If current trends continue, the “caloric needs of the planet expected to soar by 50 percent in the next 40 years” and most of these folks will live in cities. And, a significant portion of them will be poor children.
How will we feed them all ?

I came across these two fascinating pictures from the Nebraska State Fair tonight.

As part of the display, The Cob Squad provided a visual for the fact that farmers are producing five times more corn today than they did in the 1930s – but on 20 percent less land.

In this picture, the jars represent United States corn production in the 1930s – notice the full jar of dirt and only a small amount of corn.

This picture represents 2008. Note that the jar of corn is packed full, while the amount of dirt in the second jar is about 20 percent less.

If we truly care about feeding the world’s poor, about helping them out of their poverty, and about doing it in an effective way rather than just one that makes us feel all fuzzy, (and we don’t want to have to cut down every tree in the “rain forrest” to do it) then perhaps we need to share the technological advances of agriculture (while acknowlegding excesses ) and promote free market economics.