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FOOD (Gateway 3) strategies to overcome food shortage (Technological…
FOOD (Gateway 3) strategies to overcome food shortage
Technological
Farming Technology
desc.: HYVs, irrigation, chemical fertilisers & pesticides, machinery to increase crop yields. dramatic tech. improvements since 1960s known as green revolution
successes: enabled food to be grown in previously unsuitable land e.g. irrigation can be carried out in areas previously too dry for growing crops e.g. bc of HYVs, prod. of rice & wheat in developing countries increased 75% btw 1965 & 1980. e.g. use of com.s in sg's high-tech farms-> fewer workers needed to grow crops
limitations: too ex. & unaffordable for farmers esp. in LDCs. not properly managed-> environmental prob.s like salinity & waterlogging
Biotechnology
desc.: refers to science of modifying living organisms. used in food prod. -> genetic modification. GM food refers to food derived from crops that have had their genetic make-up modified
successes: higher yield than non-GM food-> helps farmers earn higher income & helps countries to be more self-sufficient in food prod.-> less dependent on food imports. stabilises crop yield as GM crops more resistant to extreme weather conditions e.g. drought resistant corn grown in Western Great Plains of USA, where max. rainfall about 660mm
limitations: GM crops grown in large-scale commercial farms due to high capital investment to buy inputs like seeds, which are unaffordable for small farmers in LDCs. potential heath risks so low demands, low prod. mainly used to increase crop yield of leading cereal crops like corn so its use is limited in other crops, including those impt. to sub-saharan africa, like banana
Storage
desc.: use of refrigerated warehouse/delivery trucks to keep food fresh longer. LDCs: silos, an airtight structure for storing crops
successes: crops can be distributed to places far from prod. area-> larger variety of food accessible for more. LDCs: timor-leste: loss of crops to pest reduced by 20-40%
limitations: large scale refrigeration v. ex., adds cost to food prod. LDCs: silos unaffordable for poor farmers. fungus develops when grains not dried before storage in silos
Agricultural
Multiple Cropping/Crop Rotation
MC: practice of growing two or more crops on a single piece of land at the same time
CR: a way of growing several crops on the same land area in a specific order, following the change of seasons. (when multiple cropping is not possible)
help overcome soil erosion & prevent decrease in soil fertility (vital in maintaining & increasing food prod.)
adv 1: leguminous crops (soya bean) can be planted next to non-leguminous crops (corn) so non can benefit from N2 generated by leguminous, as leguminous crops have roots that contain bacteria in their root system that produce N2
adv 2: minimizes pest problems as some species protect others by acting as pest repellents e.g. garlic, pepper, onions next to tomatoes, repelling aphids
adv 3: dependence on one crop is avoided so variability in prices, market, climate, pests & diseases do not have drastic effects on economies
Water, Soil Conservation
conserved when no-till farming is practised
no-till farming: farming w/o removing weeds from soil & w/o digging soil for planting
allows plant materials from previous growing season to be kept on soil surface, maintaining soil quality through decomposition of dead plant materials that returns nutrients to soil
soil conservation: soil is protected against erosion & deterioration, allowing soil to remain fertile longer-> higher crop yield
when tilling is done w/ machinery, wheels cause soil to gradually compact, disallowing water to infiltrate to reach plant roots-> lower crop yield
Leasing Farmland to Other Countries
insufficient land-> lease e.g. in 2008, S. Korea negotiated a 99-year lease on 3.2M acres of farmland in Madagascar
could reduce food supply locally due to loss of land but can generate income for the country-> help local farmers improve farming methods
Ethiopia leased farmland out even though several Ms rely on food aid-> income generated
Political & Economic
National
Agricultural Policies
laws pertaining to domestic agriculture-> amt. of food prod. regulated to ensure sufficient food supply & affordable food
Singapore
strategy: high-tech farming (1970s-present)
desc.: building of agrotechnology parks that are equipped w/ computers etc.
successes: local farms produce 8% veg.s, 26% eggs, 8% fish-> reduce reliance on imports
limitations: high cost of setting up high tech farms-> higher food price. shortage of manpower-> remains as a small industry. comp. from cheaper food imports
Malaysia
strategy: Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) scheme (1960s-1970s): to reduce poverty in rural area thru agriculture
desc.: dev. of unused land, providing farmers w/ seeds, land, tools for farming, construction of modern processing facilities
successes: nearly 1M acres of jungle turned into farms. >90,000 fam.s resettled by 1985, were involved in various plantation
limitations: cash crops like oil favored over food crops as higher revenue-> threaten food security. most cash crops long-term, require high capital & subjected to fluctuations of world price-> risky to farmers
International
Food Programmes & Aid Assistance
UN World Food Programme
Responding to Emergencies
desc.: provision of emergency food assistance during wars & natural disasters
successes: food delivered to 99.5% of targeted recipients during 2011 Sudan food crisis
limitations: food prices may inflate-> high costs for UNWFP extent of assistance limited due to funds from donors
School Meals
desc.: provision of school meals to provide nutrition for school children
successes: school feeding provides an incentive for enrollment & attendance & can help children learn more effectively
limitations: coverage uneven across countries. low-income countries: 18% children a daily meal @ school middle-income countries: 49%
World Bank
strategy: Global Agriculture & Food Security Programme (GAFSP) (2010)
provides financing to countries that need help in increasing agricultural productivity + to improve food security
successes: helped 7.5M in 12 countries like Rwanda: GAFSP funded a project in 2010 to reduce soil erosion & improve hillside agriculture productivity. increased potato yields 7x & cereal 4x.
limitations: relies on funds from donors so donors may influence how funds are used to their adv. extent of assistance limited too.
activities that may be introduced by national gov.s or int. org.s. designed to address specific food shortage issues
part of food aid: granting access to food to all people through int. funding & support
Social
Support Local Farmers
by purchasing locally produced food
helps diversify sources of food supply-> food security enhanced as reliance on imports reduced
helps keep local farmers in biz thru ensuring demand for their produce as they face comp. from big agribusinesses w/ larger shares of the food market-> maintain their share
farmer food sold @ lower prices than imported-> more affordable as lower transportation costs
Population Control
in LDCs, food prod. growth slower than pop. growth esp. india
FAO: 2050, pop. 10B so control impt. as ensures ppl have sufficient food
education on fam. planning + give access to reproductive health facilities e.g. in some parts of the Philippines, supply of traditional staples not enough to meet demands due to high pop. growth. community based fam. planning programmed introduced to provide ppl w/ contraceptives