In an article in 2014 by Eric Holt Gimenez he wrote that the world produces enough food to support a population of 10 billion people, which is the amount of people expected to roam the Earth in 2050. The question is: where is the food going and how long will the food on this planet last us? Well, Gimenez says that"the produced grain crops go to biofuels and animal feedlots rather than the 1 billion people across the planet that go hungry". While there isn't an exact estimate on how much food is "left" in the world, there are concerns as to what the human population needs to do in order to have enough for the future. How long the food is going to "last" depends on how careful we are in not exploiting resources and also making sure not to waste food (which will be discussed below). According to weforum.org, there has to be an increase food production from 50% to 100% by 2050. The reason for this being is because the population is moving to more meat and dairy focused products. While this does contradict the information provided that we are eating more chicken in the U.S, the population in other countries are the ones moving to a more meat oriented diet. The biggest cause in wasting and not distributing food to those who need it are the farming methods used by organizations. This includes issues such as refrigeration, unsold products, storage and handling (according to weforum.org). However, shifting all of the blame on agricultural methods used by farmers simply isn't fair. Grocery stores are causing issues as well, through their methods of putting an abundance of food on display, therefore prompting consumers to by more.
There are ways however to combat food waste and provide enough food for the near future. According to weforum.org, closing yield gaps in agriculture allows for increasing the food supply without harming the environment that badly. Another method that has proved to increase the food supply, but at the same time harm wildlife and ecosystems is increasing the land that can used for growing crops. While this leads to more land (and thus more food), this also does lead to deforestation and more greenhouse gas emissions. For example according to WWF's Living Planet report in 2014, the populations of fish, reptiles, and birds have dropped by 52%."Therefore, the issues of deforestation and habitat destruction directly correlate to the world's demand for food"(according to weforum.org). These statistics make it seem that there is no possible solution to increasing the food supply, but rest assured there is. The solution is forcing rich countries and their governments to consume and waste less. According to weforum.org, "rich countries around the world will need to decrease waste by more than 50% by 2050". If this can be achieved, then the U.S will have a very good chance at having enough food in the coming years.
Overall, I think there needs to be more regulations on the practices used by farmers and agricultural companies, especially when it comes to wasting food. Were it not for the amount of wasted food, then it (the wasted food) could be used for the animals that they have to feed. Then, the food that they would have left over could instead be used to feed the poor. I think another issue that doesn't allow for the distribution of food to the 1 billion hungry people around the world is greed. If farmers were not so greedy in wanting large amounts of grain and food for their animals, then there would be at least a slight decrease in the amount of people that go hungry. Don't just take my word for it. A 1997 article discussing the issue of grain and food fed to animals on farms stated that 800 million people could be fed with the amount of food given to animals on farms. How is the government in this day and age not regulating these practices? Furthermore, concerning the issue of using more land for growing crops, I personally think that there should be designated areas for agriculture. Stated another way, I think there should be boundaries limiting how far farmers can extend their land for growing crops. Through this method, I think farmers would have to figure out a way of yielding the most crops out of the land they are given. This would also teach them to be more grateful (hopefully) for what they have. Now, of course, this is assuming everything goes perfect. However, I still think this will help rebuild wildlife habitats and restore depleted soil in the long run, and in turn help the U.S conserve food for the future.
There are ways however to combat food waste and provide enough food for the near future. According to weforum.org, closing yield gaps in agriculture allows for increasing the food supply without harming the environment that badly. Another method that has proved to increase the food supply, but at the same time harm wildlife and ecosystems is increasing the land that can used for growing crops. While this leads to more land (and thus more food), this also does lead to deforestation and more greenhouse gas emissions. For example according to WWF's Living Planet report in 2014, the populations of fish, reptiles, and birds have dropped by 52%."Therefore, the issues of deforestation and habitat destruction directly correlate to the world's demand for food"(according to weforum.org). These statistics make it seem that there is no possible solution to increasing the food supply, but rest assured there is. The solution is forcing rich countries and their governments to consume and waste less. According to weforum.org, "rich countries around the world will need to decrease waste by more than 50% by 2050". If this can be achieved, then the U.S will have a very good chance at having enough food in the coming years.
Overall, I think there needs to be more regulations on the practices used by farmers and agricultural companies, especially when it comes to wasting food. Were it not for the amount of wasted food, then it (the wasted food) could be used for the animals that they have to feed. Then, the food that they would have left over could instead be used to feed the poor. I think another issue that doesn't allow for the distribution of food to the 1 billion hungry people around the world is greed. If farmers were not so greedy in wanting large amounts of grain and food for their animals, then there would be at least a slight decrease in the amount of people that go hungry. Don't just take my word for it. A 1997 article discussing the issue of grain and food fed to animals on farms stated that 800 million people could be fed with the amount of food given to animals on farms. How is the government in this day and age not regulating these practices? Furthermore, concerning the issue of using more land for growing crops, I personally think that there should be designated areas for agriculture. Stated another way, I think there should be boundaries limiting how far farmers can extend their land for growing crops. Through this method, I think farmers would have to figure out a way of yielding the most crops out of the land they are given. This would also teach them to be more grateful (hopefully) for what they have. Now, of course, this is assuming everything goes perfect. However, I still think this will help rebuild wildlife habitats and restore depleted soil in the long run, and in turn help the U.S conserve food for the future.
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http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/1997/08/us-could-feed-800-million-people-grain-livestock-eat
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/05/food-how-much-does-the-world-need/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-holt-gimenez/world-hunger_b_1463429.html