Sustainable Development and Food Security - Essay Example

Sustainable Development Inserts His/Her Inserts Grade Inserts 2nd April, Overview Project development involves a lot of intricate procedure and activities that need to be undertaken with care. Various projects have different difficulty levels but most of them are meant to alleviate problems. Sustainable development has been described as that act of bringing together environmental and developmental issues for the good of the society. Tutor Report A sustainable development project involves a lot of stakeholders who are involved in the project at different levels. As a result, sustainable developments project can be classified as systems comprising of different parts. The different stakeholders in a project have the difficult task of making decisions that will reflect on the completion of the project. Sustainable development has to look into the protection of the environment while at the same time ensure resources are utilized by human beings. Several organizations and governments have been concerned about sustainable development. Most of the issues that deal with sustainable development look into the interests of different people in different sections. This essay will look into food security in the third world nations. Food security is an important issue among many nations in the world. This is especially true due to the growing global population that has exerted pressure on lands which in turn has led to environmental degradation. Sustainable development in the agricultural sector is important in ensuring that the current populations can feed themselves without compromising the livelihoods of future generations (Elliot, 2006). Food production is considered as the heart and survival of millions of people in the world. The main objective of choosing the subject of food security in the third world nations is because food security is at the heart of many problems. Food security touches on the livelihoods of many people globally and finding solutions to this problem would ensure sustainable development. The process of designing a sustainable development project should look into the main aim of undertaking the project in the initial stage. As a result, many people should concentrate on the three main ideals of sustainable development (Drimie, 2002). These factors of sustainable development are values, belief and circumstances under which sustainable occur. Values: Food insecurity is one of the major problems that face the several countries in the world. Many third world countries face the problem of ensuring that their citizens get enough food and malnutrition is a major problem in these countries. Good food production coupled with resource management could alleviate the problem of food insecurity in these countries. Belief: Food insecurity affects all spheres of a country. It leads to lack of economic growth, poor healthcare systems or even poor education for millions of children globally (Ferraz, 2000). Circumstances: Several circumstances have contributed to food insecurity in the world. Some of the issues that have contributed to food insecurity include scarce resources. Poor farming methods, environmental destruction, export oriented farming are some of the factors that has contributed to food insecurity. Some of the major problems that contribute to food insecurity are highlighted in the diagram below: Looking into the issue of sustainable development we need to explore further the problem of food insecurity in relation to sustainable development. Looking into the issue of food insecurity, we make use of SWOT analysis in analyzing the situation of food insecurity in relation to sustainable development. Strengths: Food insecurity in the world has been contributed to a lot of problems. As a result, we have to look into the strengths of tackling food insecurity. Most of the countries which experience food insecurity have large populations which ensure that these countries can develop easily. Moreover, these countries face political problems and if these problems are sorted out it could lead to adequate food security. Weaknesses: Several factors affect food security in different countries in the world. Some of the issues that arise from these countries include inadequate resources. For instance, most of these countries have less fertile lands to grow food crops to feed their people. Moreover, in some cases these countries use the only fertile lands in growing food crops but instead use these lands to grow cash crops. While in some cases, these countries lack financial resources to develop their agriculture and thus contribute to food insecurity. Poor farming methods also contribute to lack of adequate food production leading to food insecurity. Opportunities: There are several opportunities that exist in developing and third nations that could be tapped into ensuring food security is achieved in these countries. Some of the opportunities that exist in these countries include the fact that these countries have huge labour workforce to ensure that agriculture and food production is undertaken constructively (Elliot, 2006). Threats: Numerous threats exist in the field of agriculture and food production and most of these threats are related to external factors. For instance, the high cost of living leads export and concentration of commodity crops such as coffee and tea while at the same time neglecting the growing of food crops. Numerous other threats exist in the production and marketing of food crops in various countries of the world. There are several factors that help in the alleviating the problem of food security in the world. Moreover there are other issues that lead to worsening of food insecurity in the world. These issues can be categorized and analyzed as Political, Environmental, Social and Economical factors. Most of these factors have a pull or push factor in relation to sustainable development in the food and agriculture sector. Political: The leadership of the countries which face