My understanding of the issue is framed along the lines of these three statements: 1. Modern farming practices have increased productivity to the point where i

My understanding of the issue is framed along the lines of these three statements: 1. Modern farming practices have increased productivity to the point where it is possible to avoid serious food shortages. 2. A significant percentage of the world population does not fully benefit from these advances (~10%, according to [1]). 3. In many systems, increasing utilisation (food productivity in this case) also increases the risks associated with random variability. Given what I know, point 1 is essentially indisputable. Technological advances (including developments in pest control) have freed large portions of the world population from periodic food poverty. I feel that point 2 is used to justify increased investment in certain categories of the developments referred to in point 1. That hungry people exist is sufficient to justify expenditure that _could_ address food shortages, but, in fact, does not. This is the main focus of the article - that claims about reducing poverty are cynically employed by businesses to further their economic goals. This should not really be a surprise, because business is largely about making money, not reducing poverty. Point 3 is something that I have long been concerned with, because I don't see any mechanism in the market to restrain us from attempting to maximise productivity. As described, the move towards maximisation is justified in terms of poverty, and, although it can address that issue, it brings us closer to another danger, which is global susceptibility to large random events. It is for this reason that I feel the true focus should be on reducing poverty, rather than simply allowing the market to attempt to solve the problem. Reduced poverty is, as I understand it, generally associated with decreases in population growth, from which we may be able to maintain a robust global food supply that doesn't leave anyone hungry. [1] http://www.worldhunger.org/2015-world-hunger-and-poverty-facts-and-statistics/#hunger-number http://www.worldhunger.org/2015-world-hunger-and-poverty-fac... edit: formatting