Food Conflict in the World - Research Paper Example

Food Conflict in the World al Affiliation: Food Conflict in the World In the past five decades the population levels across the world has increased tremendously. This has increased the demand for food to feed the surging population. However, the resources remain limited. As a result, the world is struggling with maintaining their eating habits. The production methods being used by majority of the farmers are not sustainable. This aspect is threatening the existence of the future generation. Many of the food policy being used to guide farmers and the agricultural sector at large are outdated and yet to be updated. The institutions such as FAO have failed to provide a direction to the sector that sustains the whole world. Currently, the impact of global warming is becoming evident. Different parts of the world have experienced a variation in their seasons. Drought and floods have become common. In addition, changes in the temperature levels have created a serene environment for specific strains of pesticides to thrive (Runge, 2003). Besides threatening the agricultural sector, these factors are risking the lives of the human beings. In order to understand these aspects in details, this paper will analyze food policy, globalization, and other different aspects that affect food security. Food policy will shape the future of food production. The policies will determine how the food is produced, marketed and consumed. However, the policies will be guided by the current changes in the environment. Although there are different types of foods that the current population can choose from, the climatic conditions are making it very hard for some of this variety to thrive in some areas. Developing countries are highly affected by conflicts. Therefore, people keeps on being displaced, an aspect that makes it hard for them to produce enough food to feed the population. Some of these countries rely heavily on global bodies such as United Nations for support. Furthermore, many of the farmers rely heavily on raid-fed agriculture. In addition, intensive subdivision of land has made it very hard for these people to produce enough food to support their family (Runge, 2003). The subdivision of land has created more conflicts as there are no documents that were used during land adjudication. Family wrangles have therefore slowed the production process. This is affecting the level of food security in the society. With the increasing levels of globalization resulting from liberalization of markets, efficient flow of information, and integration of economies, the conflicts of interest in the global market has increased tremendously. The multinational companies have shifted their attention towards the agricultural sector as a way of diversifying their source of revenues. This is to reduce the risks and uncertainties associated with focusing on a single product. However, majority of these firms have no interest of the people at hand. Instead, they venture in agriculture in order to make immense profits at the expense of poor farmers. They have therefore leased large tracks of land which have the potential to produce enough foods for the population. They then plant cash crops such as flowers which fetch high prices in the global market. They go ahead and hire a lot of employees who have the necessary skills and experience to produce food for the population (Labonte, 2009). This aspect is negatively affecting the agricultural sector. Globalization has led to liberalization of market, an aspect that has a major impact on food security in the world. Initially, countries had policies that protected their interests which are related to food security. However, with the integration of the economies, these policies have become obsolete. Farmers have been exposed to cheap farm produce from developed countries. This aspect has developed a consumerism culture. Although some proponents argue that ability to get access to cheap food products has enabled people to specialize in other areas, this has killed agricultural sector in some countries (Labonte, 2009). This is because developed countries have increased their funding towards agriculture. As a result, large scale farmers have benefitted immensely from subsidized raw materials such as seeds and modern technology. This makes it possible for them to produce products at very cheap rates. However, the few farmers cannot be able to sustain the demand for food across the world. As a result, the world needs a common policy that will ensure that all concerns by the farmers are well addressed without disadvantaging some of them. Currently, the consumption behavior of the population has changed tremendously. This has affected the production process. People are becoming more aware of the need to have a balanced diet. This is because with the increasing levels of globalization, information flow has increased immensely. Therefore, many people have access to information related with health. However, with the young generation forming the largest market segment, the food policy needs to be flexible because their tastes and preferences keep on changing. The food policy is a contested issue which is affected by special interests, knowledge, and people’s beliefs. In the meantime, the food economy that the world population depends on came into existence as a result of conscious policy choices that were made years back through state and corporation decisions. The governments were instrumental in making this economy. This is through funding the growing and processing of particular foods (Paarlberg, 2002). Furthermore, the government and non-governmental organizations through