Causes of Global Food Crisis - Essay Example

of the Causes of Global Food Crisis Hunger is the most violent expression of food crisis in this millennium. This is not just about being marginalized and starved. It is a social condition that precipitates death. The statistics of hungry persons have alarmingly scaled up especially in developing countries within Asia-Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa region. Social experts attributed this problem to poverty and food crisis (Ikerd, 2011). But what are the causes of global food crisis? In this essay, the writer attempts to explicate that among variegated causes of food crisis are population explosion, mismatch of developmental priorities, environmental degradation and climate change. Population explosion The world has reached a population of 6.85 billion in the mid-year of 2010 and is estimated to reach 7 billion by the end of 2011 (Rosenberg, 2011). This increasing statistics of population could reach a peak that challenges the limited resources of the world. This situation is further compounded with massive influx of people from the rural communities, with whom nations relied for agricultural production, into the urban community in search for jobs that can immediately transform labor to money. Most of whom unfortunately dwell in ghettos and less conductive urban communities, except for those who were lucky to land in corporate jobs or in entrepreneurial initiatives. This rise of global population and anent urbanization trend, if uncontrolled, has serious implication to food insecurity, mortality rate or severe malnourishment of children. It will generally affect the quality of life, delivery of social services, cause resource conflicts and increase of criminal rates and social malaise (Rosenberg, 2011). Thus, governments especially in developing countries have been advocating for reproductive health matters to limit populations in consideration to limited resources and services to be accorded to people. This is evidenced as crises are more felt in urban areas where people are vulnerable to volatile markets. On the other hand, rural communities are also confronted with difficulties in feeding their families with low income from farm produce against costly farm inputs and inflation (Lean, 2008) of prime commodities e.g. rice, sugar, oil and including skyrocketing prices of tuition fees in educational institutions, transportation and livestock’s food. Housing is incredibly a problem and albeit construction of villages, these homes are affordable only for those who have achieved a certain level of affluence to purchase properties. Indeed, increase of population means scaling up of utilization and maximization of resources, hence the wanton use of rainforests and wildlife. The inability to balance human needs and protection of environment presents detrimental condition—a world’s peril and damaging conflict of resource. Mismatch of Developmental Needs Recent developments made people grow grain to make fuel. Others raise crocodiles to fashion expensive bags. The worst side of this is that some countries are producing massive pineapples, mangoes, vegetation, rice and got best fishes only to be exported to rich countries while farmers, fishers and laborer were paid barely an amount for subsistence. In some developing countries, hug trees are cut to meet the construction needs of foreign nations while those who are leaving in logged sites content themselves with indigenous materials to live. People live in such irony. In United States, while there is recognition of decreasing wheat production as food in the last decades, whilst grain and oilseeds were also diverted for biofuel production (US Department of State, 2009). Such impacted to the prices of wheat and rice just as how the use of palm oil for biofuel is affecting soybeans and vegetable oils’s pricing. This is further influenced by monopolistic capitals which dictate prices in the market and exacerbated the effects of inflation rates. There is therefore an urgent need to evaluate development programs to address issues on food security more than the pressing need of fuel. World leaders and nations must agree that investments are needed for improved agricultural production so that food can be served in poor families’ tables and so that they can eat three times a day. Environmental degradation Governments must also start prioritizing ecological protection and rehabilitation. Wanton logging, both legal and illegal, and exhaustion of resources through extractive mining industries have not only polarized communities nor resulted human rights violations to affected communities. It caused flooding, contamination of destructive mining chemicals to shores, heavy siltation affecting fishers and communities. The world has also observed poor solid waste management in many countries affecting health and well-being of peoples. Airs are polluted and the world is confronted with devastating impact of climate changes. The erratic climates these days have alarmingly submerged number of coastal communities. It is no longer dubious why there is unceasing conflicts in the access of resources which often lead to wars which consequentially increased vulnerabilities of people. Climate