Secure Our Food!

Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, safe, and nutritious food at all times.  If a country does not have food security, they become increasingly at risk of famine, disease, and other negative issues.   With ever going threats to food security, the world looks for possible solutions.

 

One major threat to food security is population growth.  Global population has been growing for years and doesn’t look like it is slowing down.  Currently, the global population is around 7.3 billion people.  In 2050, the world population is supposed to grow by 1.7 billion to reach 9 billion people.  That means, in just 36 years, there will be 1.7 billion more people to feed.  There will need to be more land in order to produce more crops, but the additional population will also need places to live, so you see the conflict here.  There are already numerous challenges we face with the current population.  Millions are in extreme poverty and suffer from daily hunger while billions of people live in nations without food security.

With in increase in demand for food, solutions need to be presented in order to solve the problem of food security.  In the 1960s, a period of agricultural development known as The Green Revolution took place, where plants produced a higher yield, increasing food production.  Unfortunately, the focus on increasing plant yields left a multitude of consequences.  Fertile land was degraded, water and soil were polluted by new agrochemicals, and land eroded as well.  With the increasing population, urbanization and industrialization have plagued fertile land, caused climate change, depleted forests, and decreased the amount of farmland available; all contributing factors to countries food security.

So what are the solutions?  How can a country ensure food security?  One solution, that is not completely ethical, fair, or necessary is land grab.  Stronger nations take advantage of poorer countries by purchasing or taking land in order to grow crops to safeguard their own food security.  These countries receive little to no compensation, farmers have to relocate, and the smaller holder farming gets converted to large industry farming.  This strategy is not a maintainable solution to the problem of food security.

Global populations need to realize the importance of sustainable smallholder farming also known as “save and grow.”  While it is definitely more difficult, this environmentally friendly way of farming is necessary for the future of food security.

Check this site out! http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story028/en/

Photo Sources: 

http://www.counterpart.org/images/uploads/CPI_Food%20Security_Infographic_Rev(1).jpg

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