Book excerpt: Population growth and food supply have long been of central concern to economists. The World Food Economy examines the lessons of the past while assessing 21st century and future challenges, including food shortages, global hunger, and economic inequality. With the demand for food and the population growing at an unprecedented rate, this text provides students with a timely, relevant, and unique overview of the world of agricultural production. New coverage in the Second Edition explains how productivity has risen around the globe throughout the last century through technological advances and how consumers and producers in every part of the world--rich and poor alike--feel the effects of expanded global commodity trade, food aid, and national legislation in response to globalization.