From Charles Merfield, Canterbury, New Zealand
I was surprised that Marta Zaraska wrote of the “success of the green revolution” (25 March, p 32). Sixty years into the experiment that is industrial agriculture, we produce enough for all, but and due to malnourishment – while and, most perversely, many of these have nutrient deficiencies. That is not success. It is utter failure.
To feed everyone well we have to limit population, not grow more food. Fortunately, there are ways to do that without resorting to the utterly morally repugnant ideas of Robert Malthus, or the more recent one-child policy in China. Education, especially for girls, empowering women, good public pensions, affordable healthcare and a social safety net all result in decreases in birth rates.
