English Essay On Global Food Chain: Threats & Possible Solutions

Question

Task:
Write an English essay on the topic “There are many threats to global food supplies. Explain the problem, identify possible solution and assess the implications of implementing these solutions”.

Answer

The global food problem considered herein English essay includes insufficient food provision for the specified population. Shiferaw et. al. (2013) has opined that the total number of individuals suffering from global food problems is estimated to be one billion individuals worldwide. This is because the population growth has outpaced the development of agricultural technology and agricultural production. Further, the poor quality of food and the lack of food causes lay negative effect on the health of the individuals, the productivity, and the quality of the labour force. This creates political tension and conflict among the regions affected by food shortages across the global world. This essay will highlight the various aspects of the global food chain, its threats, possible solutions, and practical implications.

There are several threats and challenges associated with the production and transportation of the produced food items to our plates. The whole food supply chain is distributed into four major parts that are production, distribution, consumption, and disposal. Thompson (2016) has highlighted that the problem of food security exists when individuals are unable to access safe and nutritious food to fulfill their requirements and lead a healthy life. Several countries are facing the issue of double burden to hunger as well as undernutrition along with obesity and overweight. Although the prevalence rate of different diseases such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer has been increasing in the developed and underdeveloped countries, almost 795 million individuals are suffering from hunger and two billion individuals lack sufficient micronutrients in their body. On the other hand, Avila- Quezada et al. (2018) opined that the dependence of the crops on the fertilizer to receive the maximum yield is not sufficient for the growing population. Nitrogen, which is one of the essential macronutrients taken by the plant from the atmosphere and converted into ammonia is affected by the industrial process of the Green revolution. Moreover, another crucial threat to global food security includes the impure water utilized for irrigation that contains sodium and salt in larger amounts. The utilization of such water from the soil affects the yield of the crops. In such a situation, it becomes difficult for the crops to maintain a symbiotic relationship with fungi thereby affecting the production of crops. Another important threat to food security stated by Havlik et. al. (2015) includes the problem of drought because the demand for water for human use and crops is growing, but due to the changing global warming, it becomes difficult for the plants to receive sufficient water. This has affected the crops to a great extent by splitting the roots due to scarcity of water.

The solution to the problem of food security includes closing the gap yield. Kelly (2015) has estimated that by 2050, about 120 million hectares of natural habitat will be converted to farming in developing countries. Closing the gap between the percentage of crop produced and what should be produced is possible only through clearing up of the agricultural land and thus feeding 850 million population. On the other hand, there should be an effective utilization of the fertilizers as research carried out by Shiferaw et. al. (2013) has highlighted that the excessive use of phosphorous and nitrogen on maize, rice, and wheat is likely to reduce its production percentage by 13-29%. This efficiency in the production process can be tackled through adjustments in the placement, timing, and use of fertilizers. Further, it can be said that as water plays a major hindrance, there should be careful attempts made in raising the water level through improvement in the irrigation system. It is the responsibility of the farmers to make useful decisions on farming based on the climatic condition and the water level. Global Food Security (2021) has carried out research stating that the most crucial way to encourage the change in raising the lower water productivity is to provide economic incentives thereby carrying out the change based on cultural tastes and regional differences. Moreover, the food produced must be targeted for directed consumption because a higher level of caloric efficiency is lost when the food is converted for other non-food usage and animal feed. The citizens must prefer to make changes in their dietary habits so that the reduction of food wastage can be tackled through adequate means. Further, Caro et al. (2018) highlighted that the uneven distribution of food items can be solved by installing technically superior logistics that can reduce the distribution and transportation problems on a large scale. It is important to introduce transparency, traceability, and proper audits of the supply and demand chain logistics of the food supply chain. By installing specific Internet of Things (IoT) technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and wireless sensors for remote monitoring of the distribution and transportation of agricultural products may eliminate the black-market practice as well as any obstacles in the transportation of food items.

The implication to the problem of global food supply includes the problem of affording food. Manners-Bell, J. (2017 has opined that due to the natural or man-made problem, it has been found that the cost of the raw materials has increased thereby leading to a shoot in the price of the final products. This has made it difficult for the poor and middle-class citizens to consume a balanced diet. Moreover, the environmental balance is also affected to a great extent due to this problem of global food supply. The excessive use of fertilizers also caused serious health problems among the individuals and thus careful steps are to be taken by the farmers along with the co-ordination of the government to tackle this problem.

Thus, it can be said that the threats to the global food supply can be tackled only through the adoption of careful and improved steps by the farmers along with the intervention of the individuals associated at each level. Although effective steps are being taken by taken to control the issue of global food supply, it has been found that the issue has been alarming both in developed and developing countries. Therefore, food production is to be increased worldwide in terms of quality, efficiency, and output to fulfill the world’s requirement of food accordingly.

References
Avila-Quezada, G.D., Esquivel, J.F., Silva-Rojas, H.V., Leyva-Mir, S.G., de Jesus Garcia-Avila, C., Noriega-Orozco, L., Rivas-Valencia, P., Ojeda-Barrios, D. and Melgoza-Castillo, A., 2018. Emerging plant diseases under a changing climate scenario: Threats to our global food supply. Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture. http://www.ejfa.me/index.php/journal/article/download/1715/1116

Caro, M.P., Ali, M.S., Vecchio, M. and Giaffreda, R., 2018, May. Blockchain-based traceability in Agri-Food supply chain management: A practical implementation. In 2018 IoT Vertical and Topical Summit on Agriculture-Tuscany (IOT Tuscany) (pp. 1-4). IEEE.. https://cris.unibo.it/bitstream/11585/636809/2/ieee_agri_with_frontpage.pdf

Global Food Security. 2021. The challenge to food security. [online]. Available at: https://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/challenge/ (Accessed 25 May 2021)

Havlík, P., Leclère, D., Valin, H., Herrero, M., Schmid, E., Soussana, J.F., Müller, C. and Obersteiner, M., 2015. Global climate change, food supply and livestock production systems: A bioeconomic analysis.. http://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/11589/1/a-i4332e.pdf

Kelly, Y. 2015. 7 Impending Threats to Global Food Security. [online]. Available at: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/coming-threats-to-food-security/ (Accessed 25 May 2021)

Manners-Bell, J., 2017. Supply chain risk management: understanding emerging threats to global supply chains. Kogan Page Publishers.. http://www.businessexpertpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Inbound-Logistics-_-January-2018-_-Winter-Reading-Guide.pdf

Shiferaw, B., Smale, M., Braun, H.J., Duveiller, E., Reynolds, M. and Muricho, G., 2013. Crops that feed the world 10. Past successes and future challenges to the role played by wheat in global food security. Food Security, 5(3), pp.291-317.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12571-013-0263-y

Thompson, S. 2016. The Conversation. [online]. Available at: https://theconversation.com/four-threats-to-global-food-security-and-what-we-can-do-about-them-65676 (Accessed 25 May 2021)