whats steps to improve food security?
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5 ways to improve global food security
Close the yield gap. By 2050, 120 million hectares of natural habitats will be converted to farming in developing countries, the World Wildlife Fund estimates. ...Use fertilizer more efficiently. ...Raise low water productivity. ...Target food for direct consumption. ...Reduce food waste.
Close the yield gap. By 2050, 120 million hectares of natural habitats will be converted to farming in developing countries, the World Wildlife Fund estimates. ...Use fertilizer more efficiently. ...Raise low water productivity. ...Target food for direct consumption. ...Reduce food waste.
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1.Close the yield gap
By 2050, 120 million hectares of natural habitats will be converted to farming in developing countries, the World Wildlife Fund estimates. In many parts of the world, current agricultural land is not reaching its potential, yielding 50 percent less than what it could produce. Closing the gap between what is being produced and what could be produced would both reduce the need to clear land for agriculture and feed 850 million people. The next points address how this gap can be diminished.
2.Use fertilizer more efficiently
At TreeHugger, we’re not big fans of synthetic fertilizers, but the reality is that they are used in large quantities around the world. There is some good news: based on previous studies, West and his team estimated that the use of fertilizers with nitrogen and phosphorus on wheat, rice and maize crops could be reduced by 13-29 percent and still produce the same yields. Further efficiency could be gained through adjustments in the timing, placement and type of fertilizer.
3.Raise low water productivity
Water is a major issue, and we’ve written about it many times. Improving irrigation systems and planting crops that use less water would be an effective way to tackle this. For example, rice and sugar cane are among the crops that need the most water. But it’s not simple to change the types of crops grown since farmers make decisions of what to grow based on market values, International Food Policy Research Institute Senior Research Fellow Lawrence Haddad pointed out to TreeHugger. One way to encourage change would be to provide economic incentives, but that can change based on regional differences and cultural tastes.
Target food for direct consumption
A lot of caloric efficiency is lost when crops are converted for animal feed and other non-food uses. If these crops were used directly to feed people, West and his team calculated that they could provide enough calories for 4 billion people. In some cases, this would mean changing where certain crops are grown, but like point number 3, changing crops isn’t straightforward. Farmers grow crops that will ensure that they and their family can eat, whether that means eating their own crops or selling them to be able to afford food. “Lots of assumptions are made in this study: that people are willing to change their diets; that people in wealthy countries are willing to take significant measures to reduce food waste; that poor countries have the political and economic means to rectify yield gaps,” said Dr. Carol Barford, director of the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment at the University of Wisconsin.
But West had a response to this: “It would be very naive to assume that diets could radically shift soon. In fact, the trend toward more meat consumption is happening in many parts of the world. Our main point here is that the amount of calories that we already grow but feed to animals is a *huge* number of calories. Even small changes in diet can have a profound impact.“
4.Reduce food waste
Globally, 30-50 percent of food production goes to waste because of inefficient preparation or inadequate storage facilities. The United States is one of the biggest culprits for this and needs an agricultural land base that is 7 to 8 times larger than a land base in India to compensate for this waste. Reducing food waste in the United States, India and China could feed 413 million people per year.
By 2050, 120 million hectares of natural habitats will be converted to farming in developing countries, the World Wildlife Fund estimates. In many parts of the world, current agricultural land is not reaching its potential, yielding 50 percent less than what it could produce. Closing the gap between what is being produced and what could be produced would both reduce the need to clear land for agriculture and feed 850 million people. The next points address how this gap can be diminished.
2.Use fertilizer more efficiently
At TreeHugger, we’re not big fans of synthetic fertilizers, but the reality is that they are used in large quantities around the world. There is some good news: based on previous studies, West and his team estimated that the use of fertilizers with nitrogen and phosphorus on wheat, rice and maize crops could be reduced by 13-29 percent and still produce the same yields. Further efficiency could be gained through adjustments in the timing, placement and type of fertilizer.
3.Raise low water productivity
Water is a major issue, and we’ve written about it many times. Improving irrigation systems and planting crops that use less water would be an effective way to tackle this. For example, rice and sugar cane are among the crops that need the most water. But it’s not simple to change the types of crops grown since farmers make decisions of what to grow based on market values, International Food Policy Research Institute Senior Research Fellow Lawrence Haddad pointed out to TreeHugger. One way to encourage change would be to provide economic incentives, but that can change based on regional differences and cultural tastes.
Target food for direct consumption
A lot of caloric efficiency is lost when crops are converted for animal feed and other non-food uses. If these crops were used directly to feed people, West and his team calculated that they could provide enough calories for 4 billion people. In some cases, this would mean changing where certain crops are grown, but like point number 3, changing crops isn’t straightforward. Farmers grow crops that will ensure that they and their family can eat, whether that means eating their own crops or selling them to be able to afford food. “Lots of assumptions are made in this study: that people are willing to change their diets; that people in wealthy countries are willing to take significant measures to reduce food waste; that poor countries have the political and economic means to rectify yield gaps,” said Dr. Carol Barford, director of the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment at the University of Wisconsin.
But West had a response to this: “It would be very naive to assume that diets could radically shift soon. In fact, the trend toward more meat consumption is happening in many parts of the world. Our main point here is that the amount of calories that we already grow but feed to animals is a *huge* number of calories. Even small changes in diet can have a profound impact.“
4.Reduce food waste
Globally, 30-50 percent of food production goes to waste because of inefficient preparation or inadequate storage facilities. The United States is one of the biggest culprits for this and needs an agricultural land base that is 7 to 8 times larger than a land base in India to compensate for this waste. Reducing food waste in the United States, India and China could feed 413 million people per year.
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