reading an edition from the mid-19th century, because it preserved a lot of Malthus’s charming spellings. The entire essay (in the original, 1798 form) is available at The Home Page of the International Society of Malthus.

Freedom From Hunger
http://www.freefromhunger.org
Find “an overview of our strategy to end chronic hunger along with a chronology of our 50+ years of service,” answers to frequently asked questions, and a collection of myths and realities about hunger.

Food for the Hungry
http://www.fh.org
This Christian organization operates relief programs in more than 25 countries.

The Hunger Project
http://www.thp.org
This site looks at issues such as the impact of hunger on the human spirit, the economic process, and world peace.

Population Reports
http://www.jhuccp.org/popreport/m13edsum.stm
Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Communication Program offers this collection of information on population growth, food needs, and the limits of Earth’s resources.

Priming the Invisible Pump
http://www.perc.org/ps9.htm
Read Terry Anderson and Pamela Snyder’s in-depth article on water conservation.

Second Harvest
http://www.secondharvest.org
Second Harvest, the U.S.’s largest charitable hunger-relief organization, offers research study findings and suggestions on how you can make a difference.

Water Education Foundation
http://www.water-ed.org
Check out this site to gain an understanding of water issues and ways to conserve and protect the world’s water supply.

WaterShare
http://www.watershare.usbr.gov
This U.S. Department of the Interior site provides information for all ages and interests, from local water conservation programs to kids’ interactive activities.

World Hunger Year
http://www.iglou.com/why
Link to WHY’s access guide for ideas on how to help fight hunger and poverty.

Additional Resources

Cohen, Mark J., ed. Hunger 1996: Countries in Crisis. Bread for the World Institute, 1995.

Conway, Gordon R. The Doubly Green Revolution: Food for All in the Twenty-first Century. Penguin, 1997.

Dando, William. The Geography of Famine. Wiley, 1980.

Ehrlich, Paul. The Stork and the Plow: The Equity Answer to the Human Dilemma. Putnam’s, 1995.

Etienne, Gilbert. Food and Poverty: India’s Half Won Battle. Sage Publications, 1988.

Lost Crops of Africa: Grains. National Academy Press, 1996.

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. The Vanishing Feast. Harcourt Brace, 1994.

Reader, John. Africa: A Biography of the Continent. A.A. Knopf, 1998.

Rodale, Robert. Save Three Lives: A Plan for Famine Prevention. Sierra Club Books, 1991.

Tarrant, John Rex. Farming and Food. Oxford University Press, 1991.

Wittwer, Sylvan Harold. Feeding a Billion: Frontiers of Chinese Agriculture. Michigan State University Press, 1987.