The Effects of Pesticides and Fertilizers on Food Security - Report Example

Effects of Pesticides and Fertilizers on Food Security By: Institution: Course: Instructor: Date of submission: According to WHO, food security is achieved when all individuals have social, economic, and physical access to safe, sufficient, as well as nutritious food that can meet the people's dietary needs as well as preferences of food for a healthy and active life at all times. Several components constitute food security, and these are food distribution, food access, food supply stability, as well as food use. By 2050, the global population is estimated to grow to about 9.2 billion from the current 7 billion. Such an increase is likely to increase the food production demand by about 70% mainly because of dietary habit change in developing countries as these nations are moving towards the consumption of food of high quality such as milk and meat (Andersen, 2013,p. 23). The combined Green Revolution effect has led to the doubling of the global food production in the last 50 years. Internationally, approximately 35% of the yield of the crop is lost to pests before harvesting. Apart from that, food chain losses as well as losses of harvest are also high. Similarly, it is important for agriculture to meet the rising food demand at the globe. The provision of extra land for the purpose of farming is limited to the expansion of agricultural practices will be at the expenses of wildlife's natural habitat (forest). Owing to this, increased productivity and sustainable production on the available land is the best choice (WFP 2015, p. 5). To ensure that agriculture becomes profitable and productive amidst rising cost, it is important to use the available technology. The attribute given to the rising yield per area would be efficient control of stress instead of an increase in the potential for return. The reduction of the present yield resulting from pathogens, weeds, and pests are among the major challenges facing agriculture today (Doorenbos, 2012, p. 212). The crop protection intensity has tremendously increased as demonstrated by a rise of pesticide utilized globally. To maintain the high food level to meet the increasing demand for human beings, protecting food from pests as well as using high-quality fertilizers should be a priority. Offering help to farmers to ensure that there are experiencing less food loss will be essential in meeting an area's food security. Food safety is among the steps that aim at ensuring that farmers are economically independent. Several beneficial outcomes can be deduced by utilizing pesticides. The utilization of pesticides will continue to be an essential tool for improving the standard of living of the global population. However, it is important to address the various effects of pesticides on people's health. Each year, the agriculture producers across the globe utilize about $4o billion for buying pesticides. Bio pesticides market share standards at about 2% of the crop protection market in the globe. In highly developed economies, farmers have a high return on food production on using pesticides (FAO, 2011, p. 4). The use of high yielding varieties, improved management of soil, and improved water can help to improve the crop yield in many parts of the globe. However, an increased crops' yield potential, is, however, linked to higher pests' attack vulnerability resulting into increased rate of losses as well as absolute loss. Averagely, about 35% of potential yields of crops are lost owing to global pre-harvest crops. Concerns of environmental damages resulting from the utilization of chemical fertilizers as well as pesticides have prompted a debate aimed at rejecting the use of these substances. These views, however, deny the fundamental processes of Eco physiology as well as basic biological, chemical, and physical law. While such intentions may be honorable, these could be erroneous means. Ecologically sound options when there is the respect of fundamental processes as well as laws (Habiba, Abedin, Hassan, & Shaw, 2015, p. 23). The millennium development goals and the report had indicated that by 2013, the global food security would have increased by approximately 50%. However, such a goal could not be attained due to some factors including low use of fertilizer to enhance high yield. Towards the start of 2008, the globe was facing the food crisis, and this crisis prompted FAO to hold a meeting on food security in Rome. By 2007, an estimated 923 million people around the globe were the undernourished majority of them living in developing countries. According to FAO, approximately 37 nations were facing food crisis in 2007 and 2008. Without biotechnology and the use of fertilizer, the globe cannot meet its goals of food production. Commercial fertilizers contribute to 40 to 60% of globe's food