Category: Food Shortage

For the People: The Government of Germany’s Formal Position and Recommendations on Combating Current and Future Global Food Shortages

In recent years many factors have contributed to a global food shortage, and more specifically a shortage in lesser developed countries. As the United Nations reports, “the number of undernourished people in the world has been on the rise since 2015, reaching an estimated 821 million in 2018” (SOFI 2019). Environmental change, war, and corrupt government, are a few of the many reasons to blame for these global food crises. The Government of Germany, although not immediately impacted by such crises, would like to offer a few recommendations to this Council. These recommendations include combating climate change as a factor in global food shortages, supporting programs for refugees displaced by famine that contribute to the overall percentage of malnourished persons, and continuing to provide aid in a productive way so as not to hinder development.

It is widely studied and agreed that climate change will cause irreversible, global repercussions if it is not addressed. “the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) has repeatedly stressed. . .local and global ecosystems will be threatened in their ability to function and adapt, which in turn would jeopardise biodiversity” and would “seriously compromise our food security” (Federal Ministry for the Environment). The Government of Germany would also like to emphasize the large role that more developed countries play in furthering the negative effects of climate change, and the large burden that lesser developed countries shoulder as a result. A recent study found “greenhouse gases emitted by developed countries are the major driver (52%–61%) for the warming in each continent and for the global warming patterns” (Wei, Dong, Yan, Chou, Yang and Tian 2016, 642). Given these facts the Government of Germany is committed to reducing the country’s “greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 95 percent by 2050 compared to 1990 levels” (Federal Ministry for the Environment). The Government of Germany would strongly recommend other countries attack this issue with vigor in order to reduce the number of global food shortages.

More recently, a modern refugee crisis has emerged that contributes to the total amount of under-fed, malnourished people. The Government of Germany strongly believes that a way to combat present and future global food crises is to lessen the number of refugees that often fall victim to food droughts, famine, and malnourishment. One example of a program that helps to assist these refugees is the People of Canada’s privately sponsored refugee program (PSR). “As of August 31st, 2018, 58,600 Syrians have arrived” and the people of Canada have welcomed them through a private sponsorship program, the first of its kind (Agrawal, 2018). This program allows for a family, group, or organization to host a refugee, providing “care, lodging, settlement assistance, and support” (Agrawal, 2018). Programs like these lessen the percentage of People in a food crisis. Therefore the Government of Germany would offer to this Council that aiding in the global refugee crisis would also aid in combating food crises.

While there are many complicated solutions to a complicated problem, this Council must not abandon the simple solution of monetary international aid. It is important to remember “emergency food aid refashions sovereignty and reshapes politics in ways its proponents and distributors cannot see” (Martinez and Eng 2015, 173). While some international aid may be misplaced and lead to more damage than assistance, when done appropriately it can be incredibly beneficial. In the fiscal year of 2014 the Government of Germany donated 0.42% of its gross national income in aid (OECD 2016, 195). The People of Germany believe that old fashioned foregin aid is one of the best ways to combat current and potential global food shortages, and would like to recommend this solution to this Council.

The current global food shortage and potential global food crises are cause for great, international concern. The Government of Germany would like to reiterate the seriousness of this matter and suggest to the Council three possible solutions: addressing climate change, aiding in the refugee crisis, and monetary aid. While these solutions are only a start, the People of Germany highly recommend the council consider these requests.

Research Question: To what extent are NGOs successful in reducing the impacts of the food shortage in the Yemeni Famine Crisis? (GPC of health)

In 2011, the Houthi rebel group took advantage of instability in Yemen and tried to take control of the country, which was then under the control of Abdrabbuh Hadi. Saudi Arabia along with 8 other countries were concerned this rebel group were backed militarily by regional Iranian Shia, and attempted to bring Hadi back to power in coalition with the UK, USA and France. The coalition placed a blockade on Yemen to halt the rebels smuggling weapons, but this led to increased prices of food and fuel. In 2017, they further launched airstrikes on the Houthi near the Red Sea city of Hudaydah, whose port supports two-thirds of Yemen’s population, and damaged them substantially. So what has caused this political issue to gain global significance? 16 million people being in desperate need of food, more than 22.2 million are in need of humanitarian assistance and 5 million are in severe famine. Considering that 70% of the population is starving, the United Nations has said that this crisis could be the “world’s worst famine in 100 years”. This links to my political issue- ‘do conflicts have an impact on the health of a population?’, and raises the Global political challenge of Health.

This question has wider global significance as can been seen through several other cases. For instance, recently in Kashmir, tend of thousands of soldiers and policemen have enforced a 24-hour curfew and suspended all telephone and internet connections due to the India-Pakistan conflict. This leads to a severe shortage of access to food, leaving the poor especially vulnerable to being malnourished. In fact, only 23.5% of children in Kashmir currently receive adequate dietary provisions. The mortality rate under 5 years is 38 per thousand live births. Due to these restrictions, situations in Kashmir have been worsening and civilians report of having no means of survival due to the lockdown. Secondly, the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa which causes individuals to become immunodeficient has led to 310,000 deaths in 2018 and affected 20.6 million people, which is over half the population of Africa. During the civil war in Uganda, Africa, there were widespread human rights abuses including rape and torture by soldiers. Furthermore, the war led to restrictions on mobility, curfews, and roadblocks as well as blockage of information by the government. This intensified the spread of HIV, especially in poor countries including Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Mozambique where people were forced to become sex workers to gain a livelihood. Uganda took 4 to introduce an AIDS Control program after being aware of the significance of the problem because the country was busy with the civil war. Health depicts aspects such as access to food, clean water, sustainable and sanitary environments, necessary infrastructure, etc. – all which allow for a good quality of life. Conflict is the process of actual or perceived opposition between individuals or groups over positions, values or interests. These case studies mainly depict how conflict is a substantial barrier to health as it prevents authorities from meeting the needs of individuals and communities. Therefore, to explore this Global political challenge, I will be addressing the research question ‘To what extent are NGO’s successful in reducing the impacts of the food shortage in the Yemeni Famine Crisis?’

Firstly, direct and structural violence created on a local level of analysis due to the dispute between the Houthi rebels and the Saudi-coalition is a key reason as to why the NGOs are unable to provide food for the Yemenis. The coalition have targeted farms, food storages sites and transportation networks with airstrikes. Moreover, World Food Program provides 12 million people with monthly food assistance for rations of wheat, pulses, salt, sugar, etc. Yet, these have halted since the coalition has placed restrictions on imports enough to feed 3.7 million, due to suspicions of the rebels facilitating an arms trade, hinting a possible political cause for the issue. The deliberate attacks and diversion of resources show structural violence- harm through the functioning, exercising or operating of governments or other groups of power (a concept created by Johan Galtung), leading to a worsening famine. The authorities are allowing the conflict to worsen the inequity of resources in society, despite having the capabilities to diminish the food shortage. Secondly, The Houthi rebels have also killed and arbitrarily arrested civilians which have led to restrictions as to how NGO workers can provide humanitarian relief. This violence has forced people to flee to rural areas, which makes providing them with resources even harder for NGOs. This is a social consequence of the issue. Direct violence, individuals or group is physically or mentally harmed through direct action, is visible in this situation. The actors are actively trying to gain power, thereby displaying an offensive realistic view, in order to achieve their aims to talking control of Yemen. That are sacrificing the lives and health of citizens to achieve the goals, indicating desired to achieve a ‘means of an end’.

Yet, NGOs have trained specialist, experience and the necessary expertise needed to aid and support those suffering from the famine. For instance, The international rescue committee provides medical training and needed supplies such as drugs and medicines to Yemeni hospitals, due to their knowledge of health crisis management. They have provided two hundred and fifty thousand people with health and sanitisation services. Zakat Foundation of America has trained hundreds of local farmers to utilise their scarce resources and provide food for themselves. This allows them to free from the poverty cycle, and is a social consequence of the problem. Therefore, one can see NGOs upholding human rights- the doctrine stating the basic rights and entitlements one should be able to claim by virtue of being a human being, specifically article 25 and article 5, which prevent humans undergoing degrading treatment and ability to self-provide food and medical care. Through the use of the specialised abilities in providing such service, NGOs are trying to induce certain human rights in attempts to alleviate the standard of living of the Yemenis. These NGOs actions can be viewed as a liberal perspective, a philosophy introduced by John Locke and based around interdependence of actors in a globalising world to provide mutual benefit to one another. Liberalists are firm believers of human rights, as they provide peace and harmony, a condition with is achievable and should be a primary aim. These ideologies can be seen being displayed by the NGO’s aims to provide better living standards for the famine-struck people.

On an international level, media restrictions by the coalition and the rebels are another factor that restricts the NGOs from reducing the impacts of the famine, because of their lacking cyber power. Power is the ability to influence others and achieve desired goal, and cyber power implies this ability in context to social media influence, availability of news, hacking for information exploitation, etc. Both actors have greater levels of cyber power than NGOs, and are using it to assume their self-interest- namely avoid international critique since the West is selling ammunition to the rebels (an economic cause of the issue), and the Houthis are conducting gross Human Rights abuses to gain power (a social cause of the issue). Foreign journalists are blocked from entering the country due to the blockage and journalists are detained through dismissals and intimidations. Reporters without borders documented that 20 reporters who tried to cover the area were killed and ten journalists were taken hostage by the Houthis in 2015 and faced death sentences. This disallows NGOs to cite actions of either of the actors and consequently denies the world an unbiased view of the situation. NGOs significantly rely on donations from individuals to operate their projects. The lack of awareness and ability to rouse international attentions about the severity of the famine hampers the amount of funding received by the organizations, in-turn reducing their ability to provide food to the victims. The power held by the Coalition and Houthis is a severe barrier for the NGOs to propagate the importance of their humanitarian aid to the world.

