The primary requirement or the basic need for the very survival of mankind, apart from air and water, is food. And, the fact remains, that though most of the human beings inhabiting Planet Earth do not live to eat, but they cannot live if they do not eat. Hence, Food Security is one of the most vital issues pertaining to the existence of humans.
Statistics project that food security has a two-pronged threat – one is the ever-increasing demand of agricultural produce with the burgeoning global population, and the second being the threat of climate change which is believed to impact the global farm production in a negative manner.
GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY AND APPROPRIATE NUTRITION
The world will need about 50 percent more food than today by 2030. Irrigation and other investments in agriculture and rural development can help millions of smallholder farmers earn a better living, provide enough nutritious food for growing populations, and build pathways to sustainable future growth.
Other statistics worth looking at:
- Today, 870 million people in the world do not have enough to eat. Undernourished women give birth to underweight babies, who are less likely to survive till their fifth birthday and more likely to develop chronic diseases and other limitations.
- Poverty is the main cause of hunger – most people are hungry or undernourished because they cannot afford sufficient nutritious food, not because of supply failures.
- The risk of acquiring obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases is enhanced manifold in children suffering from malnutrition in the developing countries
Investment in cutting down malnutrition in under-five children (through child nutrition programs) goes a long way in enhancing the health of the young children equivalent to some forty times earnings in terms of future fiscal returns.
A green U-turn to make policies for creating rural livelihoods and moving towards sustainable agriculture in a big way is a must, apart from food production, if we really want to attain the goal of global food security.
Preservation of food sources is essential
Chemical fertilizers have poisoned the soil used for farming. Hence it is essential to move towards organic or natural farming, crop diversification and efficient irrigation practices, apart from appropriate land management to ensure food security.
Global food security could be accomplished, especially in developing countries, by minimizing post-harvest losses and maximizing sustainable agriculture practices as well as enhancing crop yields through agricultural research.
Overfishing and poor fish-stock management is leading to the plummeting of the global fish stock as this over-exploitation is not providing enough time in terms of reproduction and ensure sustainable fisheries which could provide fish for all the poor people who survive on fish as a staple diet.
[…continued in part-2]
