genuinegirly

"The key to solving the food supply problem, of course, is to control population growth on a global scale."


This is a quote from Stern's Introductory Plant Biology textbook, edition 9. This statement is found on page 257 amidst a chapter on plant breeding and propagation.


What do you think of this statement?
Do you agree or disagree?
Do you feel it speaks a partial truth?
Do you see this statement as embodying any single philosophy or political agenda?
Do you feel strongly one way or another about this statement appearing in a college textbook?
What personal life experiences shaped your opinion on the world food crisis?
Do you think there is a food crisis?
Can you suggest other methods that will help meet the growing nutritional needs of our world?

My opinion follows after this black line. I am sharing my opinion on this matter because I believe there will be many people on this board who disagree with my perspective. I hope that those who agree with me also take time to write a little something. Please feel free to disagree with me. If you do disagree, please help me to understand your perspective.
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What do you think of this statement?
I am horrified by it.
Do you agree or disagree?
Disagree
Do you feel it speaks a partial truth?
Yes. The way it is worded leads one to believe that there is only one way to getting enough food out to everyone in the world.
Do you see this statement as embodying any single philosophy or political agenda?
No.
Do you feel strongly one way or another about this statement appearing in a college textbook?
Yes. I do not feel that this particular textbook is any place for a statement of this sort. I glanced over it the first time I read the chapter, but on my second read it stood out to me like a red flag. I was horrified. It's thrown in there with no context, and in a matter-of-fact fashion. It seems almost like a subliminal message. If the student does catch the offending sentence, they are likely to think that this is an accepted philosophy shared by all plant scientists - which it definitely is not.
What personal life experiences shaped your opinion on the world food crisis?
Raised in an environment where I saw lots of big families, and how functional they can be. Saw the declining populations in Europe and the harsh Chinese policies against large families. See that few of my aquaintances choose to have children. See that America is headed for a declining population and don't know if it's a good thing. See that much pressure is put on young adults to not have children and find it exceptionally unhealthy. See the media focus on unstable, unhealthy large families and wonder if sane, competant adults can have large families anymore - if there is too much of a negative spin on even moderate-size families.
Do you think there is a food crisis?
Honestly? I think there's an issue with getting food transported to the locations where it is needed. There is a significant amount of food wasted. There are people who readily eat too much. There are people who can't access food. There are political leaders who prohibit foreign aid. There are parts of this world where logistically it's difficult to get food to them before it rots. There is enough. There isn't enough in all the right places.
Can you suggest other methods that will help meet the growing nutritional needs of our world?
Developing more and diverse crop plants. Cultivating and breeding native plants in the arid regions where typical crop plants can't survive. Encouraging non-clonal methods of crop propagation to allow for more genetic variation.

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"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy