Hunger in Africa: problems of population growth and agricultural productivity

The problem of hunger in Africa is examined using data from the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization for the period 1960-1988. The author discusses the relationship between the continent's population growth, agricultural productivity, and environmental damage that have combined to decrease the average daily food intake per capita. He states that "in Africa...the population not only faces problems of uneven food distribution and suffers from the lack of purchasing power; the continent also is confronted by a widening gap between the capacity of its agriculture and the growth of its population. Put very bluntly, Africa is rapidly losing its ability to feed itself."