Overpopulation affect on food and water supply

            The world’s population is increasing daily; will there be enough food and water to feed the large population? The world produces lots of food that could feed the whole population plus more.  As much as half the food produced gets wasted either rotting in the markets, the fields and our refrigerators (Walsh 1).  That is a lot of food that gets wasted that could be going to poor countries.  As the years go on we will develop a food and water shortage. It’s like the known saying “You never know what’s good until it’s gone.”  Once food and water supplies get low worldwide, it will have a tremendous effect on everyone.

With human population increasing resources we need to survive such as food and water will eventually decrease. There are many things humans can live without and food and water is not one of them. Individuals can only go so long without food and water before they go into starvation.   According to About.com by year 2030 the demand for food will increase by 50% and drinking water demand will increase by 30% (West 1-2).  What the future entails for the world is very drastic.    Needing food and water may seem unrealistic to think about to people living in the US compared to those in developing countries.   Most Americans take food and water for granted, not realizing how blessed they are to have it. The food shortage is caused by political unrest, economic insecurities, unequal food distribution patterns, decreasing land productivity, and productive cropland shortage (Cordova, Pimentel, Pimentel, and Xuwen 1-4).   About 99% of the world’s food supply comes from the land, which is being lost at high rates (Cordova, Pimentel, Pimentel, and Xuwen 1-4).  To avoid a food crisis, it would be vital to come up with solutions to avoid food shortages from happening.

 

            Developing countries are well aware of the consequences that follow a food shortage.  Worldwide enough food is produced to feed everyone, but unfortuntantly it does not always reach those in need ( Sadik) .  Most developing countries are not been capable of meeting citizens’ basic needs; they are limited on water, land, and food.  The food shortage prediction will hit these countries the hardest.  Nearly 1,000 million people do not get enough food and over 400 million are chronically malnourished (Sadik).  Per caput food production declined in many developing countries, to compensate for local deficits, developing countries are rising food imports ( Sadik).  Developing countries are already struggling for survival, as the population increase it will only get worse.  

            To save lives in the world, plans and strategies must be made. Land is a very important thing to maintain a decent amount of food.   Improved resource management would increase crop yields, prevent land degradation, and provide sustainable livelihoods for millions of rural poor (Sadik).  Also “National population program s should include comprehensive and accessible maternal and child health care programs and family planning services in order to reduce the size of families and improve the health and wellbeing of the entire community” ( Sadik).     Genetic modification and conventional plant breeding should be done to improve drop yields and agriculture productivity as well as developing better water storage (West 1-2).  It is necessary to improve the supply of food and water to avoid a nationwide increase in human deaths.   As the population continues to increase the basic resources should increase as well.

 

Citations

Cordova, Ana, David Pimentel, Marcia Pimentel, and Huang Xuwen. "Impact of Population Growth on Food Supplies and the Environment." Population and Development Review. (1996): 1-4. Web. 4 Oct. 2012. <http://dieoff.org/page57.htm>.

Sadik, N. "Population growth and the food crisis." Agriculture and Consumer Protection n.pag. FAO Corporation Document Repository. Web. 4 Oct 2012. <http://www.fao.org/docrep/U3550t/u3550t02.htm>.

Walsh, Bryan. "Why the Real Victim of Overpopulation Will Be the Environment." Time [Newyork] 26 Oct 2011, 1. Web. 4 Oct. 2012. <http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2097720_2097782_2097814,00.html>.

 

West, Larry. "Population Growth Expected to Cause a Food, Water and Energy Crisis by 2030." About 29 Mar 2009, 1-2. Print. <http://environment.about.com/b/2009/03/23/population-growth-expected-to-cause-a-food-water-and-energy-crisis-by-2030.htm>.