Biology
Table Of Contents
- Population Growth And Food Supply
- Factors Affecting Population Growth
- Problems Associated With Human Over Population
- Factors Affecting The Availability Of Food
Population Growth And Food Supply
The world population has been growing at an alarming rate for several years now. As at 1983, the world population was put at 4.5 billion people. With the average growth rate of the world population at 1.8%, it was projected that by the year 2000, the population of the world would have been 6.25 billion people.
High reproduction rate leads naturally to geometrical growth in population. There is a direct relationship between population growth and food supply. The quantity of food produced should increase in geometric progression, i.e. 10, 20, 40, 80 etc in order to take care of the population which is expected to increase in arithmetic progression of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc.
Factors Affecting Population Growth
A number of factors affects population growth all over the world. These factors may have positive or negative effects on growth of the population. These factors include:
1. Availability of food: The availability of food leads to increase in population as human beings are more likely to give birth to more children but lack or shortage of food on the other hand leads to decrease in population growth.
2. Availability of water: This also helps to increase the birth of humans, thereby increasing population growth.
3. Natural disasters: The occurrence of natural disaster like earthquakes leads to death of many people which eventually results in low population of the area it occurs.
4. Wars: The occurrence of wars between communities and between nations generally leads to mass death which tend to reduce population of the areas concerned.
5. Famine: This factors also reduces the size of population as human beings may die of starvation and leads to reduction in population.
6. Drought: The occurrence of drought in an area leads to low agricultural production and this eventually leads to low population growth.
7. Birth rate or natality: Birth rate or natality naturally leads to increase in population growth rate of all countries.
8. Death rate or mortality: Death rate or mortality naturally leads to decrease in the population growth rate of all nations.
Problems Associated With Human Over Population
Problems which may arise from human overpopulation include the following:
1. Pressure On Natural Resources: Natural resources like fertile farmlands become over exploited where there is high population growth in an area.
2. Increase In Crime Wave: Areas of high population densities are usually associated with high crime rate like armed robbery, car snatching, hired assassins etc. These may be due to lack of jobs, hence people resort to crime.
3. Insufficient Food Supply: As a result of high influx of people in an area, there will not be sufficient food supply to cater for the high population.
4. Underemployment/underemployment: Areas of high population densities usually do not have enough jobs for the ever increasing influx of people. This leads to unemployment and underemployment.
5. Inadequate housing: High population concentration leads to poor accommodation as the houses available may not be enough for the high population.
6. Traffic congestion: Many people travel on roads at the same time and since they are usually many, there will be traffic congestion of most of the time.
7. Environmental pollution: Poor housing, pressure on natural and social facilities lead to environmental pollution.
8. Pressure on social amenities: Social amenities like pipe borne water, electricity etc are usually overstressed by the influx of people into an area.
9. Inadequate health services: This is very common in developing countries and there are many cases of diseases outbreak in areas of high population concentration.
10. Development of slums and ghettos: As a result of high population concentration, slums and ghettos easily develop. This will lead to poor or inferior standard of living.
Factors Affecting The Availability Of Food
There are many factors which may be responsible for food shortage or non-availability of food. Such factors include:
1. Over population.
2. Poor storage facilities.
3. Flood.
4. Drought.
5. Pests.
6. Diseases.
7. Bush burning.
8. Poor harvest or yield.
9. Soil infertility.
10. War.