Composition & Essay Writing . [ 22 ]

Composition & Essay Writing [ 22 ] 

15-] Food Shortage .

                       The crisis of food shortage has its roots in four interlinked trends . The first is the chronically low productivity of farmers in the poorest countries caused by their inability to pay for seeds , fertilizers and irrigation . The second is the misguided policy in the US and Europe of subsidizing the diversion of food crops to produce biofuels like coin-based ethanol . The third is climate change , take the recent droughts in Australia and Europe which cut the global production of grain in 2003 and 2006 . The fourth is the growing global demand for food and feed-grains brought on by swelling populations and incomes .In short , rising demand has hit a limited supply , with the poor taking the hardest blow .

                      In the contemporary world according to the statistics of the UN Food And Agriculture Organization about 2.6 billion people worldwide rely on a daily income that is below $ 2 [ two dollars ] , about fourth fifth of this income is spent on food . 315 million people in sub-Saharan Africa currently live on less than $ 1 [ one dollar ] a day according to the UN Development Program [ UNDP ] . About 35% of the total population is malnourished due to the shortage of food – this means about 200 million people . According to the UN Food Program 19 out of 53 countries of Africa face serious hunger problems .

                      The rush to grow crops to be turned into fuel [ biofuels ] could exacerbate food shortages and price rises . While the families in the West have plenty to eat , some 850 million people around the world go to bed hungry each night .

                     Professor Watson said the industrialization of agriculture of which GM [ Genetic Modification ] is a part has led to the heavy use of artificial fertilizers and other chemicals . These have harmed the soil structure and polluted water ways . The leeching of  the soil of essential minerals means food is less healthy than 60 years ago . He as a professor – a renowned expert on climate change and chief scientist at the UK Food and Farming Department suggests organic farming practices offer many benefits .UK GM Crop trials have shown that associated farming practices destroy the weed population , removing food for bees , butterflies and other

insects and harm food supply for birds . There have been concerns that food could also trigger unforeseen allergies .

                     Here are three steps to ease the crisis of food shortage and avert the potential for a global disaster . The first is to establish a special fund in every country as well as a world fund to help the farmers get fertilizers , high-yield seeds and agricultural equipment and machinery . An international fund cost $ 10 billion in all could fight hunger effectively . Second the US and Europe should abandon their policies of subsiding the conversion of food into bio-fuels . The US government gives farmers a tax-payer financed subsidy of 51 cents per gallon of ethanol to divert corn from the food and feed-grain supply . There may be a case for biofuels produced on lands that do not produce foods , tree crops , grasses and wood products , but there is no case for doling out subsidies to put the world’s dinner into the gas tank .

Third , we urgently need to weatherproof the world’s crops as soon and as effectively as possible . The world has already committed to establishing a Climate Adaptation Fund to help poor regions climate-proof vital economic activities such as food production and health care .

                        What is true for food will be true for energy , water and other increasingly scarce resources . We can combat these problems as long as we act rapidly . New energy sources like solar , thermal power and new energy-saving technologies like plug-in hybrid automobiles can be developed and mobilized within a few years . Environmentally sound fish farming can relieve pressures on the oceans . The food crisis provides not only a warning , but also an opportunity . We need to invest vastly more in sustainable development in order to achieve true global security and economic growth .