Answer to Question #223955 in Economics for Khangwelo Lovers

Question

Will ending the expansion of agriculture negatively affects food supplies and what about the environmental condition?. And give long reason for your answer

Answer 1

The number of people in the world is growing by about 70-80 million people a year. Never before have so many people lived on the planet at the same time. If we look at agriculture and food supply, each person strives for an increase in consumption, - accordingly, simultaneously with absolute consumption due to population growth, relative consumption also grows.

The question arises: "Is there enough food to satisfy the growing appetites of the growing population, given that about 1 billion people are already starving?"

Therefore, from a food standpoint, the world in the 21st century faces a threefold challenge: a) to provide food for the growing demand for food from a growing and richer population; b) make it environmentally sustainable; c) cope with the problem of hunger.

The world's agriculture will face the following global constraints in the next 50 years.

1. Lack of available new lands.

2. Changes in climatic conditions in traditional zones of growing crops. Change in temperature and precipitation regime.

3. Soil degradation.

4. Growing regional shortage of freshwater.

5. Decrease in the rate of growth of productivity even with an increase in the volume of fertilizers.

6. Increased dependence on fossil fuels (logistics, raw materials).

7. Lack of new fish resources.

8. Population growth.

9. Diet transition due to increased wealth.

In the past, agricultural development of new land and the use of new fish stocks have been the main ways to combat food shortages.

However, over the past five decades, while grain production has more than doubled, the amount of land devoted to arable farming worldwide has increased by only a few percent.

Freshwater and acid rain traps

Science in the 21st century must answer the question: "How to feed 10 billion people without destroying the environment?"

Of course, some new land can be brought into cultivation, but competition for land from other human activities makes this an increasingly less likely and costly solution, especially with greater emphasis on biodiversity conservation. In recent decades, certain agricultural areas that were previously productive have been lost due to urbanization and other human activities, as well as due to desertification, salinization, soil erosion, and other consequences of unsustainable land use. Further losses are also likely, which could be exacerbated by climate change. The production of first-generation biofuels on quality agricultural land also puts competitive pressure on food production. Freshwater shortages are already causing significant problems in China and India. The human influence on the nitrogen and phosphate cycle has disrupted the natural systems of the utilization of these elements - this influence will not subside, since fertilizers are responsible for half of the harvest, and the use of fertilizers will only grow.