Figure 1: Food production in Australia
Four problems with global food production are water, increasing population, increased cost, and less arable land. Unbeknownst to many people who live in first world countries, water is a very scarce resource. In many countries around the world, water scarcity, water sanitation, and water access are massive issues (Source 3). Some people have to walk miles to find water and even then the water is probably not clean and they have no way to sanitize it. Water stress is projected to hit the western United States and a large portion of northern Africa and the Middle East in 2025 (Source 3). This scarcity of water causes food production issues because plants need water to grow and with little water available, growing food is extremely difficult. Also, the world population is projected to rise from 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050. With that many new people and not anymore water or arable land, food scarcity will become a big problem (Source 2). In 2008, food costs spiked. That was only a sample of what is to come when the population spikes (Source 2). Spikes in gas prices and fertilizer prices also makes global food production difficult. The Green Revolution was an attempt to drastically increase food production and it did for a time, but now the food production is leveling off while the population is still increasing. While most of the world is struggling in food production, Australia is supporting up to 400 million people with their food production (Source 1). Australia may have bad soils and bad climates for agriculture but with new technologies they are increasing their production and make over $30 billion annually from food exports (Source 1).
By Tori Sanders
Work Cited:
(Figure 1) Food Production in Australia https://www.google.com/search?q=farming+in+Australia
(Source 1) The Conversation http://theconversation.com/australia-cant-feed-the-world-but-it-can-help-11269
(Source 2) Global Food Security http://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/issue/global.html
(Source 3) Geography and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World Textbook 4th Edition
Four problems with global food production are water, increasing population, increased cost, and less arable land. Unbeknownst to many people who live in first world countries, water is a very scarce resource. In many countries around the world, water scarcity, water sanitation, and water access are massive issues (Source 3). Some people have to walk miles to find water and even then the water is probably not clean and they have no way to sanitize it. Water stress is projected to hit the western United States and a large portion of northern Africa and the Middle East in 2025 (Source 3). This scarcity of water causes food production issues because plants need water to grow and with little water available, growing food is extremely difficult. Also, the world population is projected to rise from 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050. With that many new people and not anymore water or arable land, food scarcity will become a big problem (Source 2). In 2008, food costs spiked. That was only a sample of what is to come when the population spikes (Source 2). Spikes in gas prices and fertilizer prices also makes global food production difficult. The Green Revolution was an attempt to drastically increase food production and it did for a time, but now the food production is leveling off while the population is still increasing. While most of the world is struggling in food production, Australia is supporting up to 400 million people with their food production (Source 1). Australia may have bad soils and bad climates for agriculture but with new technologies they are increasing their production and make over $30 billion annually from food exports (Source 1).
By Tori Sanders
Work Cited:
(Figure 1) Food Production in Australia https://www.google.com/search?q=farming+in+Australia
(Source 1) The Conversation http://theconversation.com/australia-cant-feed-the-world-but-it-can-help-11269
(Source 2) Global Food Security http://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/issue/global.html
(Source 3) Geography and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World Textbook 4th Edition
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