NGOs have international acclaim and acceptance due to their legitimacy as actors in global politics, and this allows them to reduce the food shortage in Yemen. In global governance, there is increasing acceptance of Human Rights, further legitimizing the goals of IGOs. Several NGOs such as the Red Crescent Movement and Red Cross have collaborated with IGOs such as the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) to start the ‘The Yemen Humanitarian Fund’. The OCHA collects donation and distributes them amongst the NGOs in order to support their initiatives. Secondly, NGOs such as OXFAM, CARE, etc. have jointly spoken on the 74th UN General Assembly to pressurize nations into allowing unhindered humanitarian access of essential food and equipment through Yemen, implementing a nationwide ceasefire, and halting end all violations of international humanitarian law. Thus, one can see that other actors acknowledging and collaborating with the NGOs proves they have high levels of legitimacy, actors or actions considered acceptable. This enables them to influence other actors into decisions favourable to themselves, and allows them to allows food and medical aid to reach the Yemenis.

In conclusion, one can argue that NGOs while have been able to support the Yemeni to an extent, they have largely failed in stopping the famine. The famine can be seen worsening, and is primarily controlled by the Houthi rebels and the coalition. Conflict imposes a major barrier to sufficient heal provision in the Yemeni Famine, rendering the actions of NGOs futile.

Since the beginning of the 20 century, printing has been revolutionized from improving the rate of printed production to the involvement of digital technology into printing. Even into the 21 century, printing has been innovated to the point where people are able to print not only materials but food as well. Thus, becoming a new trend in society today. 3D food printing has an interesting beginning, is helping people in the food industry, and has the potential to be used in the imminent crisis of food shortage; I can further help with these matters with my proposed design in which I will talk about how my design will deal with time management, utilizing more food substances, and how I plan to utilize my skills to get my design to help others.

A 3D food printer is a machine that uses food substances to create objects that have a geometric shape and are edible. It has a variety of uses that are mentioned further in the research. 3D food printers work by using a container that contains one or more food substances that are dispensed through a nozzle or a printer syringe onto a work area where the product is made. In order to make the shape of the dish the user desires, a program has to be utilized so that the design could be programmed into the 3D food printer and be dispensed according to the design. This action is like a method a baker uses to create designs on a cake using frosting, though, instead of trying to put the food substance on top of another object, the food substance is distributed on top of itself, creating layer by layer until the proposed design is complete. Also, a 3D food printer has the nozzle to go x-y-z-direction which is done by a using a tread system which pulls the nozzle back and forth in the direction that is needed.

The innovation of 3D food printing started at Hod Lipson’s laboratory at Columbia University, where Lipson and his team were trying to innovate 3D printing. Hod Lipson was a professor of mechanical engineering at this time and was a pioneer in 3D printing. In the article named “3D-Printed Food,” the author states, “It was in Lipson’s lab about ten years ago that a few of his students had the idea to mess around with it. Somebody tried filling a printer syringe with frosting. Then cheese, chocolate, and other foods.” (Sorokanich) After his students did this, the journalists from New York Times and BBC came and Lipson realized of the potential of involving 3D printing technology with food due to the fact that people were asking about what food was made with the 3D printer.

The application of 3D food printing can be used in a number of ways in the food industry, one of them includes helping restaurants in preparing signature dishes for the customers. Some of the ways that chefs use 3D food printers are by using creativity in enticing the senses of the customer whether it is by making intrigue designs to attract using the eyes or to satisfy the customer in the texture of the food. The texture of the food makes a difference in pleasing the customer because it allows you to perceive food through its configuration whether it is the soft, jelly feel of a tomato or the smoothness of a creamy sauce. In an article named “Mouthfeel: the effect of sensation and texture on the flavor of food” the author mentions about a food scientist named Ole Mouritsen that did an experiment on ketchup with different configurations from chunky and coarse to smooth. He mentions of how the taste changed by stating, “To the extent that you would say the flavor is different is possibly because the release of the aroma compounds may be different when you have to chew and when you don’t have to chew. In principle, since it is made of exactly the same things, it has the same taste and aroma. But the way it feels in the mouth, it’s very different.” (Parsons) This means that due to texture, the flavors of the food are changed based on our perception and this is utilized by 3D food printers in allowing chefs to be able to change the texture of food substances used by making them more diluted or concentrated.

A pressing matter that is known in the world is the fear of food shortage. The author from the article named “We Are Headed for a World Food Crisis. Here’s How to Stop It.” says, “ By 2050, with the global population expected to reach 9.8 billion, our food supplies will be under far greater stress. Demand will be 60% higher than it is today, but climate change, urbanization, and soil degradation will have shrunk the availability of arable land, according to the World Economic Forum. Add water shortages, pollution, and worsening inequality into the mix and the implications are stark.” (Hinicks) This means that by 2050, thousands of people will die due to the lack of food available. Due to the future predicament, people have already started looking in how 3D food printing can help those facing food shortage, for example in the article named “How 3D printed food could end world hunger” the author mentions, “Anjan Contractor, a senior mechanical engineer at Systems and Materials Research Corporation (SMRC) … is planning to reduce the primary nutrients in food – the fats, proteins, and carbs – to powder. He believes that the substance can then be mixed with oils and water to make food substitutes by way of a 3D printer extruder.” (Young) This innovation Anjan Contractor has made with a 3D food printer could help people have a dependable source of food when famine comes. Also, Contractor’s idea involves ingredients which don’t spoil immediately which can last for a period of time that can decide between a person’s or family’s life or death. Though Contractor’s idea is great by itself, my design could help him and others to exceed further.

In doing my design I plan to solve the problem of time management. This is a major concern for 3D food printers for it takes a long period of time to produce the desired product. The printer has to carefully eject out food substance onto the layout without having it to fall out of place when it is being put on top of different layers of food substances of the desired product which is like building a sand castle. If you were to hurrying to dump sand on top of previously dumped sand then you will have significant amounts of material to be wasted in the building process because some of the sand would fall off of the main structure. The method would needlessly waste time, energy, and materials. While if you took time to build the sand castle with each pouring to the desired purpose then less effort, time, and materials would be expended carelessly. Another thing that would impact the time management of a 3D food printer is mentioned by the person that I interviewed named Thomas Grey. He is an engineer that works at Envision 3D Printing and when I asked him a question, “How can the duration of a product’s construction in 3D printing be shortened?” Grey’s response was, “It is dependent on machine technology and what the material properties are.” (Grey) With this in mind, I was able to decide that I won’t be able to improve the time management of the 3D food printer due to the fact that the 3D food printer would be using different kinds of food substances that will have different output rates in dispensing food substances to print food, so I decided to have my design to have the 3D food printer to create two products at the same time. The design would be using two robotic arms that are opposite to one another, across a workspace, to create food at the same time. They will be connected to printing syringes which will have hoses leading to the food substance supply. The food industry with the use of this product would be able to fasten the pace of developing 3D printed food which would have more people to have the opportunity to try 3D printed food. Also, those facing food shortages would be able to get food at a faster pace. This can be applied to a situation where people in a refugee camp are waiting to get food. With this design proposal, people won’t have to wait in line for a long period of time which is beneficial because sometimes when there is a food shortage and people are waiting in line, there is a possibility where people start to get impatient and start a riot to get food which leads to the food supply to be ravage and wasted due to the fact that people won’t utilize the food to be shared equally to other people.

Another aspect that my design would innovate is utilizing more food substances used in 3D food printers. Although the 3D food printers have potential, they have limited applications due to the fact that there is a limit of what food substances can be used in 3D food printers. The author in an article named, “3D Food Printers: How They Could Change What You Eat” mentions of what food substances are now used in 3D food printers by stating, “… most of the 3D food printers in existence are restricted to dry, shelf-stable ingredients, because most protein and dairy products have a spoilage risk.” (Wiggers) This problem can be solved by utilizing a refrigeration system that covers the food supply used in 3D food printing so that the food substances would last longer. With the use of this innovation, people would be able to use food substances that couldn’t be used before in a safe manner like utilizing vegetables, fruits, and other foods that can be refined into a liquid mixture. People in the food industry like chefs would be able to expand the frontier of creating food with this and those who are facing food shortage can have a more variety of food to choose from with being able to get the nutrition that you can only get from plants.

In utilizing my skills to get my design to help others I would improve my design and advertise it to others. My design would be improved by using a program called “SketchUp” which is used in 3D printers that involve creating products from non-edible materials. The principles are the same in creating the product from the ground up and having a background knowledge in AutoCAD to create sketches that will be transferred into the printer to create the designs. This will be helpful in simplifying the amount of work the customer the needs to create the desired product. Moreover, having knowledge in electronics will allow me to know of what components are needed in a 3D food printer like what wires, mechanical components, and how much power is needed for the printer to work properly and efficiently. I plan to advertise my design by first patenting my design, in order for me to be credited for my design, and avoid the lawsuits for designs that may be similar to mine. Then promote it to people by advertising it on the internet like on Amazon, discoveraether.com, and other websites that promote 3D food printers. Moreover, I plan to use my presentation skills to promote my innovation to people at conventions promoting advancements in technology.

3D food printing is changing the world as we know it. It has risen from a little fun in a lab to an interest in the public that has become a trend in technology. People in the food industry such as chefs have used this to expand what dishes to create and the experience in eating. The prospect of 3D food printing has potential in saving the world population from famine where in the future it is predicted that food shortages would cause thousands of people to die due to lack of food. Moreover, the design that I propose is going to solve two major problems in the food industry which are time management and utilizing a more variety of food substances. My design would help in time management by utilizing two robotic arms to produce two food products at the same time. A more variety of food substances can be implemented into what the 3D food printers could make by using a refrigeration system that will prolong the spoiling of fresh ingredients. Last but not least, I plan to make use of my skills to promote my design to aid in others by improving the design of my 3D food printer and advertise it. The world is changing whether or not people are ready for what is to come, it is up to the person to grasp the opportunity when it comes.

