[ExI] (The Independent 2013-08) Plumpy'Nut: The lifesaver that costs... well, peanuts

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

On Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 8:21 PM, Dan <dan_ust at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Just allow open immigration and free trade in food and most of this problem
> -- hunger -- will go away, IMO. Or it will become so miniscule that a few
> donations, even to people with patents on peanut snacks, will deal with what
> remains.

### I am quite mystified by this comment. Free trade in food may
somewhat alleviate hunger among the poor. Historically, persistent,
endemic hunger was typical of governed Malthusian societies, such as
imperial China, and modern locations where hunger persists fit this
description. Improved access to food from external sources could
plausibly reduce the death toll from hunger, although it might result
in compensatory increases in violence due to increased population
densities.

However, I cannot imagine how open immigration (I am assuming, open
immigration to the industrialized world) could mitigate hunger. Those
who are rich enough to emigrate do not suffer hunger. Since Malthusian
societies can generate immense numbers of new humans in a short period
of time, any reductions in pressure on agricultural resources achieved
by emigration would almost immediately be canceled by population
growth.

So, again, how is immigration supposed to end hunger?

Rafal