research priorities and objectives that were set in the national and local levels dictates what people consume today. The previous production paradigm has a major impact on the food production. Although a certain school of thought believe that for the world to make a major step towards food security, new policies need to be put in place. However, the previous policy that has been guiding the production process has failed to make any impact in the world. Initially, information concerning how to tackle food insecurity issue was held by few people. However, with the improved information flow, people have been able to share information using the available platforms, an aspect that has reduced food security across the world. In addition, movement of people in search for opportunities has enabled the world to deal with the challenge of food insecurity. Initially, Africa, some parts of Asia, and South America were described as food insecure. However, multinational companies have erased this notion by investing heavily in food production. These are areas with potential to feed the rest of the world. However, initially, the policies favored Europe and US. This made the rest of the world to be left behind in terms of growth in the agricultural sector (Runge, 2003). Nevertheless, the previous marginalized areas are being opened up as a result of globalization. The previous production paradigm failed to address the issue associated with the health of the diet. It focused on the quantity rather than the quality of the food being produced. Currently, this production requires intensive revision. This is to ensure that the amount of food being produced meets the nutritional demand of the population. This aspect is being pushed by the increasing number of health-related diseases. In addition, the modern world is now less mobile. With the advancement in technology, the number of people suffering from obesity and other diet-related diseases is increasing tremendously. However, the policy makers are yet to make the necessary changes in order to change the current policy which is falling behind modernity (Oosterveer & Sonnenfeld, 2012). Therefore, even if the world is said to have the capacity to produce foods that can sustain the current population, the food that were initially thought to be fit for human consumption are no longer a favorite for many who are conscious about their body weight. The diet has a major impact on the health of the people. People are mainly using technology to complete various tasks that were being performed manually. With modern transport and sophisticated machines, people are no longer having enough time to have physical exercise that will benefit their body. Therefore, they are being advised to observe their diet to avoid the accumulation of calories in their body. However, the policy makers are yet to incorporate this aspect in the decision making process. This explains why many people are becoming obese especially at a very young age. The governments across the world are increasing their budget towards the health sector in order to salvage it after being under intense pressure to treat chronic diseases that emanates from poor diet. This is being done at the expense of other projects that could have improved the lives of the people. The number of people suffering from malnutrition in the world still remains high despite the existence of the food policy. With the changing temperature levels, drought and famine have become common in the modern world. People who are affected by these phenomenons cannot be able to get access to quality food. This is because the environment in their areas cannot be able to support food crops. These are conditions that are affecting many people in developing countries. However, the international bodies have been left behind by changes in the environment. The disease prevalence in these areas is very high. However, with the increasing levels of globalization no single countries are willing to be the custodian of the environment (Andrée, Ayres, Bosia, & Mássicotte 2014). Different international meetings such as in Kyoto have failed to come up with long-term strategies to compel developed countries to take up stern measures to prevent environmental pollution. Their attempts to use carbon tax to appease the developing countries to plant trees and reduce the levels of global warming have become futile. This is an indication that in order to address food insecurity issues, all countries need to come together in order to form a common policy that will sustain the needs of the current and future generation. The agricultural sector has changed immensely. Agribusiness and value addition has become the drivers of the economy. Furthermore, the changing perception by people in regard to agriculture is milestone that will help in addressing food insecurity issue. The consumption end of the supply chain which composes mainly of the retailers, wholesalers, and food manufacturers who engages in branding plays a critical role in dictating the conditions in the consumer food market. Furthermore, the emergence of the global culture has created a new opportunity for the producers. Currently, the industries are competing with public health in order to shape the food culture and policies that will be used in the market. The food business has attracted investors who want to have a share of profits from this never-ending business. This is because people will always consume an aspect that provides investors with an assurance that their businesses will remain relevant as long as they keep up with the changes in the consumption behavior of the target market (Andrée, Ayres, Bosia, & Mássicotte 2014). The