During the twentieth century the advent of improved pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and genetic modification led to an explosion in crop yields. For example, in 1850 wheat yields in the United Kingdom were 0.44 ton per acre.[44] As of 2022 they had risen to 3.84 tons per acre.[45] During roughly that same span, the United Kingdom’s population rose from about 27 million to 67 million, so food production was able to not just accommodate a growing number of citizens but make food much more abundant for each person.[46] As people got access to better nutrition, they grew taller and healthier and
...more
