Global issue: Food insecurity
Today, the world suffers from numerous issues; from the security of life and property to the security of food and water. With the gradual but persistent rise in global temperatures, food and water resources in certain parts of the world are getting scarce and hard to conserve. This is problematic as with the passage of time; these resources are bound to get scarcer and lesser in amount. Moreover, poverty is another factor which makes it difficult for masses to get hold of nutritious and abundant food resources. When the factors of money and lack of resources are combined together, they produce a situation of food insecurity. In short, it is a condition of avoiding hunger and facing the risk of hunger or being faced with a threat of staying hungry for a prolonged period of time. However, not all countries in the world face food insecurity and there are many who are self-sufficient and have overwhelming stocks of food and water for their citizens. On the other hand, there are countries that have a constant problem of food insecurity where the citizens are deprived of food and water for years, and they continue to face the threat of food and water insecurity for the coming time. There is much global injustice when it comes to food security, and some countries are at a great risk of food insecurity as compared to others. Natural factors, as well as transport and import factors, also take place in the arena where certain food insecure places cannot be provided with food to feed the masses.
As defined by the World Food Summit, food security is built on three pillars which are categorized as food availability; where sufficient food is present all the time, in all conditions. Second is food access, where the people have the needed resources to reach food for a nutritious diet. And the third is food use; where there is a correct knowledge among the people on
food use and how to preserve their food and water resources so they can use them for a long time. Food security is not just linked to eliminating hunger and solving a temporary problem where people need to be fed so they can survive longer. It is also related to other issues such as economic prosperity and balance, health and nutrition and trade and transportation as well.
There are people who argue that the problem with food insecurity is not that there is not enough food in the world which can feed the entire world population. The problem exists with a large number of people who have problems in transportation and distribution of food is unequal which causes some people to be better nourished and well-fed than others. However the questions remain, if there are sufficient reserves of food then why are some countries so poorly fed that people actually spend days without eating and there are not enough water reserves in their countries either? If the world has become modernized so much so that the technological advancement leaves no distance between places on opposite poles, then why are there still such people who do not have a proper meal in months let alone they die of starvation and thirst.
There are reasons for that as well. Although the world has moved towards globalization and large-scale trading, there are many places that are still deprived of the basic necessities of life, therefore, it is not possible for them to trade or pay for their imports on such a large scale. There are also issues such as the food production being slower in the current times which makes it difficult to ensure that food will be available to meet the needs of the future generations. For the developed countries of the world, there are no issues of food security since they feel that global trade helps to meet the demands of a country in time when needed and national food security is not a problem any longer.
Another reason for the insecurity is the uneven distribution of the people of the world. Where on the one hand, the cities of the world are relatively better supplied with food and water, it is the rural and country areas of the world which are at greater food insecurity. Since there are differences between city and rural life, villages and smaller communities have the problems of how the food is brought to the village then at what rate is it sold and distributed to the consumers and finally, how the food is distributed in the household and whether it fulfills the needs of the family members in the household. This creates a direct link between the distribution of food and water and the general health of the individuals in the rural areas.
Many concerns arise when it comes to the lack of food availability in areas which are food insecure whereas food and water are abundant in others. Agriculture is still the largest industry in the world, where almost every country has a small scale set up of agricultural activities. However, when countries trade so frequently, and it is easier to provide food for trading and transporting it, then it causes a food security issue. There are places where trade causes reduced levels of employment in the agriculture sector. This causes fewer people to work on the field and produce food for a nation which then stops or reduced the production of food. In turn, over a period of time, the country can face food insecurity with lowered levels of food production, and lack of skill and equipment than needed to produce food.
As per the State of Food Insecurity in the World, about 795 million today remain food insecure and do not have the means of sustaining themselves. These people generally lie in the African and Asian regions of the world as well as a few parts of Latin America too which are threatened by food insecurity.
Namely, Central, Eastern, South-Eastern Asia suffer from food security, which has improved in the present day. The Green Revolution in Asia in the 1960s till the 1980s was a booming time for agriculture where there was a sufficient supply of water and food resources. It also occurred in Latin America where the new and improved farming methods were instrumental in producing large amounts of food to sustain large populations. This also helped to save millions of lives as people were provided with sufficient food that helped them move away from the threat of food insecurity. While these approaches were successful for the farmers in the Asian and Latin American regions, they were unsuccessful in the Sub-Saharan desert. Failing in Africa, these techniques also caused food insecurity in North Africa. There are other food-insecure regions in the world such as the Caribbean, Oceania and West Asia that has seen some progress in food security however it is slow paced and not sufficient. Some regions in Southern Asia also suffer from food insecurity. The Green Revolution’s farming techniques were not long lasting which caused a setback with the passage of time, and the levels of production fell with the emergence of newer techniques in the most developed regions of the world.