Introduction

What was first initially viewed as an ideal place to live has now come confronted with a noteworthy crisis. This crisis is known as the Crisis of Civilization. This paper will investigate the five crises discussed including environmental catastrophe, energy depletion, food shortages, economic instability and lastly, terrorism as well as what things have changed and has stayed the same. Though some things have been improved overtime, I will agree that neoliberalism is causing a crisis of civilization and our general public is heading near collapse due to environmental overshoot and increasing governmental and financial instability. So as to forfend the catastrophe, it is our requirement to generate a political movement equipped for re-coordinating the direction of human advancement from collapse to sustainability. Throughout the paper, I will strive to give a general clarification of the crises and tie everything together by expressing if it is yet a legitimate issue we face today as far as neoliberalism.

Neoliberalism

“Neoliberalism sees competition as the defining characteristic of human relations. It redefines citizens as consumers, whose democratic choices are best exercised by buying and selling, a process that rewards merit and punishes inefficiency. It maintains that “the market” delivers benefits that could never be achieved by planning” (Mobiot, 2016). In this way, ‘Neo-liberalism’ is established financial policies. The effects of neo-liberalism are observable in countries like the united states by way of the rich becoming more extravagant and the poor becoming more unfortunate. ‘Neo’ signifies we are discussing a more polished version liberalism. “Liberalism’ can allude to political, monetary, or even religious ideals. There are five primary concerns of neoliberalism. According to (Martinez & Garcia, 1997), this includes; the rule of the market, cutting public expenditure for social services, deregulation, privatization and eliminating the concept of “the public good” or “community”. The rule of the market is overall total freedom of movement for capital, goods and services. “To convince us this is good for us, they say ‘an unregulated market is the best way to increase economic growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone.’ (Martinez & Garcia, 1997).

Cutting open consumption for social administrations such as education and medicinal services is another point which lessens the safety-net for the unfortunate. Deregulation decreases administration guidelines of all which can lessen benefits, involving shielding the environment wellbeing at work. Privatization retails government-possessed merchandise, goods and services to private financial specialists. “Privatization has mainly had the effect of concentrating wealth even more in a few hands and making the public pay even more for its needs” (Martinez & Garcia, 1997). Finally, dispensing with the idea of “public good” or “community” and substituting it with “individual responsibility” burdens the needy individuals to discover resolutions for their absence of availabilities and criticizing them by labelling them indolent.

Climate Change

Because of insane utilization of non-renewable energy sources and overproduction of greenhouse gasses the world temperature escalating as time goes by. It is not simply an issue of endowing in renewables, consuming fewer meat, and driving an electric vehicle. The natural system of our worldwide social and financial association should be changed. This will only happen when sufficient individuals perceive the damaging idea of our present standard culture and reject it for one that grasps morals which underline development in the personal satisfaction as opposed to in the utilization of goods and services. According to research of ‘Earth Overshoot Day’ by (Sutherland, 2018), as of 2017 we have used up all of earth’s resources for that year in just eight months. As of 2018, we have used up all of earth’s resources for the year in only seven months. Though consistently we should utilize the majority of our assets in a customary frame of twelve months. However, they are being used in way less time. “Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.” (Earth Overshoot Day, n.d.). According to Sutherland (2018), With 5 months to go before the end of the 2018 year, having Earth Overshoot Day on August 1 means that we’re effectively consuming 1.7 Earths.” This is the outcome of not treating the environment as we should. In its place we are in a design of biological extravagance because of overpopulation, land-use, deforestation and contamination under a similar theme of environmental change.

Over-fishing is likewise another issue of natural overspending. A study done by Boris Worm (2006), states “If humans keep fishing at the current pace, there will be no more fish left in the oceans by 2048.” It is additionally said that after some time the temperature of the planet is gradually rising. “Problems such as flooding drought and disease have emerged due to such problems” (Puckett, 2012). As stated in the above definition of neoliberalism the rich becoming more extravagant and the poor becoming more unfortunate, in other words the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. We can see this in a place like Africa. In a paper done by (Douglas et al., 2008), they state poor communities often live in the most hazardous and unhealthy environments in urban areas. People suffering in these poor conditions may find their difficulties compounded by the consequences of climate change. If individuals ease up on utilization of greenhouse gasses composed, individuals end up mindful and do not go through the entirety of earth’s assets before the year ends. In this way the earth would be in a vastly improved state than it is presently. In this way, Dr. Ahmed’s contention is as yet substantial and this issue of climate change continues to be a crisis to civilization.

Energy Depletion

Peak oil is another crisis expressed in the documentary which is the possibility that sooner or later the world will come up short of cheap oil. Climate change as of now is a solemn risk, the genuine degree of the unfurling awfulness can only be captured in the event that you combine it with the influx of Peak Oil. As Ahmed explains, although most players in the global oil market continue to dismiss fears that the age of cheap oil has reached its “peak” period, the end of cheap oil means the rise of more expensive, harder to extract alternatives, including tar sands, possibly the most environmentally destructive energy resource today, with grave consequences for the climate and the global ecology (Puckett, 2012). With the innovation of vehicles, computer machinery and different virtuoso things developed, we have a civilization. Nonetheless, the main reason we have this is on the grounds that we have discovered the most dominant type of vitality at any point found by society. With the burning of oil electricity is obtained. This thought is what moves civilization. As per the film, we are coming up short on this oil which implies there will be no more civilization. In spite of the fact that in fact we are coming up short on oil since we are utilizing it quicker than the earth can renew it, the earth is as yet still creating oil from antiquated carbon-based substance and will remain to do it. There is oil that has been discovered and we have alternatives for oil such as gas, for example so actually we will never come up short on oil, at least not in a while.

According to research in a weblog post by (McQueeney, 2016), based on BP’s prediction made on World Energy Day in 2014; based on reserve estimates of 1,687.9 billion barrels, BP claimed the earth has enough oil left for about 53 more years at current production levels however, we may even have way more than that if drilling technologies can improve to the point that recovering the more difficult to reach oil becomes economically feasible. Therefore, this crisis of “peak oil” is in fact invalid. We will not run out of oil any time soon. “We actually have a lot of oil left.” (Clemente, 2015). However, “while the prospects for gas are better, 50% of global reserves must remain unburned.” (Carrington, 2015). Thus, we can consume 10% of it without founding to calamitous environmental change. “The main reason for ‘being so wrong’ about oil’s future availability is the over-reliance on analytical techniques that fail to appreciate petroleum as an economic commodity powered by the constant advance of technology.” (Clemente, 2015). The actuality is that all energy frameworks are advancing. Because of this, “technologies must be allowed to compete in our goal to: 1) grow our economy, 2) increase our energy security, and 3) reduce GHG emissions” (Clemente, 2015). In conclusion the possibility that we would come up short on oil has been the conviction for some time however at this point it is turned out to be premature as significantly more oil has been found therefore Dr. Ahmed’s argument is invalid in terms of this crisis.

Food Shortage

Food security is at the crossing point of numerous disciplines, and the variables sustaining the crisis are to a great extent miscellaneous. Food shortages is a difficult issue we face today. The amount of food wasted is unbelievable. Sustenance security is at the crossing point of numerous controls, and the variables sustaining the emergency are to a great extent different. Sustenance deficiencies is a difficult issue we face today. According to the documentary, “as a result of global warming the earth has been experiencing water shortages” (Puckett, 2012). Over centuries of cultivation, people have chosen plants for specific attributes, typically their crop. Excessive yield is vital for nourishing a developing population however it implies that our food crops are extremely standardized. More than a huge number of long periods of agribusiness, people have chosen plants for specific attributes, regularly their yield. However, “with no water there is no possible way to provide for the crops which are being grown for food (Puckett, 2012). “Food shortages and famines occur more frequently in Asia and Africa. In the 18th and 19th centuries, droughts and famines occurred frequently in India” (Prasad, 2013). In addition to food shortages, “sharp increases in international food prices in recent years have understandably raised serious concerns about potential impacts on the poor” (Headey, 2018). For richer countries, there has been an expansion in food costs as well. There have likewise been numerous sustenance revolts because of this major food crisis springing up because of this concern.

Food deficiency continues to be an issue to this present day. With each year that goes by this issue deteriorates. There is a huge utilization of sustenance everywhere throughout the world where the measure of nourishment accessible severely diminishes for various individuals. “Global food production, already under the credit crunch, must double by 2050 to level off hunger. Thus in the next 40 years or so, the world will need to produce as much food as in the last 8000 years.” (Prasad, 2013). Endeavoring to unravel matters encompassing world malnutrition is not a mission that is straightforward or simple. Despite the fact that we have made numerous enhancements in delivering enough sustenance to nourish everyone on earth, we should now start to coordinate our consideration on making greater justice and sovereignty for individuals inside the food framework. In view of this, Dr. Ahmed’s contention demonstrates to be legitimate as there are still issues we continue to face.

Economy

The fourth crisis explained is economic instability. It has become evident that worldwide economy has become gradually unstable it even nearly almost collapsed. Correlating with growing food expenses, the economy is in a horrible situation. The food shortage massively effects the economy currently. “Due to a low amount of food, the cost of food is increasing yet the overall wages are not” (Puckett, 2012). Because of prices escalating, this became a tipping point for many individuals. This is likewise the motive for why the system nearly collapsed just as how low-income persons end up confronting significant issues, for example relative and absolute poverty. Almost certainly, there will not be many employments accessible in various years from now. According to Torrent and Ficpal (as cited in Diaz-Chao et al,. 2014) “In a global economy, where knowledge, technology and innovation are key to developing firm competitiveness and to overcoming the economic crisis, new value generation processes and co-innovative sources of productivity inevitably call for quality jobs.” Individuals need to work harder and have advanced education to acquire a career. “In the global economy, employment creation depends to a large extent on job quality, of its ability to generate jobs with trained, autonomous, committed and satisfied workers, who are able to innovate and improve the creation of added value in firms.” (Diaz-Chao et al., 2014). Shortly enough humans will not have sufficient occupations which will generate a new economy which depends on machines and calculations to fabricate items rather than people.

