In response to the observation of Byomkesh Talukder implicating 
"population increase is the main factor of environmental degradation in
Bangladesh", Simon Batterbury recommended that we read a 1995 paper that
discusses the thesis that agricultural production increases in response
to both the demands of increasing population and the opportunity to
market agricultural surpluses (induced intensification).

The 1995 paper by Turner and Ali shows that after 1950 agricultural
production increased in three steps that were driven by:

1. the availability of High Yield crop Varieties (HYV)
2. a shift to market gardening where produce sales enriched small
holders
3. the availability of technologies such as low-lift irrigation pumps

These production increases are used to support the Boserupian contention
that food production is a function of the need for food production
(population pressure), while the authors suggest that Boserup was
successful in countering the Malthusian view that food production can
not keep pace with the need for food production(population pressure).

Malthus could not have conceived of the temporary increase in
agricultural productivity that would be facilitated by the use of non
renewable geological energy stores (machine energy displacing draft
animals, fossil fuel dependent fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation
etc.)after his death.

However the reliance on cheap and abundant, but exhaustible substitutes
for energy from sunlight was known to Boserup, who should have projected
the demise of agricultural intensification in a future of geological
energy depletion when agricultural productivity would again be limited
by access to animal power and the efficient recycling of plant nutrients
in human and agricultural wastes.

The contention of Turner and Ali --- that agricultural productivity in
Bangladesh, where there is no new land to cultivate, "is likely to
continue on a 'muted' path of growth" --- does not recognise the
dependence of production increases, during the last half century, on
sources of energy that are expected to become increasingly scarce and
unaffordable in the foreseeable future.

Peter Salonius
 
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-----Original Message-----
From: Population-Environment Research Network (PERN) cyberseminars
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Simon P J
Batterbury
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:47
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PERNSEMINARS] population and environmental threats

but see

 B. L. Turner II and A. M. S. Ali. 1995"Induced Intensification:
Agricultural Change in Bangladesh with Implications for Malthus and
Boserup." Proceedings, National Academy of Sciences Vol. 93, pp.
14984-14991.

full text http://www.pnas.org/content/93/25/14984.full

 
Dr. Simon Batterbury, Director, 
Office of Environmental Programs, 
Building 143 (Natural Philosophy)
University of Melbourne, 3010 VIC Australia. 
+61 (03) 8344 5073 Fax: +61 (03) 8344 5650
http://www.environment.unimelb.edu.au
& 
Associate Professor, 
Dept. of Resource  Management and Geography,
(rm L2.33, 221 Bouverie St) 
+61 (0)3 8344 9319   Fax +61 (0)3 9349 4218
simonpjb@ unimelb.edu.au http://www.simonbatterbury.net

________________________________

From: Population-Environment Research Network (PERN) cyberseminars on
behalf of Byomkesh Talukder
Sent: Thu 12/02/2009 9:58 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PERNSEMINARS] population and environmental threats



It is just an observation from Bangladesh. From my experiences what I
have seen and understood that population increase is the main factor
of environmental degradation in Bangladesh. I can draw so many
examples. One can be Flood 




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