Global Food Crisis and Solutions - Research Paper Example

Technology and International Development - Global Food Crisis and Solutions Introduction Food crisis is among the major problems facing the African continent, especially in Kenya as well as the rest of the developing world. Global food crisis has been a case of debate in many countries. According to the United Nations world food report, farmers produce an enormous amount of food, however they need to be assisted in improving on their productivity (Murray, 2011, p.1).The main problem is that there are many people to feed worldwide, a number expected to rise to over 9billion by the year 2050. The food crisis is causing frustration to many, for instance, citizens of China and India are moving to the cities with an aim of earning more money, hence neglecting farming. This paper will discuss possible solutions aimed at eliminating food crisis problem with the aid of technology, with focus being on less developed countries such as Kenya and Haiti. Murray (2011 p1) reports that intensive farming has negative consequences on the environment, and in her report, the united secretary general also explains that some countries may have surplus food, but it proves difficult to acquire access to the food. Causes Global warming is one of the contributing factors to food crisis; it involves an increase in average temperature of the atmosphere on earth and the oceans. The increase in global temperatures results to the rise of sea level, hence changing the pattern of precipitation (Houghton et al., p.53). Such changes interfere with normal rainfall, leading to increase in floods, which affect the fertile soil via soil erosion. Drought cases are also evident in most parts of the world due to climatic change; an example is the current situation in Turkana region, Kenya. According to Conceicao & Mendoza (2009, p.1161), most countries have faced an increase in food prices, which began in 2008. In addition, countries with high dependency on external foods are vulnerable to high food prices. A country like Haiti faces low income and is dependant on imported food; therefore, its economy has stagnated for close to 30 years. The country is also faced by frequent floods and hurricanes, factors that contribute to food crisis. Food crisis leaves millions of people hungry, hence suffering from malnutrition; this figure increase with time. Moreover, countries are abandoning cultivated lands and specializing in animal production like livestock fattening, as majority result to meat consumption. These cases are common in India and china, where abandoning the production of grains is a contributing factor to food crisis since grains have a long life compared to meat products. Nevertheless, the increase in the price of oil can be seen as a contributing factor to food crisis; once the price of oil is high, the price of fertilizer also rises, due to transport and production related factors. Conceicao & Mendoza (2009) further add that, poverty, food scarcity, and high food prices are the symptoms of food crisis in a nation. In addition, the falling prices of farm produce lead to demotivation of farmers in growing cereals, as they believe they will not get substantial returns from their sales. Solutions Various innovations have been pointed out with an aim of assisting billions of people worldwide to feed themselves. According to Murray (2011, p.2), agricultural research has yielded various alternatives, among them being seed varieties and varieties of fertilizers that can boost agriculture. Others include the flood resistant type of rice with a tolerance gene, hence enabling it to survive in deep water. Moreover, technology advances have yielded to effective agricultural practices such as Genetic engineering, which plays a major role especially in third world countries. Hybridization is also boosting agriculture by producing new varieties of crops; in addition, fertilizer distribution in farms is also changing “water soluble and slow releasing products which are combined with sprinkler and drip irrigation techniques, maximize the fertilizer’s impact “(Murray 2011 p2). Using of clean energy that will reduce the rate of global warming is necessary. When global warming is curbed, cases of too high temperatures that affect crops will reduce, rainfall will be evident when expected, and favorable environment for agriculture will be restored. According to McPherson (2008, p1), the emergence of the green revolution through technology played a major role in curbing this global food crisis, however, it was taken for granted. Nevertheless, it managed to increase production in agriculture, especially in America and Asia, therefore saving million of lives. Moreover, the developed countries should buy food from developing countries at a remarkable price, as this in return increases the farmers’ returns, motivating them to even work harder in agricultural production. Conclusion Food crisis is a sensitive issue that leaves billions of people hungry; it is an issue that has been in existence for a long time. When responding to the food crisis issue, care should be taken in order not to hinder the continuous increase in agriculture production in developing countries. However, commitment of the developing countries is needed to successfully deal with food crisis. People living in rural areas need to specialize in agriculture in order to produce enough food to feed the nation. Since the highest percent of people in developing nations live in rural areas, their engagement in agricultural practices will curb food crisis. In addition, concentration on drought resistant crops like yams and arrowroots common in Africa should be encouraged; as a result, hunger can be curbed. Genetic engineering and hybridization are as a result of technological advancement. These agricultural practices should be introduced globally. Seminars should also be conducted often to offer farmers adequate training concerning agriculture and educate them on new inventions. The problem of food crisis is not only limited to the government, but farmers are also responsible since they play a huge role in production of food. However, when they abandon cultivating land and head for the city with an aim of greener pastures, the idle land contributes to food scarcity. References Conceicao, P & Mendoza, R. (2009). Anatomy of the Global Food Crisis Third World Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 6, pp 1159–1182. Taylor & Francis publishers. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&hid=25&sid=21a4b1ed-e6e0-42e2-a5b1-793ce916d27c%40sessionmgr10 Houghton, J. Et al. (1992). Climate change 1992: the supplementary report to the IPCC scientific assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press publisher. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=6ERV_5M4wRsC&pg=PA53&dq=global+warming+definition&hl=en&ei=qCaxTqMez-w5yMvtmgI&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEIQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=global%20warming%20definition&f=true McPherson, P. (2008). The Global Food Crisis: Causes and Solutions. Retrieved from http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PCAAB740.pdf Murray, S. (2011). Financial times. World food. Small farmers have a critical role. Retrieved from http://media.ft.com/cms/0b5de75a-f46a-11e0-bdea-00144feab49a.pdf Read More