Furthermore, there is additionally a monetary disparity between the rich and poor people. In 2015 (Oxfam, 2015) released a study that found the richest 10 percent of people produce half of the planet’s individual-consumption-based fossil fuel emissions, while the poorest 50 percent — about 3.5 billion people — contribute only 10 percent. In 2018 another study stated “eighty-two percent of the wealth generated last year went to the richest one percent of the global population, while the 3.7 billion people who make up the poorest half of the world saw no increase in their wealth” (Oxfam, 2018). In light of this data it is seen that this issue does not transform over time. Those with greater income inequality make more disputes to our planet which is what that prompts expanded environmental change, expanded vitality usage and expanded sustenance utilization. That being said, economic instability still remains an issue.

Terrorism

It is as of now 2019 and there are still no methods for halting terrorism. Indeed, the newest terrorists wish to execute whatever number individuals as imaginable, as commonly as imaginable, as terrifyingly as imaginable, personally, self-destructively, with the most available weapons, in the most open spaces. Although newer terrorists select spectacular lethality in arranged hijackings or bombings of mass transportation, bureaus or hotels, the terrorists nowadays energize dynamic brutality, hostage-takings and abductions. They look to execute in the most astonishing ways. Terrorism is surprisingly uncommon compared to different violations and catastrophic events. In any case, the danger of terrorism is more noteworthy, as a result of the colossal social and financial expenses. According to (START, 2018), in 2017, there were 10,900 terrorist attacks around the world, which killed more than 26,400 people, including 8,075 perpetrators and 18,488 victims. That was a decrease since 2016, which was thus a decrease from 2015. With every year that passes by it appears as though terrorist attacks still exist and are horrible however they do relatively decline.

According to (START, 2018), the number of terrorist attacks in the Middle East and North Africa dropped by 38 percent year on year. The number of victims had declined by 44%. According to (Holgersen, 2014), Crises resolve themselves through devaluation or destruction of value, so the “solutions” always come at someone’s cost. Along these lines, this suggests that terrorism will deteriorate before it improves and Dr. Ahmed’s hypothesis is as yet substantial but not as legitimate as it once seemed to be.

Conclusion

In conclusion, though some things have been improved overtime, I will agree that neoliberalism is causing a crisis of civilization and our society is heading toward collapse due to ecological overshoot and growing political and economic instability. This paper explored the five crises talked about including ecological disaster, financial meltdown, dwindling oil reserves, terrorism and food shortages are converging symptoms of a single, failed global system. Throughout the paper, I gave a general explanation of the crises and tied it all together by stating if it is still a valid problem we face today in terms of neoliberalism. All in all, The inherent structure of our worldwide social and economic association will possibly change when individuals perceive the damaging idea of our present standard culture and reject it for one that highlight progress which underscores development in personal satisfaction as opposed to in the utilization of products and enterprises.

Around 9.3 million Venezuelans, 32% of the total population, are food insecure and are in need of assistance. Of these, 2.3 million are considered severely food insecure and 7 million are moderately food insecure. The majority of Venezuelans (60 percent) are marginally food secure, meaning they have acceptable food consumption, although, over ⅔ of the population engage within hunger-coping strategies and 98% are unable to afford many essential food items. The causes of Venezuela’s food crisis are commonly divided into two, firstly the economic mismanagement from Hugo Chavez and his successor, Nicholas Maduro has led the nation of Venezuela to a state of deterioration; from its dependence on oil exports to extreme overspending and ultimately resulting in skyrocketing inflation rates. Furthermore, the corruption laying deep beneath Venezuela’s welfare programs and political infrastructure not only cause the lack of food source for the population but push individuals to extreme measures in order to gain a profit or revenue.

Primarily, being home to the world’s largest oil revenues, ever since the discovery of oil streams in 1900; The Venezuelan government has forever utilized oil within its international trade, being the source of 95% of its total exports across the globe. During the years of 1972-2013, the production of oil brought in a large stream of income for the nation making it the wealthiest country in all of South America, its population was able to experience a high-end posh life, with a per capita GDP 3 times greater than its neighboring countries; Brazil and Colombia. After ignoring many warnings from his fellow business advisers, Venezuela’s former president, Hugo Chavez, and his congress overspent within a variety of social programs (mainly focusing upon social justice, social welfare, anti-poverty, education, health care and military recruiting), taking into no account of saving for the country’s near future. As expected, In the later months of 2014, Venezuela’s gross domestic product (oil) plummeted more than America’s during the great depression. That year, the price of an oil barrel, most commonly seen at $100 to $125, suddenly dropped to $70, further continuing to plummet to $33 in the early months of 2016. With a lack of money and support to fall back upon; Venezuela was left with a 33 billion foreign debt (22 billion was owed to private banks or financial sources), and it’s then 32 million population without an appropriate source of food and its hospitals starved of necessary resources, The Pharmaceutical Federation of Venezuela estimated in April 2018 that there was a shortage of more than 85 percent of medications with hospitals short about 50 percent of necessary medical supplies. A majority 70 percent of hospitals have reported power outages and a lack of available drinking water; 25 percent had no water at all in 2018 and the situation has continued to deteriorate. There is a severe lack of medical staff with 55 percent resigning or leaving the country. Additionally, to the closure of many oil revenues all over Venezuela, more than a third of the population experienced job losses thus a total loss of income for their families. For the remaining workers, the average price for a family food basket was valued at $164.09 since May 2020 and the minimum monthly wage continues to decline, almost equivalent to almost USD 3.61 since of July 2020, this covers less than 1.7% of the basic food basket, (rice, beans, vegetables, fruits and protein).Venezuela’s lack of effort to diversify its economy slowly lead to its downfall, relying only upon oil to drive its economy forward and funding its country’s social programs.

Although the fall of Venezuela’s economy did not deter the government’s spending on international imports and welfare programs, this lead the country into deficit spending. It is a major cause of the increasing inflation within Venezuela, as the further the nation falls into debt, the more the value of their currency, the bolívar, plummets. Since of July 2020, Venezuela’s debt exceeds the revenue gained by the country’s exports by 738%. Therefore, taking into account the country’s substantial debt, the U.S placed down trade restrictions in the early months of 2019, although this restriction has further decreased the country’s exports and its gross revenue.

According to Nicholas Maduro, the solution to beating inflation within Venezuela was to print more money. In 2018, The president lopped of five zeros, of the bolivar. He issued a new round of notes with the largest note being the VES 500 note, worth 50 million bolivars (8 US dollars.) Mr Maduro stated that “the new bolívar will be pegged to the petro, a state-run cryptocurrency which I launched earlier this year.” He also stated that ‘3,600 new bolívars will be given to the petro, therefore making the petro worth 60 U.S Dollars.” But as economists have pointed out, lopping five zeros off the currency didn’t halt hyperinflation, as by adding to the already immense supply of currency, it devalues itself, for Venezuela by 95 or 96%, and as prices continued to skyrocket, the government continued to print for notes thus creating a cycle of hyperinflation, which mainly affect the lowest of the lowest. For instance, on January 12th, 2020, Venezuela’s president, Nicholas Maduro, boosted the average salary by 67%, to 250,000 bolivars or $3.61 U.S. dollars per hour, and bonus 200,000 bolivars in order to aid the struggles of hyperinflation. Unfortunately, due to the inflation effect upon many food products, to afford 1 kg of beef, workers would have to save their earning completely for 6 months, in comparison to the US, where a month of the minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) buys 137 kg of ground beef and even the UK, At a minimum wage of £8.21 per hour, workers can earn enough to buy 288 kg of rump steak, in a month. Overall, consumer prices are expected to rise by 72,000% over the remaining months of 2020, this reduces the access to food, medicine and other goods, which are hampered by the U.S import restrictions. In recent years, malnutrition has reached emergency thresholds within Venezuela for children under 5, with 50% exhibiting some degree of malnutrition and some 280,000 at risk of death due to undernourishment. Pregnant women and people in impoverished parts of the country are also more vulnerable to malnutrition.”

Poor policy infrastructure is another major cause of Venezuela’s food crisis, most apparently “the land act”, a policy passed by Hugo Chavez in 2001. The system would allow the equal distribution of land among Venuzela’s farmers, thus resulting in maximum production of agricultural goods for a lower cost to the public. Although the president lacked to foresee the probable conflict between landowners and peasant farmers over the amount of land and vital resources (water source, crop seeds or cattle) distributed to each farmer. Between the years of 2001-2010, this conflict eventually led to the death of 200 farmers. Additionally, within the early years of “The Land Act”, a majority of Venezuela’s population relocated to more urbanized areas to obtain employment and receive access to cheaper supermarket goods, therefore, all across the country agricultural productivity decreased and caused a shortage of fresh produce within the supermarket shelves. The lack of local produce, added to the pressure upon the amount of food that Venezuelans could access, as imported produce is far more expensive than local produce

Another a cause of Venezuela’s food crisis, is the weaponisation of hunger and the prioritization of a political agenda within a variety of government-based welfare policies, most prominently, 2016’s “CLAP” policy or “The Local Committees for Supply and Production”. According to Venezuela’s current president; Nicolás Maduro, The CLAP policy would decrease the levels of starvation through the nation as the boxes, consisting of food items like milk, rice, sugar, would be distributed to families and individuals across the country. Although, after further investigation by Venezuelan researchers and academic article writers; Due to the fact, Venezuela’s public use their ID’S while placing their votes for an election to verify their identity; President Nicolás Maduro’s congress party (United Socialist Party of Venezuela), were able to access data which would showcase the number of people voted for and more specifically who voted for their socialist party. Within the context of the Clap boxes, they are only distributed to the individuals who voted for Nicolás Maduro party during the election. However, when you consider only 29.5% of Venezuela’s population participated within the 2018 elections and an additional 2.725 million individuals voted in favor of his other competitors, 10,710,940 are not receiving these CLAP boxes to help them through their days, only small bags of rice or fruits are placed by their doors each month. Also, 95% of the goods within these “CLAP” boxes are imported from Venezuela’s neighboring countries; Colombia or Mexico, therefore, increasing the country’s dependence upon exported goods.

