Population and Land Resources
Prof Young writes about my letter on the need for population control in Africa:
“After 45 years research into developing countries, centred not upon population
but on land resources, I came to the same conclusion. I have published this recently
in Geographical Journal (March 2005). It is summarized on my web site, www.land-resources.com
select "Poverty...", and there is a press release on www.rgs.org select
Press Room.”
Here is his note to The Times:
18 November 2002.
Grim spectre of famine
Birth control is vital.
AFRICAN countries will never be able to survive the recurrent bad years of
drought, flood, or other natural disasters — unless greater efforts are
made to check population increase. A study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
25 years ago forecast those countries which would be at high risk of being
unable to support their populations in 2000. The list bears striking resemblance
to countries with current famine emergency measures.
Better governance, land reform and agricultural improvement are of course needed,
but any such advances are inevitably nullified by pressure of population. As
said by the world’s scientific academies, meeting in 1993: “Family
planning could bring more benefits to more people at less cost than any other
single technology now available to the human race.”
Professor Anthony Young (retired),
University of East Anglia
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