A recent study19 claims that the earth could feed 1,000 billion people. If we can't sustain our habitat, then we won't be able to sustain humans, either. Social Issues Even with agricultural and environmental questions about keeping the world fed looming, social problems continue to rear their ugly heads. Population growth and habitat damage drive people from rural areas into cities, or even across national borders. This can disrupt the social fabric of a country, including its food distribution network.
Civil disorder can result.
Feeding the world also is an economic problem. The United States, a wealthy nation by any standard, has one of the most affordable food supplies on the planet. Yet in some developing nations, people simply can't afford to keep their families fed. Still, since 1970, world food prices have declined dramatically, to historic lows. Overall, countries are better able to feed their populations now than at any other time in the last century.