When the first world gives the third world free food, it enables them to see their children as units of labor, which leads to even greater numbers of deaths to famine when (inevitably) not enough free food can be given.

Nope, incorrect.

You are muddling up causation correlation and misinformation here.

Firstly in 3 world economies,skilled labor is a minor section of total available work. Most of the work is manual labor, or artisan ship.

There is simple rational actor logic that makes the correct conclusion that more children means more security.

Add in strong family bonds, a focus on ensuring a male child to carry on your legacy and you have the basis for a pop boom.

All developing economies see children as units of labor. The argument that giving aid is somehow an enabling action is, well,,somewhat funny.

Here is the logic : high infant mortality, low comtraception availability, no family planning, lack of access to loans, children as force multipliers, the need for a male son, male children's obligation to take care of their parents in their old age make the calculus pretty simple.

It's been a while since I read the research on it, but it's there on the web. Search for population dynamics and developing/third world economies I guess.

What I've read says that almost everywhere in the poor areas of the third world, basic birth control is easily available and free, and even the poorest most uneducated know how it works. They just won't use it, for the religious/cultural reasons you noted. If you give them food for free without conditions it just enables them to do what they're already doing, making the problems worse.

I'm drinking coffee right now. If someone gives me a dollar without conditions it does enable me to drink coffee, and anything else I choose to do.