The economics of pesticide use in Malta

Abstract

Agriculture is perhaps man's oldest industry. Yet even today one fourth of the total world population is suffering from malnutrition with some 750 million near the brink of starvation. Are we, one might ask, reaching the stage which Malthus had predicted over a hundred years ago? Are facts proving right before our eyes that the power of population to grow is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man? Before attempting to answer these questions it is worth looking at some more facts. First of all the distribution of food is extremely unbalanced. To give an example North Americans feed more grain to their animals than the population of China and India together consume directly. This is the result of the rise of the affluent society, and though T-bone steaks are reach in both calories and protein it is about the least efficient way of feeding the human race. If the grain available could be used more rationally then famine could be a thing of the past. It is not suggested here that the developed countries should become vegeterians foregoing meat consumption in order to feed the starving people, but rather alternative sources of food could be used as feed for animals. For example, tests over a 10 year period have shown that oil-based proteins are safe when processed by animals into meat, although there are some problems of digestion when such proteins are fed straight to humans. Thus if they are used as a substitute for soya bean meal in animal feed, the soya saved can be turned into a high protein product that can be eaten directly by humans.