food chain keeps on changing as people shift their attention from one type of food to other. The initial production systems have changed in order to meet the requirements that has been set by companies involved with handling the food before it get to the end consumer. Through branding and packaging, customers can easily identify themselves with particular products and regulate what they eat and at what time. This has changed the agricultural sector by making it to be customer-oriented. From production to consumption, all focus is now on the satisfaction of the client. The changing consumer culture is offering the farmers with the opportunities to target high-end customers. The young generation is shifting towards fast foots despite their prices. In addition, the changing family roles resulting from more women joining the working class is creating more opportunity for value added foods. People consume these foods in order to minimize time lost which could have been spent in the working places. However, with the changing consumer culture, there is need to enlighten people on the need to focus on quality food rather than junk foods that are associated with obesity and other nutritional disorders. These changes have forced the governments to start campaigns to enlighten the people on the importance of observing their diet. This is to ensure that the members of the public remain healthy (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2004). The increased levels of food production have made it hard for the farmers to protect the environment. The demand for food is increasing each year. Young people are running away from agriculture and instead look for white collar jobs. These are people that are equipped with the necessary knowledge on how to protect the environment. Therefore, in many countries, agriculture has been left to the vulnerable people in the society, i.e. women, children, and the illiterate. On the other hand, excessive use of pesticides and other chemicals that enhance the production levels has played a significant role in degrading agricultural land. On the other hand, multinational companies that have leased large tracks of land are under no obligation to conserve the environment. Majority of these companies have invested heavily in developing countries. These are countries that do not have strict environmental laws. In addition, they do not want to put strict regulations that will scare off the investors who are playing a significant role in creating employment to the local population. Therefore, these companies maximize their returns but fail to conserve the environment. For instance, they release their affluent to the water resources and even in the soil (Labonte, 2009). This has rendered some of the fertile land in these areas unusable. Furthermore, these firms have even been accused of releasing harmful chemicals in the lakes and rivers, an aspect that has killed aquatic animals. Therefore, although these firms are playing a critical role in feeding the population, they need to be under stiff regulation that will ensure that they do not pollute the environment. Many developing countries have weak laws that are related to food governance. The political class has been joining hands with investors to foil any attempt by the government to ensure that there are strong laws to protect the interests of the members of the public. These producers have even gone ahead and conspired with the government officials to set prices for specific foods (Guest, 2005). This is hurting the consumers who require protection from their respective governments. The food economy is regulated by ensuring that the there is no conspiracy between the few producers and the law makers. This is significant in ensuring that the forces of demand and supply dictate the food prices in the market. This would ensure that both the farmers and the consumers benefit from a balanced playing ground. In conclusion, food conflict has resulted from poor policies that are not flexible. As a result, even after an increase in the population levels, the world is depending on these policies to guide the agricultural sector. Globalization has exposed the developing countries to the risks and uncertainties associated with unregulated markets. As a result, farmers in these countries can no longer compete with the rest of the world. Therefore, the developed countries use these markets as dumping or testing sites for their agricultural products. This is affecting the health and nutritional standards of the population residing in these areas. References Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2004). Globalization of food systems in developing countries: Impact on food security and nutrition. Rome: Author. Guest, G. (2005). Globalization, health, and the environment: An integrated perspective. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. Andrée, P., In Ayres, J. M., In Bosia, M. J., In Mássicotte, & M.-J. (2014). Globalization and food sovereignty: Global and local change in the new politics of food. Labonte, R. N. (2009). Globalization and health: Pathways, evidence and policy. New York: Routledge. Oosterveer, P., & Sonnenfeld, D. A. (2012). Food, globalization and sustainability. London: Earthscan. Paarlberg, R. L. (2002). Governance and food security in an age of globalization. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. Runge, C. F. (2003). Ending hunger in our lifetime: Food security and globalization. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Schanbacher, W. D. (2010). The politics of food: The global conflict between food security and food sovereignty. 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