The Netherlands managed to dramatically raise crop yields after WWII by intensive farming methods like building a massive amount of greenhouses. The crop yield per hectare is insane as a result. It was as a response to WWII that this system of farming was adopted.
So if we reach a point of mass starvation many counties will adopt similar strategies and drastically raise crop yields.
It is a tradeoff though, crop yield is one thing, but most of the produce from the NL is bland, tasteless, full of chemicals, something that would have been considered unsuitable for human consumption earlier, and achieved at a cost of great environmental degradation.
That’s true, intensively farming in a small country will come with serious downsides. But if it’s a choice between starvation vs mass producing bland food and creating pollution, there is only one choice to make.
> something that would have been considered unsuitable for human consumption earlier
Actually our standards for consumption have gone up a lot. People used to eat all sorts of stuff when danger of starving was higher and population was poorer.
So if we reach a point of mass starvation many counties will adopt similar strategies and drastically raise crop yields.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33763087