acute food shortage is unstable and most of these countries do not have functional governments. The governmental systems in these countries do not allow for political reforms and corruption, cronyism and dictatorship are high. As a result, public funds are not spent on the development of sustainable plans for the alleviation of the problem. Some of the countries that face these issues include Somalia, North Korea and Ethiopia. Political problems contribute to the underperformance of several sectors and spheres of many countries. Corruption is one of the major political issues that affect food production in several regions of the world. This is because funds are looted and used in different sectors instead of being utilized in the right sectors (Wohlmeyer, 2002). The pull factors analyzed within the political systems is in that most of these countries facing political problems are currently facing internal changes from different political sections. For instance, developed nations have been aiding these countries and at the same time social investors have moved into these countries with the intention of investing in these countries. Environmental: Environmental protection is important and it should be considered in the same breath as food production. Due to the scarce land resources in the many countries which is contributed by huge populations, the environment has received little attention. The need for more land has created pressure for people to make use of their lands in ensuring that agricultural sustainability is maintained. Countries such as Brazil have faced the problem of small farm lands which could have been utilized in environmental protection. The destruction of the environment is a push factor since it has led to climate changes which in turn has affected food production. Global warming is also a major issue contributing to the worsening of the food crisis. This is because; global warming has led to change of climate in many regions in the world. The climatic patterns in developing nations have borne the brunt of climate change leading famine contributing to food insecurity (Drimie, 2002). Social: Many social issues affect sustainability in terms of food production or food security. Some of the social issues that contribute negatively to food security include aging population of these countries. Family set up in these countries either allows only men or women to work on farms as a result, few people make the effort of growing food. Economic: There are also economic issues in these countries that tend to either push or pull people towards ensuring food security is realized. For instance, the lack of enough finances makes many people in these countries to practice subsistence farming which cannot feed the nation. Moreover, the small fertile lands in these countries are used in the production of cash crops such as tea, coffee or cocoa and thus food sustainability is neglected. Also the little funds in these countries are channelled into projects other than the production of food. After analyzing the problem of food security in these nations, the next step would be to come up with a project that finds the solution to these problems. A systems definition will look into two different methods to be used in solving the problem. These methods include hard systems method and soft system method. In relation to the sustainable development on the issue of food security we will apply the soft system method. Step 1: We look into the causes of food insecurity in different regions of the world and these include political, economic, social and environmental factors that affect food production. For instance, our research concluded that close to the 50% of the food security issues are related to political problems. Other issues such as poor farming methods and environmental degradation contribute close to 20 % in relation to food insecurity. Step 2: The next step would be to make use of a relevant system and the root definition of the problems related to food insecurity. The relevant system for sustainable development in ensuring food security would be to ensure that political systems are correct, security is stabilized and the climate is boosted. In these instances, we have to analyze the root definition of the issue of food insecurity (Ferraz, 2000). Root Definition This is a system to describe the issue of food insecurity within the third world nations and the main of the project is alleviating food insecurity. Moreover, the project will focus on the issue by making use of the CATWOE checklist as it is applied below: Customers: The question asked here are the causes of food security and the issues that underline food production in relation to food security. On the other hand, we question why food security only affects third world nations. Actors: Government and stakeholders who are supposed to provide their citizens with food and ensure that food security is realized in these countries. Food insecurity also contributes to other problems such as insecurity or economical stagnation. Transformation Process: We look at the broader picture of food insecurity in relation to other problems. As shown in the diagram below: World Views: The world view on food insecurity is that the countries which face this problem have poor governmental structures and therefore solving this problem would greatly boost food security. In their view, coming up with proper governmental policies would help in ensuring food security is solved. Owners: The people who benefit from food insecurity are firms which are owned by rich people and they are used in importing food for the famine stuck people. Environmental Constraints: Many of the people who suffer due to food security lament on the issue of environmental degradation which has contributed to food insecurity. Step 3, Debate with Stakeholders: Stakeholders in the agricultural and governmental sides need to come up with solutions of dealing with food insecurity. The debate between these stakeholders should revolve around food