Regarding the final cause, the phenomenon of Underproduction in Venezuela has led to a lack of fresh produce to feed its population and to provide or source for its “mercal” or supermarket stores. Although with the little amount of fresh produce grown, many of Venezuela’s farmer’s have restored their profit losses by selling their produce upon the black market as the prices are controlled by producers, the prices are far greater than the disproportionate values within Venezuela’s markets. However, these distributors buy large quantities of produce, originally meant for Venezuela’s public, and smuggle the produce over the borders of both Colombia and even Brazil. This overall reduces the amount of fresh produce within the country and leaves its population dependant upon welfare policies, although Venezuela’s government takes a minor profit from these illegal smuggles, thus simply turning a blind eye upon its population suffering.

Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree’s 1899 study in York established that poverty could be measured through the use of a poverty line (Llewellyn, Agu and Mercer, 2015, p.44). The poverty line is defined as ‘a level of personal or family income below which one is classified as poor’ (Definition of poverty line, 2020). In 2017/18, after housing costs, 1.03 million people in Scotland were surviving below the poverty line (Overview of Poverty, 2019). There are different forms of poverty in Scotland, relative, persistent, and absolute. Relative poverty is when the homes expendable income falls below 60% of the national income median (Persistent poverty in the UK and EU – Office for National Statistics, 2020). Persistent poverty can be classified as when a household lives in relative poverty in the current year and at least for 2 out of 3 preceding years (Persistent poverty in the UK and EU – Office for National Statistics, 2020). Absolute poverty measured by the idea of subsistence – when one does not ‘have the resources to maintain human life’ (Haralambos, Holborn and Heald, 2008, p.214). There are numerous factors that cause people to live in poverty. However, this essay intends to discuss the extent that gender discrimination, health inequalities and the inequalities faced by children play towards poverty in Scotland.

A significant factor to consider when measuring the extent of poverty in Scotland is the existence of gender discrimination. Loosening the G rip of Women’s Poverty (2019) highlighted that 51.9% of women aged between 20 – 80 years old and who lived in ‘Scotland’s 5% Most Deprived Data zones’ were living in poverty. The gender pay gap is a key factor as to why women live with a higher poverty level than men. Women earn on average 15% less per hour then men (Women, Work and Poverty in Scotland, 2018). Therefore, due to this substantial pay gap women will always be at a monetary disadvantage. Another significant factor is that throughout society, women often face difficulties balancing a work and home life. Close the Gap’s ‘Women, Work and Poverty’ article states that 70% of unpaid care in Scotland is carried out by women. These extra responsibilities result in high stress levels and poor mental health (Haralambos, Holborn and Heald, 2008, p.235). To avoid this, woman tend to leave their job or work part time. Close the Gap (2019) found that 42% of employed women in Scotland work part time, compared to just 12% of men. This indicates that women will often be unable to progress professionally in comparison to men who can work full time. Thus, suggesting that paid work is not a guaranteed path out of poverty. Overall, it is clear that the aspect of gender plays a large role when examining the extent of the problem of poverty in Scotland. Whether it is due to gendered pay gaps or the demands of the caring role that women play in the home, it is clear poverty is gendered. Society has created an existence where women are homemakers and primary care givers, and men are the breadwinners of the household. Therefore, perhaps in order to aid the strides being taken to combat gendered poverty, societal gender roles need to be adjusted.

Health inequalities contribute greatly to the extent of poverty in Scotland. Platt (2019, p.241) suggests that health inequalities are caused by poor nutrition, environmental conditions, and limited access to healthcare. In Scotland 1 in 10 people suffer from food inequality (Connelly, 2018). Public Health Scotland (2019) states that causes of poor nutrition can be divided into two sub-categories. The first being ‘nutrition-related inequalities’ – the variations in what individuals eat across social groups (Food Poverty, 2019). The second type of inequality is referred to as ‘food-related inequalities’ (Food Poverty, 2019). This is the being of a limited capacity to access food across social groups. In order to tackle these issues, the Scottish Government introduced a number of initiatives. An initiative rolled out by the Government is the ‘Fair Food Transformation Fund’. This fund was created in order to boost local community schemes attempting to tackle food inequalities (Fair Food Transformation Fund, 2019). The fund encourages the community to help each other. The people who use the resource have the opportunity to work alongside volunteers – building relationships and diminishing bias. However, whilst the Government initiatives seem to help in the short term, it is clear that in the long term more needs to be done to improve the income of those suffering food inequalities. Poor environmental conditions contribute greatly to poverty in Scotland. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2011) suggests that a healthy home creates a healthy mind and body. Living in cold and damp housing contributes to a number of different physical illnesses, particularly respiratory diseases (Housing and Health Inequalities, 2016). Living in sub-par could cause further problems within the already vulnerable groups in society – disabled, children and older people (Housing and Health Inequalities, 2016). To tackle this, the Government introduced the ‘Affordable Housing Supply Programme’ (Scottish Government, 2019). This programme aims to deliver at least 50,000 affordable homes in Scotland by 2021 (Scottish Government, 2019). Although Scottish healthcare is free, access to NHS services is a contributing factor to the extent of a problem that poverty is in Scotland. This in particular stems from the area the patient lives. GP practices play the biggest role in providing accessible medical care. However, Audit Scotland (2012) suggests that GPs working in the most deprived areas in Scotland are supported the least. They often see patients who have multiple health conditions who receive the same length of appointment as people in less deprived areas. Therefore, GPs often run late, rush appointments and the patients end up feeling frustrated. This in turn can make patients hesitant to contact the Doctor if they need medical assistance, leading to further health problems down the line. Although there are clear interlinks between GPs being stretched too thin and poor access to the facilities, Audit Scotland (2012) states that the number of practicing GPs is highest in the top 2 most deprived areas in Scotland. If almost 2200 GPs work in these areas, and accessibility is still so poor the Scottish Government need to look into the contributing factors that create the significant health problems in these areas. It is clear that health inequalities in Scotland contributes greatly to the poverty problem in Scotland. Whether it is due to food inequalities, insufficient housing or limited GP access, there are apparent problems that should be tackled.

In Scotland, one in four children live in poverty (Health Scotland, 2019). There are a number of contributing factors as to why children live in poverty. Examples of the factors are, low parental earnings and job opportunities as well as increasingly high housing and living costs (Health Scotland, 2018). Poverty impacts on children in numerous ways, however the most detrimental effects are the impacts on childhood development, education, and opportunity. The Child Poverty Action Group (2020) reports if children have lived in poverty for the first seven years of their life will have a 20% lower cognitive development score than children who have never faced poverty. Children living in poverty also live with stigma. Child Poverty Action Group (2020) states that children feel worried about their parents and are often judged by their peers. The impact that poverty has on the development of children, socially and mentally demonstrates the further effects poverty has in Scotland. Health Scotland (2019) states that children living in deprived areas do worse in Curriculum for Excellence and often in basic literacy, numeracy and writing skills. Although it is clear that yearly more children from deprived backgrounds do well in school, there is still a persistent attainment gap between the most and least deprived areas (Health Scotland, 2019). A lacking in opportunities appears to be due to families being stuck in a poverty cycle. They see their parents struggling, perhaps take up a part time job to help out and then schoolwork is substituted for work to help pay bills. Therefore, a lack qualifications and ultimately lack opportunity. However, it is not only educational opportunity that children miss out on, but also socially. Children may feel embarrassed because they do not have new items of clothing that everyone else has. Adelman, L., Middleton, S., Ashworth, K., (2003) found that 24% of the poorest children go without new clothes and properly fitted shoes. In order to combat this the Scottish Government introduced the Fairer Scotland Action Plan (2016). The Scottish Government has set out four income-based targets as a guideline as to what child poverty levels should be by 2030 (Scottish Government, 2017). The four targets are that less than 10% of children should be living in relative poverty, less than 5% in absolute poverty, less than 5% of children in joint low income and material deprivation and less than 5% of children living in persistent poverty (Child Poverty Bill, 2017). In order to do this, the Government publish yearly plans on how child poverty is tackled, along with working alongside local health boards and councils who are to report yearly on their work to reduce child poverty. This suggests that the Government in Scotland and are making efforts to combat poverty. The extent of the problems caused to children by poverty are extent. This essay only looked at a handful of the factors that contribute to the impact of poverty, however it has demonstrated that over the year’s children have been failed.

To conclude, it is clear that poverty in Scotland is a major issue. This essay has discussed several arguments as to what contributes to the problem such as, gender discrimination, health inequalities and the inequalities that children face every day. These issues are not new problems. They have been a prevalent in society for decades. Although the Scottish Government is taking strides to implement changes with the Fair Food Transformation Fund and the Child Poverty Bill, it is clear that more needs to be done. The three issues discussed in this essay are not the only factors that explain the extent of the problem that poverty is in Scotland. Ethnic discriminations, educational inequalities, a lack of employment, to name a few, are issues that are just as important and also need to be addressed.

Genetically modified (GM) foods have been a popular topic of debate for many years. The New Humanitarian reported that a clause was put into the 2013 United States agriculture bill to ban their department of agriculture from stopping, or preventing, the growth of GM crops (Kindra, 2013). Which leads to question what the real issue is? GM crops, or the people managing the crops? In this essay, it will be argued that the improvement of knowledge and skill can make GM food a solution to hunger.

