The Malthusian Trap

Discuss whether you believe this trap has been avoided for the next 100 years. Consider government policies (like China’s one-child policy), the use of genetically engineered crops, social patterns of family size, and environmental factors.
The Malthusian Trap is a theory that argues that when the population growth exceeds the agricultural growth; the food supply becomes inadequate for feeding the population at one point leading to starvation and famine (Rittenberg & Tregarthen, 2012). The theory was originally presented by Robert Malthus in an essay on the Principle of Population in 1798, arguing that food supply expansion is linear whereas human growth is exponential. Malthus, however, argued that the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce sustenance for man. Now, whether an individual believes that this trap has been avoided for the next 100 years depends on where the individual lives. For those in
The different technological advancement level in the various countries will give a competitive advantage to the developed countries over developing countries. As such, in developing countries, governments are sanctioned to implement programs that control and curb population growth. For instance, the government of India has introduced a program of allowing contraceptives to be used by community members in order to avoid unwanted pregnancy (Dey, 2015). Although China has recently lifted the one-child policy law, the policy was very effective in reducing China’s population growth. All these programs are designed to remedy or avoid the issue of the Malthusian