In 1798 “An Essay on the Principle of Population” was published. The author was Thomas Robert Malthus. In this Essay he described how the world’s population is growing at a geometric rate. That is, it is increasing exponentially. The world’s supply of food, however, is increasing at an arithmetic rate, meaning it is growing in a uniform fashion. He then drew the conclusion that, because of this, the world would soon reach its carrying capacity and the population of the world would suffer a mass famine, which would reduce the population to a more manageable amount. While he was a little off on the exact time that this would happen, his essay provoked interest throughout Britain, and then the world. Though Malthus has, of course, never been proven correct, his theories are difficult to argue. Malthus may be criticized, but something must be done so that the world’s food supplies can be assured for the future. The completion of a project as massive as this would be difficult to accomplish, but it can be done. Th