Question

Based on the information in the Mini-Case “Malthus and the Green Revolution” how did the average product of labor in food production change over time?

Mini-Case 8, Thomas Malthus-a clergyman and professor of political economy Malthus and the Green Revolution predicted that (unchecked) population would grow more rapidly than food pro- duction because the quantity of land was fixed. The problem, he believed, was that the fixed amount of land would lead to a diminishing marginal product of labor, so output would rise less than in proportion to the increase in farm work- ers, possibly leading to widespread starvation and other "natural" checks on population such as disease and violent conflict. Brander and Taylor (1998) argue that such a disaster might have occurred n Easter Island about 500 years ago. the earth supports a population about seven times as when Malthus made his predictions. Why haven't most ed to death? The answer is that a typical agricultural produces vastly more food today than was possible when M,-7İtus was alive. The output of a U.S. farm worker today is n double that of an average worker just 50 years ago. We en diminishing marginal returns to labor because the production function has changed due to dramatic improvements in agricultural production methods and because farmers make greater use of other inputs such as fertilizers and capital. Two hundred years ago, most of the world's population had to work in agriculture to feed themselves. Today, less than 1% of the U.S. population works in agriculture. Over the last century than the population in ood production grew substantially faster most developed countries Of course, the risk of malnutrition and even starvation remain significant in many low-income countries. Fortunately, agricul- tural production in these nations increased dramatically during the second half of the twentieth century, saving an estimated billion lives. This increased production was due to a set of inno- vations called the Green Revolution. These innovations, including drought- and insect-resistant crop varieties, improved irrigation, better use of fertilizer and pesticides, scientific crop rotation, and improved equipment were introduced primarily in the third quar- ter of the twentieth century, although progress has continued Perhaps the most important single contributor to the Green Revolution was U.S. agronomist Norman Borlaug, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. However, as he noted in his Nobel Prize speech, superior science is not the complete answer to preventing starvation. A sound economic system and a stable political environment are also needed.

Answer 1