production and strategies of alleviating food insecurity. After the debate with these people, we came to the conclusion that the most important factor in alleviating food insecurity would be to bring governmental reforms. These reforms would come up with policies on investment in food production and nationalizing the food security issues. Moreover, the stakeholders would have to look into the involvement of governments and the citizens of the affected countries or regions in establishing food security (Wohlmeyer, 2002). Step 4, Implementation of the agreed changes: The last step in the ensuring the problem of food security is sorted out is come out with an agreement that stipulates that the agreed changes have been implemented. These changes will look into tangible government support on food production and implementation of better agricultural services. Moreover, organizations could be encouraged to invest more in agriculture with the aim of meeting food production needs. Alternatively, subsidies could be issued that would ensure sustainable agriculture is practised. The involvement of all stakeholders in coming up with an agreement would ensure proper mitigation of food insecurity. Client Report As a stakeholder I have the duty of informing the client of the problems and solutions in regard to food security in the third world nations. Problem Description: Poverty in most third world countries is contributed by the scourge of food insecurity. The problem has been in existence for a long period of time and there seems to be no end to the problem. The livelihoods of millions is at risk if the problem of food insecurity is not dealt with immediacy. Food insecurity is described as the lack of enough food to feed a group of people and in most cases it involves thousands or millions of people (Drimie, 2002). Causes and origin: Food insecurity occurred in the past but it was not so predominant. This is because food insecurity became a major issue when climatic conditions do not favour a certain group of people. Food insecurity began to become a major problem in the 1980’s when the world climate drastically changed and many of the third world countries started to experience problems. Moreover, the growing human population made the situation worse since the small farmlands became congested and people used up the remaining land resources. Food insecurity has been made worse through global warming since the climate has changed and this has made the climate not to be favourable. As a result, people living in different developing countries have faced the problem of lack of enough food leading to food insecurity (Elliot, 2006). Analysis of Food insecurity issues: The exact number of people who face the problem of food insecurity in the world is difficult to ascertain since the most of the countries are unaware of the numbers. Bu in places like the Horn of Africa, the number of people suffering from food insecurity is in the millions. The major factors leading to food insecurity include scarce land resources, environmental degradation, lack of finances and poor farming methods. Recommendations: The solution to the problem of food insecurity involves several plans that need to be worked out. One of the major solutions to the problem would be to commercialize agriculture. Commercial agriculture would lead to improved food production. Another solution would be to protect the environment since this would help in having good climate for food production. Investment in food production will boost the food situation in the countries where food insecurity is a major problem. Moreover, the governments should invest more into developing human capacity and ensuring that people have the skills in food production. The inputs in achieving sustainable development will work on the processes which include environmental protection and sustained investment in agriculture. Environmental protection will look into developing food production with extra caution on minimizing the effects of food production on agriculture or farming (Wohlmeyer, 2002). Political solution to the problem could also include nationalizing food production in these countries. Nationalizing food production and coming up with food policies that ensure food production is maintained as the core of important policies. Protection of the agriculture and food production will ensure food security is achieved while at the same time many livelihoods are saved. Project Log The project log looks into the tasks undertaken to ensure that the project needs are met. The project took a period of five weeks to complete and it involved meeting the lecturer and preparing status reports. The most important part of the project was gathering all the requirements, data and information necessary in preparing recommendations. The activities of the project are listed below: Week 1: At the start of the project I briefed my tutor on the topic I was to write and how complex the issue I was addressing. We discussed more on the project and he gave me his views on the topic and guidelines on where o look for information concerning the topic. The tutor advised me on the points to concentrate on and some of the pitfalls to avoid. Consequently, I began search on the internet on more information concerning the selected topic. Week 2: Within this period, I started writing the paper once I had gathered all the necessary information. Moreover, I started my introduction while I covered the main points on the issue at hand. The project main task was to focus on the topic selected in relation to sustainable development. It is at this stage whereby the methodology to be used in the project was discussed. For instance, in our case SWOT and partial PESTEL analysis in addition to the soft systems method were used. Week 3: In the week following the second week, I focussed on coming up with approaches to solving the food insecurity problem. I looked into the causes of food insecurity with the application of different system approaches. I started with the SWOT analysis