It is a fact that importing food is expensive. For the countries which are already suffering from poverty and lack of education and employment, it is very difficult for them to afford to pay for food which has a raised price because it has come from a foreign land. It is particularly difficult for the African countries to sustain themselves when the matter is brought into the limelight. These countries have been facing slavery and atrocity at the hands of colonizers since centuries and the effects of that are still prevalent. Even if they are able to have small scale industries set up, there are no educated people to run them and food production is absolutely blocked.
Countries suffer from civil war and strife, civil unrest, and the problems with refugees which are a major reason as to why there are so few people who can actually stay in a place and grow crops to sustain a family. Comparing these countries with modern countries such as the States or the European nations, these places are well-stocked with the resources of education, high literacy rate and a high GDP, which help them trade from other countries very easily. Even if there are poorer and deprived citizens in their country, their government gives them the alternatives to choose from so they can sustain their lives as easily as they can. Their climates can help them farm and cultivate crops whenever they deem it suitable for themselves. On the other hand, they also have the latest equipment and farming methods and the latest tool in the form of genetically modified crops with the help of genetically modified organisms helps them fulfill their food needs in times of drought or lack of production by any means. Also, this is not a new phenomenon and GMOs are being used in food production since a long time. Over 64 countries are making use of GMOs, and they are FDA approved foods which make them easily distributable in the markets of the world wherever needed. This also solves the issue of trade coming as a barrier to their production and natural growth of crops.
The other side of the world suffers from other issues. Nations are swept in drought or are present on top of desserts. People are living in the worst of conditions within dry and arid conditions, and they are left with scarce amounts of food and water to survive on. It is true that the Arab countries are also situated on deserts, and they have no domestic production of food in their hands, but their oil industry is enough to suffice for the cost of trade for food, and they can import from any country they wish. This is a disadvantage to the sub-Saharan and North African nations which suffer from a lack of resources to make up for the cost of trade.
Moreover, this is exactly where the injustice lies. People are the same all over the world, but they are forced to live malnourished, hungry and thirsty for days only because they cannot provide for themselves. If the high population rate is considered a factor in the food insecure nations, then it should be noted that Asia is the most populous continent, and they also have high climates. However, its countries are able to support themselves because of the better-provided farming methods and the necessary skills needed by the farmers to cultivate crops. Yet, it is a fact that Asia has enough rainfall to sustain the continent’s needs and it is able to make up for the shortage of water in the summer months.
On the other hand, African countries are notorious for their lengthy, prolonged and dangerous drought sessions which last for long periods of time. Farmers are unable to cultivate any cotton which they could export to earn some foreign exchange and then import any cereals or other crops. Wheat and grains are a staple food for the Africans, and they are unable to grow it in sufficient amounts due to the hot, arid climate. However, ironically, Africa also produced other expensive crops like cocoa, groundnuts, fruits and vegetables, tea, coffee and sugar which are all imported to the European and American nations at a good cost. Yet the country is poor and malnourished, either because they are not paid enough or that their money goes out for the import of other food items and necessities that are needed to sustain life.
Another problem with food scarce countries is their population growth and family size. The sole reason why the developed countries are self-sufficient is because they have a low population growth rate and their overall population is lower in number. This makes it easier for the country to sustain itself even at times of drought or famine or a lack of production which is made up for when the times are tough.
On the other hand, food insecure countries have a huge problem of the population where the family size is bigger than what the family can afford. In Africa, for instance, it is a matter of prestige for the family to have many children. This is why Africa has the highest population in the world. This is one reason why the situation of hunger and depravity of food is so intense and serious. There are more mouths to feed than the breadwinner earns and the overall amount of food in the country is also low which makes sustenance very difficult. Also, every kind of developmental program that takes place in the country deposits most of its interests in the pockets of the cities, and they are the ones that earn the profit of the cash crops of the country moreover they also take in most of the food resources. This uneven and unjust distribution of food resources leaves the rural areas at a stake where they are faced with food and water scarcity. Undoubtedly, Africa and other food insecure countries are helped by European and American nations and many others to help alleviate the hunger problem, but there are issues of corruption and a lack of even distribution of food resources which makes it difficult to the poorer members of the community to reach nutritious food. Wars also contribute to the problem where a large number of refugees shifting and displacing, cause the problem of easily allowing more people to be fed and sustained in a country.
In conclusion, it is defined that global injustice and injustice even within the circles of countries and communities are responsible for food insecurity. Earlier, with the Green Revolution and the latest farming methods, it became convenient for the farmers to grow crops at a high rate but the methods were not long lasting which led to a scarcity of food later on. Developed countries have alternatives to food production which makes it easier for them to overcome any scarcity. But undeveloped and developing countries have population issues, drought, and famine, and lack of resources and the uneven distribution of food leaves them food insecure.
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