(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 September 2014, Durban, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.10.4)
The message of this purport is a very clear one and it is a message which we should not fail to present to the world, again and again. We must thoroughly understand it. We must understand that due to the fact that society is organized in a totally wrong way, therefore there are all kinds of misconceptions such as the idea that the world is overpopulated! Are we ready to say that it is not and are we ready to defend that!?
Many say that the world is overburdened now with seven billion people. How can the planet possibly sustain seven billion people? That is the question. Many say it is impossible and that there is a major problem on the planet due to overpopulation – except Srila Prabhupada. He said something else. Are we ready to repeat it, logically understand it and defend it?
It is simple: Because people eat so many animals, therefore they breed so many animals and all those animals need so much grain. Cattle eat thirty times more grain than human beings, so it is said. Think of how many animals are being produced for food.
If human beings would simply eat the grains then there would not be a need to breed so many animals. Then, the animals that are alive would be protected and live peaceful lives. Then, everything would work. Prabhupada said that he travelled the world many times over and in so many parts of the world, he saw so much vacant land. If the land is simply used by different farmers to produce food grains for their own sustenance, then everything would work fine and the world can still carry many more people and therefore, there is no question of overpopulation! We must be able to stand up for this and project this message into the world.