which looked into the problem of food insecurity in the third world nations. Then I went onto partial PESTEL analysis before I decided on soft systems method (Drimie, 2002). Week 4: The tutor report was the main report; however there was also the client report which aimed to explain to the client the purpose of the project. The client report is purposively designed to address the client on the complexity of the situation. For instance, the reports answers questions such as; what are the causes of food insecurity? What are the effects of food insecurity on the global population? Are there any solutions or recommendations to solving the food insecurity problem? Week 5: This was the last stage of the project whereby I reviewed all the jobs or problems solved in the preceding weeks. I went ahead and mentioned all the important stages in the project and checked if everything was OK. I also checked on the areas where improvements could be made and the review was done in consultation with my tutor. Overall Summary The main objective of the project is the development of a sustainable project that will enable countries to mitigate food security. When it comes to the issue of food security we look at the issues through SWOT analysis and other forms of analysis which include PESTEL analysis. These forms of analysis are important in ensuring that sustainable development is achieved through different projects. When looking into sustainable development in relation to food security, we have to look into the broad issues affecting food security. I started the assignment by researching all the relevant databases and online sites on food insecurity in the world. Moreover, I narrowed down the issues related to food insecurity with emphasis on only important information on the subject. When I collected all the information regarding to food insecurity and put together this information, the picture on food insecurity became clearer. Moreover, I drew drawings connecting factors that contribute to food insecurity in the world. The drawing provided a clear view of the issue and its relation to sustainable development. Once the required data had been gathered by me, I concentrated on writing the assignment using different approaches. Once all information was there, I continued with the development of the story through use of the insights I had gained on food insecurity. I also looked into system approaches through information sourced from different places. As a system practitioner, I conceptualized a lot of processes and this was only possible when I worked on the project using the SSM (Soft Systems Model). The implementation of the SSM model was made with the help of a questionnaire and this helped in sourcing out a lot of information. The SSM model does not look into the problems or factors associated with food insecurity but it also looks into the stakeholders involved in monitoring the issue. For instance, the CATWOE is a system breakdown that analyzes the all the stakeholders and factors that are necessary in ensuring food security is achieved (Drimie, 2002). Most of the tasks involved in coming up with the information and recommendations of the project were sourced using questionnaires. The information sourced was divided into different sections and this information was sourced in weeks and days. The main assignment took a period of five weeks and within this period; most of the information concerning the project had been sourced. The first important task in a project is the conceptualization stage whereby an overview of the project is drawn in the mind or someplace by a person. The conceptualization phase is very important since if this step goes wrong then the overall project might be jeopardized. The next most important phase would be the engagement whereby some procedures of the project are assessed by different stakeholders (Elliot, 2006). This stage leads to the management stage whereby all tasks of the project are managed and completed. The difficult part of these procedures and steps is the inception of the project. The other stages will be done piecemeal and be completed on the designed project dates. The assignment will look into the progress of each week and reflect the completeness of the each week’s task before moving to the next task. Moreover, there will be daily tasks within each week’s project job and this will be done to ensure the project and all tasks complete successfully. Sustainable development is a task that is meant to build and improve the life of people at different levels of the society. Situations such as food insecurity lead to problems that destroy the human development and lives. As a result, it is difficult to imagine sustainable development with the problem of food insecurity. Food security is a global need that needs to be satisfied very other day. Therefore, without food security, countries cannot develop while people cannot live good normal lives. Once the problem of food security has been dealt with is when people can concentrate on building their lives and ensuring that sustainable development is achieved (Ferraz, 2000). Many nations face the problem of food insecurity and this has an effect on other countries in the world. As a result, the problem of one nation affects the development of another and therefore the governments should come up with strategies of mitigating food insecurity. It is only prudent to conclude that sustainable development cannot be achieved if countries if countries face the problem of food insecurity. References Drimie, S. and Mini, S., 2002. Food security and sustainable development in Southern Africa. Canberra: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Elliot, J., 2006. An introduction to sustainable development. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Ferraz, B. and Munslow, B., 2000. Sustainable development in Mozambique. London: Cengage Learning. Wohlmeyer, H. and Quendler, T., 2002. The WTO, agriculture and sustainable development. Boston, MA: John Wiley and Sons. Read More