As you’re gearing up to get in the fields this spring, I want to share a TIME magazine blog post in which author, Bryan Walsh, poses the question: “Is the world ready for seven billion people?
In his blog, Walsh comments that sometime this year the world’s seventh billionth person will be born. To put that in perspective, it took the world 50 years to grow from three billion people to seven billion people. If you think that’s fast, think about this: the sixth billionth person born is just 11 years old!
By 2050 most experts believe that the population will climb to nine billion people, and many say that’s a conservative estimate. As the world braces itself for exponential growth, there is a growing concern among many that the availability of food, water, and energy won’t keep pace with this growth. In fact, Walsh’s blog references Robert Kunzig’s special series in National Geographic titled, “Population 7 Billion.”
Clearly, this discussion is ongoing, multifaceted and spirited. But, we think of it as a nice reminder that your role as a farmer is important, not only to your families and agriculture, but to the world.
Tell Us What You Think
Is the world ready for seven billion people this year? How about nine billion in 2050? What do you think the agriculture will look like by 2050?