production. However, there was much higher percentage in the tropics. It is our responsibility to ensure that we are developing as well as employing practices of management that ensure that there is the efficient as well as effective utilization of fertilizer. The occurrence of the future increase in the production of food would involve the use of less food. One challenge to the use of fertilizers is the high cost of purchasing it (Iaea, 2008). The consumption of fertilizer has steadily increased with time. Global fertilizer consumption and cereal production have a direct relationship. Fertilizer is an international commodity of the market and is subject to demand and supply as well as market fluctuations. The past few years have seen unprecedented fertilizer demand as well as record prices. Despite the recent fertilizer market volatility, fertilizer demand is likely to remain stable. Production intensification as well as ensuring an increase in yield on limited land is essential in securing an adequate supply of food, and the fertilizer's role cannot be denied. Another important thing about fertilizer that should be considered is the human health as well as the quality of the crop. Although fertilizer can improve the crop yields, it contains certain chemicals that are detrimental to the health of human beings. Food security but not food safety can be enhanced by the use of fertilizers (Lal 2009). Meeting the global escalating needs for food cannot be attained without the input of fertilizers. Inorganic fertilizers are especially important in enhancing global food security and is also significant from the perspective of yield. Production intensification is essential to ensure that the challenges of meeting the future demand for food are met. However, such a move should be conducted to minimize the impacts of the environment. It is, therefore, important to ensure that chemical fertilizers are not overused or underused to mitigate the environmental impact Lal 2009, p. 49). Although pesticides are essential for killing pests, overusing them can cause harm to consumers, farmers, as well as the environment. In most cases, pests are seen as external factors that are introduced in the production of crops. Pests as well as accompanying species, for instance, parasites, pollinators, decomposers, as well as competitors is part of the plant's biodiversity. The upsurge of pests does occur following the natural processes breakdown of the regulation of pests. Over-reliance on pests leads to the impairment of the balance of natural ecosystem of the crop (Lal 2015, p. 79). The expenses of pesticides have risen from about 4 to 5 percent of the total costs of production in the 1990s (Pop, Peto, & Nagy 2013, p. 225). The majority of the scientists have recommended the utilization of cultural and biological means of pest control. Government programs that aim at encouraging the use as well as the development of cultural and natural methods of pest management include IPM (integrated pest management), national organic standards, area-wide management of pests, as well as regulatory streamlining for biological agents of pest control (Lawrence, Simpson, & Piggott 2015, p. 7). About 600 insect species, 1800 plant species, as well as numerous nematodes and fungi species, are considered as serious agricultural pests. Failure to manage these pests would result in a drop in quality as well as yields of crops. This will, in turn, lead to an increase in the cost of food production. In most major crops, the utilization of synthetic pesticides is common (Robert 2014, p. 37). In U.S for instance, the cost of agriculture pesticide was $8.8 billion in 1997. Two third of all the pesticides are the herbicides while one-fifth is mainly insecticides. For many years, biological and cultural techniques were the main methods applied to ensure an adequate management of pests in the practice of agriculture (Nin 2010, p. 10). According to FIFRA (the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act), pesticide entail a substance that aims at preventing repelling, mitigating, as well as destroying pests. It also involves a mixture of substances or a substance that act as a plant regulator, desiccant, as well as defoliant. The aim of fungicides is to control any form of mold or disease in a plant. Herbicides are essential in controlling weeds that compete with plants for nutrients, water, as well as sunlight eventually reducing crop yield (PAR 2010, p. 25). On the other hand, insecticides aim at controlling insects that cause damage to the crops and include materials that are utilized to control nematodes and mites. Other forms of pesticides include growth regulators, soil fumigants, and desiccants. However, it is important to alter the rising reliance on external inputs, for instance, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, artificial