Te government of Ethiopia has failed to establish sound economic policies that could attract investment or develop an industrialised economy. Tis is highlighted by the fact that only 17 per cent of the country’s population live in urban areas. A lack of investment in vital infrastructure such as hospitals and schools has led to further difficulties such as high risk of infectious disease outbreaks, both as a result of poor medical knowledge and poor availability of healthcare.
Furthermore, the lack of an educated workforce prevents the country from being in a position to move away from an economy based on subsistent agriculture. With over 50 per cent of Ethiopia’s population under the age of 20, rapid population growth is likely to continue. A young population also means there is potential for economic growth. However, unless food security and government guidance is developed, poverty is likely to continue.
In 1990 Ethiopia had one of the lowest life expectancies in the world at 48 years for men and 50 years for women. However, this has risen significantly to 62 for men and 66 for women as of 2016.
Despite it being illegal, 49 per cent of girls in Ethiopia marry before the age of 18, and 1 in 5 girls are married before the age of 15.
2.5 The Impact of Technology on Population Growth/
Overpopulation In the past 40 years, Earth’s population has doubled to reach 7.4 billion people. By 2025, it is predicted that it will reach 8 billion, meaning that the issue of overpopulation will not end any time soon. As the population grows, so too does the demand for food, water, fuel and other vital natural resources. Potable water, the quality and quantity of arable land, rainforests and biodiversity are all at risk from overpopulation. Added to this are the strains on medical services across the world with ever-increasing numbers of people. It is estimated that the world food supply will need to double by 2050, which raises a number of questions:
1. How will our environment sustain such intensive agriculture?
2. How will we increase the percentage of arable land in the world while maintaining current ecosystems?
3. How do we counteract the effects of climate change on food supply? 4. How do we address the medical needs of increased populations?
While the questions above are difficult to answer, one thing we know for certain is that technological advancements have helped, and will continue to increase the carrying capacity of regions across the globe. In this section, we will focus on the role of agriculture and medical technological advancement on population growth.
Agricultural Revolution
The Agricultural Revolution began in the eighteenth century in the developed countries with major improvements in farming practices. Ideas such as crossbreeding of animals and crop rotation significantly increased food production across the developed world.
OVERPOPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT 55 GEO DICTIONARY
Infrastructure: physical structures and facilities in a country/ region, e.g. buildings, roads, power supply and telecommunications
Potable water: water which is safe enough to drink
Crossbreeding: mating two different breeds of an animal to produce a new variety/breed
Crop rotation: the growing of different crops on a piece of land each year to avoid depleting the soil’s nutrients and to control weeds, pests and diseases
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