| Summary: | Is the human population going to outstrip the earth's food supply? This is the principle question asked in this provocative new study from the Nature of Things series. In the year 2020, there will be between three and four billion more mouths to feed. The past forty years have produced impressive food surpluses, but these have led to environmental problems, such as soil erosion, salinization and chemical pollution. Food or Famine looks at projects in North America, Chile, Indonesia, Africa and India which are participating in a worldwide movement to return to agricultural methods on sound ecological principles. In doing so, however, they must grapple with the challenge that as the world population continues to increase, new crops with higher yields will have to be developed. This film also examines the worldwide imbalance between food consumption and production. Today, twenty percent of the world controls eighty percent of its money and food access. In contrast, 800 million people living in poorer countries face chronic malnutrition. Experts interviewed include Lester Brown of the World Watch Institute; Ismail Serageldin, Chairman, International Agricultural Research; David Pimentel, Cornell University; and Miguel Altieri, University of California.
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