Which theory predicted overpopulation would lead to greater famines?

Malthusian theory, formulated by the economist Thomas Robert Malthus in the late 18th century, posits that population growth tends to outpace the production of food resources, leading to inevitable shortages and famines. Malthus argued that while population grows geometrically (exponentially), food production increases arithmetically (linearly), resulting in a point where the population exceeds the food supply. When this happens, society faces 'positive checks' such as famine, disease, and war, which serve to reduce the population back to sustainable levels.

This theory highlights the potential consequences of overpopulation on food security, a central theme in discussions of agricultural capacity and societal stability. Malthus’s ideas have sparked extensive debate on resource management and population control, influencing various fields including economics, environmental science, and political policy. The other choices align with different aspects of population studies: Neo-Malthusian theory expands on Malthus’s ideas considering contemporary issues like resource depletion; the Demographic Transition Model explains population changes through stages of economic development; and Population Momentum theory focuses on the continued growth of a population despite a decline in birth rates.