The first factor to be discussed is the monetary benefits of GM food. Garcia-Yi, Lapikanonth, Vionita, Vu, Yang, Zhong, Li, Nagelschneider, Schlindwein & Wesseler (2014: 2) mentioned that the use of GM crops enables farmers to lessen their input and increase their output. Although, many would argue that less fortunate farmers cannot afford the necessary technology. This is why the Minister of Agriculture in Bangladesh provided “2001 farmers” with “20 grams of seed and 15 kilograms of DAP and MoP fertilizers” (Siddique, 2014). Hence, farmers can use their remaining funding for the technology needed to maintain given products and improve the safety of consumption.

Moreover, GM foods are mostly known for the impact they have on human health. Medical News Today suggests that food can be engineered to be more nutritious and repel certain harmful pesticides (Barrell, 2019). Unfortunately, these foods can trigger severe allergies, which are life-threatening for some people. Luckily South Africa has mandatory labelling regulations in place that can prevent allergies from being triggered. The Consumer Protection Act (CPA, 2008) Regulation 293 from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) forces all GMO producers to label the products they supply. Therefore, consumers can be informed about the ingredients and manage what they consume.

Management of GM crops can make or break the industry. If resources are used effectively, GM crops can provide many benefits. As mentioned in Garcia-Yi et al (2014), GM crops have grown from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 160 million hectares in 2011. Mismanagement, however, can cause great damage. This is illustrated by outcrossing, where GM crops originally approved for animal feed, were reportedly found in food meant for human consumption (Barrell, 2019). Would this have happened in New Zealand, the polluter – the one responsible for this mistake – would be liable for the damage caused (Kyle & Terry, 2005: 32).

Many scientists claim that the risks GM foods entail are good enough to discontinue the evolution of GM crops (Pinstrup-Anderson & Schiøler, 2003: 87). In the same breath, the authors talk about how nothing in life is certain and that to grow we must learn from our mistakes. Thus, keeping the above-mentioned research in mind, it is clear that when we improve the factors involved, GM food can be a great asset to the world. The usage of GM crops can decrease the extreme hunger that can be found in Africa, as well as other parts of the world.

References

1. Zaluckyj, A. 2017. How GMO crops can help farmers and the environment. [Online]. Available: https://ussoy.org/how-gmo-crops-help-farmers-and-the-environment/?utm_source=adwords&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_mt=b&hsa_ad=386925418074&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_src=g&hsa_kw=&hsa_tgt=dsa-465899196882&hsa_cam=6662748131&hsa_acc=7605856496&hsa_ver=3&hsa_grp=77801962503&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI69fa7PHy6QIVFuDtCh1njQaoEAAYASAAEgLXffD_BwE [Accessed 8 June 2020].
2. Kindra, J. 2013. Subsidies and GM crops back on food policy menu. [Online]. Available: https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/feature/2013/04/09/subsidies-and-gm-crops-back-food-policy-menu [Accessed 8 June 2020].
3. Pinstrup-Anderson, P. & Schiøler, E. 2003. Seeds of Contention: World Hunger and the Global Controversy Over GM Crops. [Online]. Available: https://books.google.co.za/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NtY6AwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=per+pinstrup+andersen&ots=_c4luO56ZS&sig=TAXwuoA4eVSHGEFcTpgs_xe0ptk&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false [Accessed 8 June 2020].
4. Kyle, J. & Terry, S. 2005. Community Management of GMOs II: Risks and Response Options. [Online]. Available: http://www.wdc.govt.nz/PlansPoliciesandBylaws/Plans/Genetic-Engineering/Documents/GE-Reports/Community-Management-of-GMOs-2.pdf [Accessed 8 June 2020].
5. Siddique, A. 2017. Bangladesh to provide incentives for farmers to grow more GMO Bt eggplant. [Online]. Available: https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2017/10/24/bangladesh-to-provide-incentives-farmers-grow-more-gmo-bt-eggplant/ [Accessed 8 June 2020].
6. Biosafety. 2020. The labelling of GM foods in South Africa. [Online]. Available: http://biosafety.org.za/information/know-the-basics/gmo-safety/the-labelling-of-gm-foods-in-south-africa [Accessed 8 June 2020].
7. Barrell, A. 2019. What are the pros and cons of GMO foods? [Online]. Available: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324576 [Accessed 8 June 2020].

Introduction

In Bjorn Lomborg article, The Truth About the Environment, he discusses the four big environmental fears that environmentalists worry about although he argues that environmental conditions are better now then they have ever been in the past. Lomborg makes the argument of there being more food produced in the world now then there has ever been throughout the history of humans in contrast with a significant decrease in world hunger. In the article he elaborates on his counter-claim by addressing how agriculture has increased, prices of food have dropped significantly, the caloric intake in developing countries has increased and the rate of starvation in developing countries has decreased as well as will continue to decrease over time. If Lomborg’s optimistic views are true, then in the future developing countries should be able to feed their populations that are in poverty and have well-balanced diets without starvation being an issue. If a developing country can achieve these goals and tackle the problem of starvation, their rankings will increase in the demographic transition model as well as the five stages and eventually they will become a developed country. If this happens to be the case, then developing countries will start increasing in population and start producing more food which will lead to an increase in agriculture as mentioned earlier. In addition to this, if agriculture expands the countries economy will rise, making the population healthier without a shortage of food since there will be a higher availability as well as greater quantities.

Critical Review

“Agriculture in the Global Economy” by professors Julian M. Alston and Philip G. Pardey is a paper published by the Journal of Economic Perspectives in 2014 which addresses the increase and decrease of agriculture in developed countries compared to developing countries along with agricultural growth from 1961-2011. Through their research, Alston’s and Pardey’s paper describes how agriculture has changed over a period of 50 years. In their paper, they stated that “Today’s high-income countries produced 43.8 percent of total agricultural output in 1961 and by 2011 their share of the global total shrank to 24.6 percent” (Alston & Pardey,2014, P.123) as well as “The share of agricultural production increased for all other regions. In particular, the Asia and Pacific region increased its share from 23.9 percent of global agricultural output in 1961 to 44.7 percent in 2011” (Alston & Pardey,2014, P.124). China, The United States, India, Brazil, and Indonesia are the top five countries ranked for total agricultural output according to Alston and Pardey’s research. They also mentioned that “Four of the top five countries in global agricultural output, including the top one, are not high-income countries” (Alston & Pardey,2014, P.125). Over the period of 1961-2011 agricultural output has grown by 2.25 percent per year, from being worth $746 billion in 1961 to $2.4 trillion in 2011 (Alston & Pardey, 2014). Alston and Pardey’s paper support’s Lomborg’s claim by including research and evidence provided by peer-reviewed credible scientific sources of how agricultural production has been increasing over half a century. This goes to show that the paper is not based off opinions of the matter which helps get rid of controversy.

Similarly, in the paper “Global Agricultural Performance: Past Trends and Future Prospects” by Mette Wik, Prabhu Pingali and Sumiter Broca, the authors talked about an increase of food consumption in the world from the 1960s till the 2000s. They looked at the average daily calorie consumption of a person from the 1960s compared to the 2000s.

The worlds caloric intake had “Increased from an average of 2280 kcal/person/day in the early 1960s to 2800 kcal/person/day today” (Wik & Pingali & Broca, 2008, P.6). In the 1960s majority of the increase in food consumption is from developing countries, due to developed countries having higher incomes and already having higher food consumption per capita according to their research. They also stated that “Overall progress of the developing countries has been decisively influenced by the significant gains made in East Asia” (Wik & Pingali & Broca, 2008, P.6). since Asia had an increase in agriculture and farming grew very popular there it became one of the biggest producers for all kinds of food like crops, livestock, etc.… which lead to an increase in food consumption and since more people were able to get more food to eat it helped decrease starvation overtime and increase food production. This paper supports Lomborg’s counter-claim of more food being produced in the world and fewer people facing starvation since it is also backed up by evidence as well as graphs which help show a visual of the data and help make their research more factual.

Furthermore, in the articles “Food Price Watch” by the World Bank Group and “Cheap food and feeding the world sustainably” by John Hodges, both articles discussed how food prices affect developing countries, farmers who produce the foods and how it relates to a decline in world hunger. The World Bank Group stated that “Since the last Food Price Watch, released in September 2014, international food prices have decreased 14% (between August 2014 and May 2015)” (World Bank Group, 2015, P.1). Since food prices are decreasing according to the World Bank Group this will allow poorer low-income families to be able to buy more food for themselves hence reducing starvation around the world. However, in Hodges article, he discussed how decreasing food prices are not good for farmers by stating that “It forces farmers into further intensive practices which shed negative effects and hidden costs upon society” (Hodges, 2005, Para.4.4). Although food prices have dropped over the years and are good for poor families, they do not account for the negative externalities that farmers face. Another statement Hodges makes in his article is that “paradigm shift occurred almost unnoticed because the banner headline remained “cheap food” (Hodges, 2005, Para.4.4). People were too focused on the words “cheap food” they didn’t realize they were changing the way markets were presenting it to them. If all the externalities were included into everything then food prices would not be decreasing as low as they have been. These articles support Lomborg and his counter-claim by providing data and diagrams on how food prices have declined and have helped decrease starvation but did not include all the negative and positive externalities that go into food prices declining and how that affected the society.

Conclusion

To Conclude, Lomborg stated that more food is produced in the world now then in all of history and there is less starvation. Many articles and papers supported Lomborg’s counter-claim by discussing agriculture and how developed countries compared to developing countries. As a result, an increase in agriculture lead to an increase in caloric intake in developing countries due to the decrease in food prices which did not account for the negative effects it had on society but, overall progress helped lower starvation around the world. I believe that Lomborg’s counter-claim is true and false because I agree that in the all of history world hunger has significantly decreased now than it has ever been in the past according to the research I assessed. Although most of the sources were backed up with evidence and data there were points that could be controversial. Nevertheless, most importantly if world hunger is decreasing and the goals to reduce it are being met then by 2050 developing countries should be able to go from low/middle-income countries to well established high-income countries as well as significantly making an Impact on the poverty they face today.

