Thomas Malthus, Ester Boserup, and Agricultural Development Models in the Age of Limits

J Agric Environ Ethics (2017) 30:8798 DOI 10.1007/s10806-017-9655-x

ARTICLES

Scott Soby1

Accepted: 3 February 2017 / Published online: 9 February 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2017

Abstract Two competing models have served as the basis for agricultural development policies. One is based on observations and assumptions of The Reverend Thomas Malthus in late eighteenth century Britain, and the other from the Danish economist Ester Boserup in the mid-twentieth century. However, rational agricultural development decisions can only be made using a model that incorporates assumptions based on a technically appropriate model that takes into account the currently status of global systems. A new development model may incorporate elements of both Neo-Malthusian and Boserupian economic-demographic models, but because the world has changed substantially, it can be neither of them alone, nor a hybrid of the two models without signicant expansion and renement. The principles espoused by Malthus and Boserup can thus be used as the starting points in a dialectic argument to arrive at a new agricultural development paradigm.

Keywords Agricultural development Modeling Intensication Malthus

Boserup

Introduction

Despite the massive input of development aid and other resources (Development aid peaked in 2013 at $136 billion (https://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/documentupload/ODA%202013%20Tables%20and%20Charts%20En.pdf

Web End =https://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/documentupload/ https://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/documentupload/ODA%202013%20Tables%20and%20Charts%20En.pdf

Web End =ODA%202013%20Tables%20and%20Charts%20En.pdf ), agricultural development has been refractory in much of the underdeveloped world. While there are many human-caused and natural factors that have played some part in hampering development, there has been enough failure to warrant a fresh look at the assumptions upon which

& Scott Soby [email protected]

1 Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, and College of Veterinary Medicine,

Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ 85308, USA

http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s10806-017-9655-x&domain=pdf

Web End = http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s10806-017-9655-x&domain=pdf

Web End = Thomas Malthus, Ester Boserup, and Agricultural Development Models in the Age of Limits

123

88 S. Soby

development policies and decisions are made. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 (http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sdgoverview/post-2015-development-agenda/goal-2.html

Web End =http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sdgoverview/ http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sdgoverview/post-2015-development-agenda/goal-2.html

Web End =post-2015-development-agenda/goal-2.html ), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation agricultural development program (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Agricultural-Development

Web End =http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/ http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Agricultural-Development

Web End =Global-Development/Agricultural-Development ), the World Health Organizations eight Millennium Development Goals (http://www.who.int/topics/millennium_development_goals/about/en/

Web End =http://www.who.int/topics/millennium_ http://www.who.int/topics/millennium_development_goals/about/en/

Web End =development_goals/about/en/ ), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) strategic framework (https://www.ifad.org/who/sf/overview

Web End =https://www.ifad.org/who/sf/overview ), and many other major and minor development agencies all depend on...