People could only survive
on small plots of land if
they grew potatoes. This is
because a small acerage of
land could grow enough
spuds to last a family a
year.
Large Population
Irish men and women married at a
very young age. Until 1972, girls
could marry at 12 and boys could
marry at 14.
They did not need much money or
a job to get married, just a small
plot of land (for spuds)
Malthuse was an economist who
believed that if the population grew
too large too quickly it would not have
enough resources to survive