change and hunger The climatic conditions among nations changed. The weather became unpredictable and those reliant to traditional farming are seriously affected (Bryson & Ross, 1977). United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that inflation of rates is partly affected by environmental changes, more than how market influenced them. These days, people do not only have poor or lacking access to resources, they also can no longer afford to buy it. FAO mentioned that in the last quarter of the decade, there were an estimated 925 million hunger people, either because they do not have opportunities, or they do not have access to resources, or they are affected by conflict of resources or are systematically removed from their own resources. Fact is, if this is not address well, there is an estimated (CRS, 2011) 1.2 billion hungry people by 2017, according to the US Department of Agriculture. FAO further reported that inflation rate on food have reached about 50% in the first quarter of 2008 although from World Bank’s estimate, the increase skyrocketed to 83 % specially grains and other staples, basic food of the people residing in the global South. Prices pegged at 130% for grain, 87% for soya, 74% for rice and 31% for maize (FAO, 2008). Nations that are affected are Haiti, Pakistan, Mozambique, Bolivia, Morocco, Mexico, Senegal, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Niger and India. Conclusion Climate change, misprioritization of development programs and lack of access to resources caused hunger. This is further exacerbated with mismatched development program on the needs to people’s basic necessities, such as diversion of grain production of grains as agro-fuels instead of food. It must be of note that rapid expansion of green fuels worldwide affected agriculture severely. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) pointed that production of agro-fuels will increase the price of the grain by 75% ,(Holt-Gimenez, 2008). Problems will be severed if it is compounded with speculative investment about raw materials in the market. The world is indeed facing a systemic problem on global food model which is getting extremely vulnerable for economic, ecological and social shocks. Global leaders must therefore revolutionize the system to consider food as basic necessity of people and engaged them all for production, instead of making food distribution as UN’s charitable works for the starved communities. States should make it as a national policy to cultivate and support more for agriculture, partake for ecological and bio-diversity protection to sustain water levels, prevent soil erosion, and communities’ access to resources and maintain traditional agricultural and food systems for food security. Food production in agriculture must be primarily considered for sustainability of peoples lives (Vivas, 2011). Governments should support production of prime commodities first and allocate resources for basic social services e.g. education, health, housing and infrastructure. Isn’t it that it is the primary responsibility of the government to help people increase its purchasing capacity instead of making them instruments or tools for debt-servicing? Peoples, which constitute government and to whom governance is dedicated, must no surrender their lives and food security to the mercy of on international markets and multinationals which have privatized properties. Food security (Maxwell, 1996) indeed relates to governance. Good and transparent governance supports increased agricultural productivity. It must regulate its import and export policies in consideration to peoples’ welfare and its national interests. A government that secures the food supply for its people first instead of compromising them and exhausting natural resources understand what food security is. This is the best way to address global food crisis. REFERENCES CRS. The Causes of the Global Food Crisis. Catholic Relief Services. Baltimore, Maryland. 2011. Vivas, Esther. Causes, consequences and alternatives. International Viewpoint: News and Analysis from the Fourth International. London, Britain. 2011. Ikerd, John. The Economics of Hunger: Challenges and Opportunities for Future Food System. 2011. US Department of State. Food Crisis: Causes and Cures. USDoS: Diplomacy in Action. http://www.state.gov/g/stas/2009/120149.htm . 2009. Rosenberg, Matt. Current World Population. About. New York. USA. 2011. Reid A. Bryson, John E. Ross. Climatic variation and implications for world food production. World Development, Volume 5, Issues 5-7, May-July 1977, Pages 507-518 Eric Holt-Gimenez and Loren Peabody (2008). From Food Rebellions to Food Sovereignty: Urgent call to fix a broken food system. Food First. Institute for Food and Development Policy. 2008: Vol 14. No 1.   Maxwell, Simon. Food security: a post-modern perspective. Food Policy. 1996: Volume 21 Issue 2. pp 155-170. Lean, Geoffrey. Rising Prices Threaten Millions with Starvation, Despite Bumper Crops. The Independent. March 2, 1008 FAO. High Prices and Volatility in Agricultural Commodities. FAO Food Outlook Special Features. November 2007 and “High Food Prices—A Harsh New Reality.” World Bank Data & Research. 29 February 2008. Read More