What another idiot

Reader's letter, from The Metro:

Olu, if everyone was rich and equal, we wouldn't have enough 'cattle' to milk.

Doctor, London.

Duh.

The biggest problem that a lot of the world's poorest people face is lack of food. That's not particularly because there isn't enough fertile land, there's isn't enough labour to work the land, we don't have the required seeds, breeds of animal, machinery, techniques, fertilisers etc, it is purely and simply because... those poor people are not growing enough food, not storing or transporting it properly and/or not producing enough 'other stuff' which they can profitably exchange with food surplus countries (who do throw away a lot of surplus food in order to keep prices high, as well as your normal kitchen waste).

Quite what it is which stops some people from growing their own food (thus making them poor) is a separate topic, but assuming that the world's poorest people can take the first steps towards becoming "rich and equal" by simply growing more food for themselves, then by definition, there will be more food to go around, not the same amount or less.

And if they lift themselves out of poverty by producing 'other stuff' which they exchange for our surplus food, then sure, food prices might tick up a bit, but the increase in quantity and fall in price of 'other stuff' will more than compensate us for this.

Sorted.