References

1. Alston, J., & Pardey, P. (2014). Agriculture in the Global Economy †. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 28(1), 121-146.
2. Global Agricultural Performance: Past Trends and Future Prospects – Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Food-consumption-per-capita_fig6_252356344 [accessed 8 Mar 2019]
3. Wik, Mette & Pingali, Prabhu & Broca, Sumiter. (2008). Global Agricultural Performance: Past Trends and Future Prospects.
4. World Bank. 2015. Food price watch (English). Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/960981468187734531/Food-price-watch
5. Hodges, J. (2005). Cheap food and feeding the world sustainably. Livestock Production Science, 92(1), 1-16.

Overview

Nepal is a small (147181 sq. Km) landlocked country situated between China in the north and India in the south. Nepal has got a diversified geography. Its topographical feature ranges from low land tarai (60 m) to the highest point (Mount Everest, 8848 m) in the earth. Agriculture in Nepal provides employment opportunities to 66 percent of the total population and contributes about 39 percent in the GDP (‘National Strategy For The Development Of Statistics – Central Bureau Of Statistics’, 2020). Therefore, the development of agriculture sector is a key for the development of national economy. Lower agricultural productivity has been a dilemma ascribed by poor human resource, small land holdings, and poor management of resources and environment. However, with the advent of newer technologies in agriculture, Nepal has also been able to increase its overall production and has been able to explore neo dimensions to ensure food security though not as anticipated.

In the sense of increasing population, evolving environment and decreasing limited natural resources, food security is a major concern of the planet (GC and Ghimire, 2019). Food losses may occur at several points along the food chain, but farm-level harvest losses are often ignored which have a direct impact on sustainability. Increasing levels of male migration and local off-farm work opportunities have expanded the local food buying power. The positive impact on food safety is demonstrated by evidence of better food adequacy, consumption efficiency, nutritional quality and food security for households with non-farm income sources. This paper focuses on the different indicators that has a potential linkage of agricultural disturbances onto the food-security cycle which could be remedied through the integrated and the holistic approach of the agricultural factors. Existing solutions to food safety and sovereignty are insufficient to fully understand conflicting developments in small-scale agriculture in Nepal, such as human development, nutrition and productivity.

Relevance to Career

With the deep interest in the agriculture sector, the livelihood and the food security in Nepal provides an overview of the technical skill building through different counterparts. Food insecurity and hunger are one of the biggest problems in safety due to climate change. It is the irrefutable effect on the poor and least developed nations of Nepal, which are living in poverty for around a quarter of the population. This is also one of the most profound reason for the employment migration despite a huge potential to secure the agriculture industry in Nepal. However, the livelihood and the food-security in Nepal helps to plan, implement and ensure the quality of the sustainable food production by managing the entire community and coordinating with the entire stakeholders and also to the greater extent, build a profound partnership with the livelihood and food security sector. Through this, it will help me being a agriculture extension worker on a managerial level that can address the field level problem.

Agricultural Production And Food Shortage

Agricultural production has become a crucial issue for progress in Asia in the enhancement of livelihoods and deterioration of the climate. Spencer (1966) suggested that agricultural development was the first process of changing agriculture and the most traditional agricultural method until the mid-20th century in South and Southeast Asia. Rasul and Thapa (2003) proposed that it should provide simple tools and techniques, low input rates and a production and consumption subsistence standard, which were impossible to satisfy growing populations and their needs for livelihood.

In developing countries with very little colonial power investing in food production processes, the food security crisis was deteriorating. Cultivators were pressing the growing population together with government control of common property wealth that limited the fallow period (Palm et al., 1996 and Gafur et al., 2000). In the meantime, shifting farmers expect change in the environment, which their cultivation activity could not accomplish from the low return. Under these conditions farms were pressured to follow a more sustainable farming system that would otherwise have exacerbated starvation and poverty in Asia. The US carried out ‘crisis.’ The President of the Advisory Committee on Science and delivered a 1967 paper. In addition, the report concluded that ‘the size, magnitude and length of the world food issue are so large as to be solved by an unparalleled massive long-term revolutionary initiative in human history’ (IFPRI 2002). Such developments, including high yields or Green Revolution, improved use of pesticides, irrigation and other chemical inputs, culminated in a phenomenal production in Asia at the end of the 1960s.

In Nepal, average lands have been down 0.17 ha, and in 2001/2002 0.96 ha have been upgraded to 0.79 ha (CBS, 2002). These developments have significantly weakened people who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods and food security (Thapa & Niroula, 2008). The condition is even worse in the mid-hills, where farmer resources are low and there are minimal possibilities for them to have other income sources from non-farming operations. Thus, the large percentage of hill farmers in Nepal opted for land intensification as an alternate way of living.

Degradation of soils requires a decrease in soil quality attributable to anthropogenic activities. This comprises primarily of three primary processes: the physical cycle requires crusting, compaction and erosion; the chemical phase requires nitrogen degradation, leaching, acidification and salinization; and the biological process entails the removal of soil organic matter and the loss in soil biodiversity. Intensification of cultivation poses questions about land degradation, nitrogen loss, poor water quality quality and loss of fertile organic matter (Gardner and Gerrard 2003; Shrestha et al. 2004 and Wesarp et al. 2004).). Such issues are especially important in Nepal’s mid-areas, where the area has been intensively developed and the majority of the community relies on land to meet their basic needs. Soil loss in the centre of the hills is a severe concern (Sitaula et al., 2000).

The cycle of agricultural destabilization provides food in greater amounts with differing degrees of diversity. This condition improves the production of produce at cheaper costs for producers and contributes to exposure to fuel. Therefore, on the positive side, agricultural intensification theoretically decreases food-borne disease, while on the other hand, production can change due to irregular climate and weather trends. The condition in mid-hills where the soil is very weak, could be even worse. Soil, soil, water sources, and even plants become polluted through numerous mechanisms through overuse of toxic fertilizers and pesticides. Clear and unintentional access to fertilizers and chemicals can result in significant public safety effects. The economic damage owing to the farmers ‘ ill health is troubling. Many incidents of water / vector-borne illnesses have arisen owing to drainage canals, ditches, etc. for farming (Mutero et al., 2006).

Different studies suggest that there has been reports of rising soil degradation, fertilizer depredation and soil acidification in the mid-hills. Nitrogen, phosphorous, phosphorus and other essential nutrients are inadequate for the soil (Blaikie and Sadeque, 2000). As a consequence, soil productivity in the mid-hill area is not abundant enough to satisfy the increasing population’s need for expanded agricultural growth. Small families are becoming less capable of obtaining labour or investment resources to handle evolving soil conditions, and it is likely that citizens are thinking about quitting the farm to shifting to more productive areas. Farmers should be harder to cope with the displacement problem generated by unsustainable activities, in a problem whereby people from either the mid-hills mostly migrate to several other places for various economic-political purposes (Dutt, 1981).

Agricultural promotion involves the procurement, trading, stockpiling, packaging, standardization, inspection and delivery of harvest goods. The cycle of moving from producers to customers would go through a mechanism that involves adjustments in type and value. The rates are focused on the average selling amount of the following day which often entail shipping expenses, royalties, commodity efficiency which gross profitability. Rural growers are largely ignorant of business rate changes. Therefore, when selling farm products, the middleman gets benefit over the local producers. Agricultural strategy-in certain developed nations view them as pests that suck away a substantial portion of harvest sale profits (Tiwari et al., 2008). Since the growers will get chemical fertilizers on lease, they would have little influence about the usage of the fertilizers. Moreover, they really need to get capital out of their agricultural produce before making their huge larger storage potential risk. Perhaps it can be assumed that the worst factor for the economy is forcing growers to pursue increased agriculture.

Explosive growth of the agriculture industry has significant consequences for resource depletion. But other variables affect whether growers consider increased frequency to be an issue for the climate. The efficiency changes depending on which technology is implemented and also which form of cropping is implemented. Accordingly, the amount of accumulation varies depending on both the community’s preference of agricultural practices. Poudel and Thapa (2008) suggest that if the primary source of income is focused on cultivation, then due to intensification, they do not want to accept environmental destruction. People in the community whose primary source of income is not agriculture are less worried about critical issues of land management than those whose life is mainly dependent on modern agriculture.

Farming still being Nepal’s key profession, the growth plans have centered on rising food production to satisfy the raising population in terms fresh produce demand. Intensification is commonly practiced by farmers in the mid-hills by extensive usage of industrial fertilizers, chemicals, installation of agro-equipment and growing harvest numbers annually. Farming increased frequency has a significant effect on the quality of life in terms of better economic circumstances, social circumstances such as food stability, work prospects and increased division of labor; and better organisation. Yet on the other hand, rapid expansion has possible adverse effects for land loss by crop deforestation, reduction of nutrients and water salinity; and environmental degradation by emissions of global greenhouse gas emissions gases. More comprehensive information on the linkages between agricultural intensification, environmental degradation and its possible routes to marginalization is built in order to provide a clearer understanding of the consequences due to agricultural intensification.

Nonetheless, raising annual earnings and utilizing domestic farmland would result in a major increase in agricultural productivity and rising food poverty in households. Approaches that improve family earnings and growing crops activity require further focus in rising food poverty in the households. Food shortage issue can be solved as households should engage in farming activities to complement the food basket of their family. Yet that will only occur if it is feasible to take the cooperative farmers as a tool to address the problem of food shortage among rural citizens of Nepal.

