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Supplying sustainability : Comments
By Paula Matthewson, published 10/6/2008With 1.7 billion more mouths to feed by 2030 there has never been greater pressure on global agriculture.
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For your info, here are a few quotes from the UN report World Population Policies 2007: http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2007/Publication_introduction.pdf
- Many developing countries have realized the importance of reducing high rates of population growth in order to ease mounting pressure on renewable and non-renewable resources, combat climate change, prevent food insufficiency and provide decent employment and basic social services to all their people. (p.7)
- In 2007, fertility was viewed as too high in over half of developing countries, including most parts of Africa, Southcentral Asia and South-eastern Asia. (p.12)
- Fifty-four per cent of developing countries considered their fertility to be too high in 2007. Ninety per cent of the least developed countries held that view. (p.13)
- Developing countries with high fertility are grappling with the challenge of providing decent work for their growing labour forces. In 2006 there were nearly 200 million unemployed persons, an increase of 18 per cent since 1995 (ILO, 2007). The highest rates of unemployment and underemployment are found in the poorest countries. There is a general recognition that employment generation in developing countries requires employment-intensive economic growth combined with a coherent set of employment and human development policies. (p.11)
- During the last three decades, most developing countries have strengthened their support for increasing access to contraceptive methods. Even previously pronatalist Governments, which in the past had wanted to maintain or even increase population growth, have gradually modified their stance and accepted family planning and contraception as integral components of maternal and child health programmes. (p.15)
- Despite widespread government support for increasing access to contraceptives, demand is believed to outstrip supply. It is estimated that more than 100 million women lack ready access to safe and effective means of contraception. (p.14)
Developing countries obviously recognise they have a population problem. Why aren’t we doing more to help them address it with more family planning assistance?