Latin America: population, food supply and agricultural dependency

The relationships among population growth, food supply, and agricultural dependency in Latin America since World War II are examined. The author notes that in the recent past, population growth and agricultural growth have kept pace with each other. However, "most countries appear to be caught in a dilemma common to the underdeveloped world: either increasing emphasis on basic foodstuffs to satisfy a growing population and increased per capita demand for food or increasing output of export agricultural commodities in order to earn the necessary foreign exchange for imports and development."