Malthusian and Boserupian Theories

About the lecture

In this module, two key theories regarding global food security are discussed, the Malthusian approach and the Bostropian approach. We cover: (i) the Malthusian perspective, attributed to Thomas Malthus, focuses on overpopulation and the depletion of resources due to increased demand; (ii) Malthus' advocation for population control and land privatization to incentivize investment and innovation in agriculture; (iii) the Bostropian approach, associated with Esther Bostrop, also addresses population growth but sees it as a driver for technological innovation in agriculture; (iv) her advocation for focusing on technological solutions rather than population control. Both approaches have their limitations, which will be further discussed in subsequent lectures.

About the lecturer

Megan Blake joined Sheffield Geography first as a visiting instructor in 2000, then as lecturer in 2002. She was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2010. She received a PhD in Geography from Clark University in 2001. She is a recognised expert in food security and food justice. She has an established international reputation for her research focusing on 3 intersecting strands: 1) Surplus food chains and practices of redistribution 2) Community organisations, social innovation and self-organisation, and practices of resilience 3) Social inequalities. Her work is underpinned by a practice-based theoretical approach. She works closely with local and national scale organisations and local authorities to achieve research impacts that make real change. She is actively involved in public dissemination and has organised and facilitated a number of community engagement events and conferences, has been an invited commentator on national and international TV and radio programmes, and has published in and been quoted by national and international press. She is the creator of Food Ladders, which is a multi-scaled and asset-based approach that uses food to increase everyday food security, connect communities and increase local resilience by reducing vulnerability. Her film, More than just food, illustrates the ways in which community based food ladders can change places. An Impact Case study based on Megan's research was submitted as part of the University of Sheffield return in 2021.