References:

1. ‘National Strategy For The Development Of Statistics – Central Bureau Of Statistics’. 2020. Cbs.Gov.Np. https://cbs.gov.np/national-strategy-for-the-development-of-statistics/.
2. Gartaula, Hom, Anke Niehof, and Leontine Visser. 2012. ‘Shifting Perceptions Of Food Security And Land In The Context Of Labour Out-Migration In Rural Nepal’. Food Security 4 (2): 181-194. doi:10.1007/s12571-012-0190-3.
3. GC, Arun, and Kiran Ghimire. 2019. ‘Estimating Post-Harvest Loss At The Farm Level To Enhance Food Security: A Case Of Nepal’. International Journal Of Agriculture, Environment And Food Sciences, 127-136. doi:10.31015/jaefs.2019.3.3.
4. Gentle, Popular, and Tek Narayan Maraseni. 2012. ‘Climate Change, Poverty And Livelihoods: Adaptation Practices By Rural Mountain Communities In Nepal’. Environmental Science & Policy 21: 24-34. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2012.03.007.
5. Subedi, Kalidas & Dhital, Bishnu. (2007). Canada Forum for Nepal Food Security, Livelihood, and Nepalese Agriculture: Challenges and Potentials.
6. Adekunle, Ogundiran Oluwasola. 2013. ‘The Role Of Home Gardens In Household Food Security In Eastern Cape: A Case Study Of Three Villages In Nkonkobe Municipality’. Journal Of Agricultural Science 5 (10). doi:10.5539/jas.v5n10p67.
7. Blaikie, P. M. and S. Z. Sadeque, 2000. Policy in high places: Environment and development in the Himalayan Region. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu, Nepal.
8. CBS, 2002. Statistical pocketbook of Nepal 2000. Central Bureau of Statistics, Kathmandu.
9. Dutt, S., 1981. Migration and development. Economic and Political Weekly, 16(24):1053-1055.
10. Gafur, A., Borggaard, O. K., Jensen, J. R. and L. Peterson, 2000. Changes in soil nutrient content under shifting cultivation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. Danish Journal of Geography, 100:37-46.
11. Gardner, R. A. M. and A. J. Gerrard, 2003. Runoff and soil erosion on cultivated rainfed terraces in the Middle Hills of Nepal. Applied Geography, 12: 23-45.
12. IFPRI, 2002. Green Revolution, curse or blessing? International Food Policy Research Institute. Washington, D.C.
13. Mutero, C.M., McCartney, M. and E. Boelee, 2006. Understanding the links between agriculture and health. Vision for food, agriculture and the environment. International Food Policy Research Institute. USA.
14. Palm, C.A., Swift, M.J. and P. L. Woomer, 1996. Soil biological dynamics in slash-and-burn agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 58: 61-74.
15. Poudel, G. S., and G. B. Thapa, 2004. Impact of social, institutional and ecological factors on land management practices in mountain watersheds of Nepal. Applied Geography.
16. Rasul, G. and G. B. Thapa, 2003. Shifting cultivation in the mountains of South and Southeast Asia: Regional patterns and factors influencing the change. Land Degrad. Develop. 14: 495-508.
17. Sitaula, B. K., Newpane, R. P., Paudel, G. S., Sankhyan, P. L. and B. R. Singh, 2000. Land degradation in the Himalayan region: an interdisciplinary approach for analyzing system behaviour. In: J. Låg (ed.), Geomedical Problems in Developing Countries. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, Oslo, pp.193-208.
18. Spencer, J. E., 1966. Shifting cultivation in Southeastern Asia. University of California Press: Berkeley, CA.
19. Thapa, G. B. and G. S. Niroula, 2008. Alternative options of land consolidation in the mountains of Nepal: An analysis based on stakeholders’ opinions. Land Use Policy, 25: 338-350.
20. Tiwari, K.R., Nyborg, I.L.P., Sitaula, B.K. and G. S. Paudel, 2008. Analysis of the sustainability of upland farming systems in the Middle Mountains region of Nepal. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability.
21. Westarp, S.V., Schreier, H., Brown, S. and P. B. Shah, 2004. Agricultural intensification and the impacts on soil fertility in the Middle Mountains of Nepal. Canadian journal of Soil Science, 323-332.

Most people believe starvation exists in poverty-infested neighborhoods because they themselves don’t realize hard times can strike at any moment for anyone no matter what their economic status is. However that’s usually the lesser problem. Without a doubt, the problem is not being able to get food to the individuals who need it. Each day people wake up, take a shower, drink a cup of tea or coffee, have their breakfast and do different ordinary things they consider normal without knowledge that maybe a block of two away from their homes, people are deprived of everyday cravings. People go through hunger and thirst everyday, while some have never had to go through those types of struggles ever. Meals going to waste is something that affects us all. It takes place everywhere food has a presence; consuming locations, the supermarket, in our houses, at faculties, on farms, in production or maybe in transportation. Food waste and hunger affects humans everywhere; those residing oceans away and those that share our borders, friends and family alike.

World Hunger

The everyday deprivation of nourishment has dramatic effects for the body, in particular for the adolescent’s body. According to Rebecca Shoaf Kozak et al, the authors of Global Poverty and Hunger: An Assessment of Millennium Development Goal #1, states, “Hunger tends to affect some groups disproportionately. Women, persons with disabilities, older persons, and youth and children are especially susceptible to hunger” (473). This shows that the world is dying and in need of help we can provide to them. Minorities that fail in hunger are the ones that society should take in and help. The malnutrition consequences include hair and enamel loss, fatigue, belly disenchanted, indigestion and exceptional lousy illnesses. The most important individuals who crave is the women, there are plenty of miscarriages and deliveries of lifeless infants due to hunger problems throughout pregnancy. Furthermore, there are incidents where people simply give up after an extended period of hunger and die. Hunger is a problem, which many people consider hunger insignificant to them because it does not affect them. According to Rüdiger Bittner, author of Morality and World Hunger, states, “The real issue is the first premise: that morality speaks to people only on how to deal with those with whom they are close” (29). This illustrates that people are in fact willing to help, but only when it hits home for them instead of in general. The world today needs everyone to reach out of their little bubbles of security and lend a helping hand to anyone, whether that be a stranger or a friend.

The food industry and our society no longer distribute meals on the basis of nutritional needs for everyone, that is one of the more devastating and complicated realities of the starvation epidemic. According to Rüdiger Bittner, author of Morality and World Hunger, states, “No doubt people economically affect each other from one corner of the world to the other, yet they are not, therefore, all living together. They are living together in much smaller groups, in families, professions, firms” (29). This shows that the same family that eats three healthy meals a day and throwing out half of their food, are the same people that live next to people who lost their homes and security that eat nothing for days. In society today its is all just about fending for yourself and only help when they see fit and that itself has to indeed change before things can get better. International hunger and poverty may be visible in different outlets all over the world. However first there needs to be a clear definition of poverty: Poverty is a nation in which the potential of human beings or businesses to apply power to result in notable for themselves, their families, and their community is weakened or blocked. When someone lacks meals, that is referred to as material poverty. This type of poverty can damage humans in massive way, it may harm people’s self-worth and it can moreover hurt their outlook on existence. It is sad when people are forced to look at their family in a lacking state of hunger and poverty, as opposed to seeing them happy and safe because they have a roof over their head and food in their belly’s, no one deserves to be in a situation like that with no support or help for a way out. This hurts families and leaves them hopeless and in a depressive state.

Food Waste Worldwide

Even though the United States produces more than a good amount of food for its citizens. Despite the fact that the wastage degree is at its top. that is because of careless mindset of our united states and our society’s love for extra meals. at the same time as we talk about the consumption of food, negligence by using society moreover needs to be tackled. At social events in addition to weddings, it’s far quite regular for human beings to pile up a mountain of food on their plates and consume only part of it as if that is the final time they may be ingesting meals. lots is needed to done to shop perishable gadgets consisting of stop result and greens. u . s . desires to check out this do not forget with utmost care and also to maintain grains by way of growing extra facility for garage motive. On a collective basis, manner of thinking wishes to be modified. It isn’t best unethical but additionally an act of being socially irresponsible to waste meals at the same time as masses of heaps across the area sleep empty stomachs. Meals spoiling and wasting is inflicting bodily destruction to mother earth. So permit’s be a part of arms to exterminate wastage of food for folks that starve and are beneath privileged.

Studies has proven that each one over the world food is wasted and misplaced thru several methods. There are special motives of meals wastage in industrialized worldwide places and developing nations. Wastage and absence of meals in developing international locations is commonly eventually of manufacturing. For superior international locations, the clients account for the maximum of the wastage. In industrialized worldwide locations, food loss and waste is generally because of rejection by using manner of the stores. shops specifically test food thru manner of color, size, freshness, even knobbiness among different elements. because of this that often shops waste flawlessly precise food. opposite to the case in developing international locations wherein number one reasons are pests, ailments, insufficient delivery, and terrible storage. growing nations have a completely superb capability of food production. good sized lands are left naked and plants rot in farms because of loss of essential infrastructures. however, richer global locations have easy get proper of entry to the whole thing important for even surplus manufacturing of food. pesticides, stepped forward seeds, dryers, managed granaries and refrigerated motors are some of the factors that make sure low wastage of meals in farms. In industrialized international locations, they’re results easily on hand to farmers in comparison to developing countries. that is due to a cheap fee of the machines and merchandise wished and well-established infrastructures.

Farmers in growing worldwide places have a top-notch hassle in the market get proper of get admission to to. loss of market get right of access to is a terrific purpose of meals loss and wastage. that is because of the truth while the goods are equipped for harvest or promoting a few farmers do no longer have a manner of long preservation. developing global locations normally have a propensity to head away farmers to certainly cater for production, upkeep and advertising and advertising and marketing and advertising and marketing till a product gets to the purchaser. at the same time as farmers harvest their meals, they do no longer locate organized markets looking for his or her merchandise. They need to attend or look for places themselves. some grow to be retailing wholesale actual, which results in wastage while gadgets begin perishing. terrible maintenance know-how is the number one motive of loss for perishable objects. the garage is likewise a number one trouble after harvesting. Farmers need granaries and refrigerated shops for the safety of products to lessen waste. delivery and infrastructures along facet roads, bridges for getting right of get proper of access to into rural regions in which production is better also are critical. items need to be transported from rural areas to city areas in which they is little or no manufacturing and the market is massive and organized.