feeds, and herbicides for crop production. Although most of these practices improve food security, they can undermine food's health and nutritional status, diversity loss, as well as reduced essential ecosystem services' function (Adamson, Zalucki, & Furlong, 2014, p.7). The use of fertilizers has been attributed to an increase in crop yield, enhancing food security. However, the use should be minimized to reduce the environmental effects associated with a rampant use of these chemicals (Simeonov, Macaev, & Simeonova 2013, p. 56). This rising fertilizer cost affects food availability as well as an increase in the price of food which would make many people sink into poverty. In U.S alone, about $6 billion is saved following an optimal utilization of fertilizer. However, many nations especially the developing ones should ensure that they are utilizing sustainable fertilizers as well as employing soil-water management strategies. The use of excellent fertilizer is essential to agricultural production. However, excessive or inappropriate utilization of the cause same damage to the environment as it can lead to water pollution. To ensure that food security is achieved, optimal timing, as well as placement of fertilizers, is essential (Pinstrup-Andersen 2010, p. 124). Recent studies have listed fertilizer as one of the solutions to ensure global food security. However, every industry should contribute towards ensuring that there is the efficient utilization of fertilizer. Inorganic fertilizer is especially critical in enhancing the global food security. The underpinning principles for effective as well as efficient use of fertilizers entail 4Rs namely right rate, right source, right place, and the right time, and these strategies can help in ensuring optimization of productivity. Such a move would help in preventing the overuse as well as the underuse of chemical fertilizers (Pop, Peto, & Nagy 2013, p. 255). Conclusion Food security comprises of food supply stability, access, and distribution of food. Commercial fertilizer and pesticide is necessary to sustain the global productivity of crop and will continue to increase if the yield continues to rise. This will in turn lead to an improvement of food security. Many nations experience unbalanced as well as inadequate fertilization, and this limits the yield potential expression leading to food insecurity. Insects, weeds, as well as diseases, can result in significant loss of quality and yield of crops. Although biotechnology can increase the yield of crops, fertilizer is still essential to ensure that soil nutrients depletion is avoided and ensure that the soil is of good quality. It is hard to determine the amount of crop yield that occur following the utilization of commercial fertilizer owing to climatic conditions, the inherent fertility of soil, and crop rotation, among other factors. However, fertilizer and pesticides’ use have been linked to improved food security. Bibliography Adamson, D., Zalucki, M. P., & Furlong, M. J. (2014). Pesticides and Integrated Pest Management Practice, Practicality and Policy in Australia. Andersen, L. (2013). Sustainable agriculture reviews. Volume 13 Volume 13. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1398617. Doorenbos, N. J. (2012). The Next Green Revolution. Essential Steps to a Healthy, Sustainable Agriculture. Economic Botany. 56, 212. FAO. (2011). The Scientific Basis for Food Security. 69-96. Habiba, U., Abedin, M. A., Hassan, A. W. R., & Shaw, R. (2015). Food Security and Risk Reduction in Bangladesh. Tokyo, Springer Japan. Iaea. (2008). Agriculture and food security. Retrieved from www.iaea.org/technicalcooperation Lal, R. (2009). Climate change and global food security. Boca Raton, FL, Taylor & Francis. Lal, R. (2015). Sustainable intensification to advance food security and enhance climate resilience in Africa. Cham: Springer. Lawrence, J., Simpson, L., & Piggott, A. (2015). Protected Agriculture. Simeonov, L., Macaev, F., & Simeonova, B. G. (2013). Environmental security assessment and management of obsolete pesticides in Southeast Europe. Dordrecht, Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6461-3. Nin, A. (2010). Technological Change and the Transformation of Global Agriculture. Pinstrup-Andersen, P. (2010). The African food system and its interaction with human health and nutrition. Ithaca, Cornell University Press. Platform for Agro biodiversity Research (PAR). (2010). Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture. Rome, Italy: FAO. Pop, J., Peto, K., & Nagy, J. (2013). Pesticide productivity and food security: a review. Journal of Agronomy and Sustainable Development, 33 (1). 243-255. Robert, T., L. (2014). The role of fertilizer in growing the world’s food. Better Crops, Vol. 93, (2). 1-4. WFP. (2015). The future of pesticides. 225-252. Sydney: Willey Online Library. Read More