Feeding the Rising Population - Coursework Example

Feeding 9 billion ID Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction 2 Issues Associated with Feeding the Rising Population 2 World Hunger 2 Stress on the Environment 3 Effects of Over-Consumption 4 Ways in Which Feeding Growing Population Issues May Be Overcome 4 Sustainability of Consumption and Population 4 Monitor Population Growth 5 Changing Social and Economic Environment 6 Conclusion 7 References 8 Introduction This is a 9-billion question paper that tackles issues associated with feeding growing population of the world. Environmental challenges have been associated with either man-made or natural pollution; however, the feeding habit of the population has not been discussed in details (Gardner, 2013). Global forums have been used to alert people that population growth is rising at an alarming rate that cannot be maintained by the current environmental state. According to John Parker, the world’s population will grow up from approximately 7 billion currently to over 9 billion by 2050. The statement leaves readers pondering whether there will be enough food to sustain the population in future (Nelson & International Food Policy Research Institute, 2010). In this paper, some of the issues associated with feeding the rising population and ways they may be overcome are addressed (Weeks, 2012). Issues Associated with Feeding the Rising Population The issues could be listed as: World hunger Stress on the environment, society and resources Effects of Over-Consumption World Hunger It is apparent that the issue of world hunger is widespread in spite of enough world food resources. As a result increased food production is no solution to the problem of feeding rising population. The problem is that a lot of people are too poor to acquire readily accessible food (Shah, 2001). Therefore procedures for solving the poverty difficulty are what are essential to resolve the world hunger problem. People get hungry since they cannot acquire food, not because the population is increasing so quickly that food is becoming insufficient. This is an indication policies could be the issues affecting feeding the population (Nelson & International Food Policy Research Institute, 2010). People argue that population increase increases food scarcity or capability to provide enough food to maintain such population increase (Shah, 2001). However, for many years food production has more sustained with population development. As some experts have noted, most hungry persons live in nations that have food surplus rather than insufficient. When measuring the impacts on needs by populations against the way huge chemical companies and manufacturing agricultural industries encourage certain kinds of agricultural activities, and the grave risk of top soil loss, it is less specific that over-population is the main cause (Shah, 2001). Land rights: One significant feature about the causes of hunger is frequently overlooked; like land ownership and who manages the land. Right through history, this has been a very important part of power wars and one of the major causes of poverty and hunger in the world (Shah, 2001). Poverty is the first health challenge, in industrializing and industrialized nation. This has resulted to fewer projects in health, learning and other basic services. Coupled with corrupt leaders and tyrants, often backed by the dominant nations, because of national environments political gains, a large number of individuals have suffered (Weeks, 2012). Stress on the Environment Researches point to environmental limits to maintain population, but these environmental limits can be diverse, concerning the manner population consume resources; so it is difficult to articulate for certainty what overpopulation mean when people are overstrained (FAO et al., 2009). The information available highlights stress issues concerning environment due population increase and is very significant to reflect on when discussing feeding the rising population. The number of 6 billion and studies about over-population obviously targets the poor areas where there are high individuals and environmental deterioration is the problem (Shah, 2001). Report of Worldwatch institution proposes that the world economy could be gravely impacted by environmental troubles, like the lack of provision of enough assets to meet increasing population demands (Wise, 2013). Environmental deterioration can lead to social and political insecurity that can lead to protection issues. This has not at present been handled by the foreign guiding principle of many countries. Already within the world are observed as an increase in hostility and human rights exploitations as disputes about lands, water and food are spilling into internal conflicts and wars (Weeks, 2012). Effects of Over-Consumption Current consumption strategies as observed in the world can put stress on the natural resources and environment. But the degree or extent of the environmental deterioration observed today is as a consequence of over-population and to extent is because of over-exploitation owing political interests and consumerism (Wise, 2013). Especially when regarding globally, the twenty percent of the globes population in the industrialized countries account for over 86% of entirety of private consumption usages, the