The world’s population has doubled since 1950, and continues to grow at a startling rate. In 1990, the population of the world was 5.3 billion. By the year 2000, it could be 6.2 billion.
In the next 40 to 80 years, world food production must be increased on the same scale that was achieved in the 12,000 years since the dawn of agriculture. There is no more pressing dilemma facing mankind.
Meanwhile, the available cultivated land worldwide is shrinking. In the 1970s there were 3 acres of farmland per person. Skyrocketing population and losses of arable land mean that by the year 2000 that figure will be less than three-quarters of an acre. If everyone is to be fed, food supply will have to be increased by 75% in under a decade. How will we manage it?
The answer is more efficient agriculture.
It is true that some countries have surpluses of food while there is hunger in others. But even if food could be effectively redistributed around the world, it would not solve world hunger problems.
For a start, between 1987 and 1989, the world consumed more grain than it produced. As a result food stocks worldwide are at their lowest level since the early 1970s — down to 60 days’ supply by April 1990, a level considered unacceptably low by officials of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Ninety days’ supply is considered the minimum acceptable level.
The world needs a more abundant, more secure supply of affordable food — and urgently. Growing less food would be a serious threat to billions of people worldwide.
A study by the National Agricultural Chemical Association in the U.S. showed that eliminating farm chemicals would cut the production of food in the world by one-third due to losses from insects, rodents, disease and weeds. That, in turn, would increase the cost of crop commodities by 50%.
The more affluent people could cope with this price shock. Millions of people couldn’t. If billions of people worldwide lack food security today, it’s hard to see how a 50% cost increase and 33% decrease in supply would help them.
Consider that 250,000 children will be permanently blinded this year due to a vitamin A deficiency. In many countries it is impossible to give these children a single serving of leafy green or yellow vegetables every six months to prevent this blindness. Most people would be shocked to learn that our children could lose their sight if we couldn’t give them four or five carrots a year.
The world needs more crop protection, not less. It is estimated that we are still losing 45% of potential food production worldwide, 30% due to weeds, insects and disease before harvest, and a further 15% after harvest. This loss, combined with unequaled distribution of food, is the chief cause of worldwide hunger.
Farming Facts: The prairie farmer’s guide to setting the record straight.
Reprint permission given by AgAir Update, P.O. Box 850, Perry, GA 31069 - an international agricultural aviation publication.
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