poorest twenty percent a tiny 1.3%, in accordance to the UNDP’s (United Nations Development Programme) 1998 Human Growth Report (Shah, 2001). Ways in Which Feeding Growing Population Issues May Be Overcome Sustainability of Consumption and Population The world may perhaps decrease consumption to a very essential level, however, if population maintains growing, ultimately that will not be sufficient (FAO et al., 2009). Even nowadays numerous are surviving on a sub-sustainable stage, because in part to an irregular distribution of resources, but also due to, in several regions, population has overcome fundamental resources for that area (Shah, 2001). When people feel vulnerable by a hand-to-mouth survival, they are more probable to seek towards below democratic manners to cut population, mainly if they have the forethought to acknowledge that population expansion is like an escapee train, very hard to slow and stop (Wise, 2013). However, increasing evidences are revealing that the techniques that work the best concerning reduction of population expansion (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2010; Haub, 2014), are the techniques established by the values of the Cairo Conference dubbed UN ICPD (United Nations International Conference on Population and Development) held in 1994, Cairo, Egypt), which comprise: 1. giving power to girls and women in the political, economic, and social issues; 2. reducing gender biasness in leaning; 3. Initiating family planning with correlated attempts to advance maternal and child health; and 4. abolishing restrictions on number of children a family can have (Shah, 2001). Monitor Population Growth According to experts, most anticipated or future population growth is to happen in the LDCs (least developed countries). Ranging from 2013 to 2100, the number of inhabitants of 35 generally LDC nation is expected to triple (Weeks, 2012). It is essential to empower these regions to manage population growth and consumption. For instance, female empowerment helps manage family size (Haub, 2014). Richer nations empower ladies and girls through advanced official systems such as freedom of divorce, political regulations or policies such as votes for women, social mechanisms such as contraception, childcare and learning readily accessible and economic mechanism such as more employment chances for women. In addition, better healthcare in industrialized nations results in improved child survival mechanisms, which decreases the need for bearing more children (Gardner, 2013). Changing Social and Economic Environment The key social and economic matters that drive increasing food requirement are increasing relocation to town centers, population enlargement, and increasing capability for people to earn money. As concern the initial two, urbanization and population growth, there is slight doubt about the extent, nature and regional prototype of their future expansion (Gardner, 2013). Source: PDDESA of the UN (2007) Study shows that by 2050 over 70 percent of the worlds inhabitants is predictable to be urban. Urbanization initiates changes in consumption patterns and life styles (FAO et al., 2009). In permutation with income development it may hasten the ongoing diversification of meals in developing nations (Gardner, 2013). Source: FAO (2009) In spite of urbanization, countryside populations will increase faster than employment in key cultivation sector, which is characteristically the case in changing countries, so administrations must encourage the gradual changeover to non-agricultural employment (Haub, 2014). Conclusion In summary, overpopulation is not a problem in feeding the growing population but the policies and approaches have big impacts. The identified issues associated with feeding the rising population include world hunger, stress on the environment, society and resources and effects of over-consumption. However, the ways in which feeding growing population issues may be overcome is through readdressing the policies and strategies of handling food problems in the world. References Cunningham, W. P., & Cunningham, M. A. (2010). Environmental science: A global concern. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. FAO., FAO., OAA., & Expert Meeting "How to Feed the World 2050.". (2009). How to feed the world 2050: Proceedings of a technical meeting of experts, Rome, 24-26 June 2009. Rome: Food and Agriculturre Organization of the United Nations FAO. Gardner, B. (2013). Global food futures: Feeding the world in 2050. Haub, C. (2014). How to Attain Population Sustainability. Population Reference Bureau: World Population Awareness. Retrieved on 5th June, 2014 from http://www.overpopulation.org/pop-sustainability.html Nelson, G. C., & International Food Policy Research Institute. (2010). Food security, farming, and climate change to 2050: Scenarios, results, policy options. Washington, D.C: International Food Policy Research Institute. Shah, A. (2001). “Population and Feeding the World.” Global Issues. Retrieved on 5th June 2014 from http://www.globalissues.org/article/200/population-and-feeding-the-world. Weeks, J. R. (2012). Population: An introduction to concepts and issues. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage learning. Wise, T. A. (2013). Can We Feed the World in 2050?: A Scoping Paper to Assess the Evidence. Read More