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There Are Many Threats To Global Food Supplies. Explain the Problem; Identify Possible Solutions and Asses the Implications of Implementing These Solutions

Introduction

The world toady suffers a great challenge in terms of the food supply. There is an increasing problem of food insecurity in the world. The increase in the insecurity of food is caused by various threats that affect the global food supplies. These threats exist as both natural and human. The natural threats mainly consist of the geographical or agricultural factors (Jakab, 2011). On the other hand, human factors include the human activities that pose a challenge to the global food suppliers. A threat in the global food supplies affects all regions of the world.

The Analysis: Threats

Climate
The climate change is a great threat to the global food production. The rising temperatures damage the heat-sensitive crops and increase the toxic levels in the air. As such, they pose greater harm to the crops. Destruction of the crops and increase in the levels of toxicity in the air reduces the production of the crops in the agricultural sectors in various levels of the world (Healey, 2011).
The interaction of the warming temperatures and pollution of the air affects the staple crops. These two aspects can damage the crops independently and reduce the crop yields. Additionally, the warming temperatures are likely to reduce the crop yields in the world about ten percent by 2050 (Martindale, 2014). If left unchecked, the air pollution could increase the percentage even higher.
The warming temperatures increase the ozone production significantly because of the reactions of some chemical compounds with the nitrogen oxides and the greenhouse gasses, which originate from the vehicle tailpipes and the smokestacks power plants. The ozone influenced about 46% of the damage to the soybeans, rice, wheat, and corn (Martindale, 2014). All these crops account for approximately more than half of the calories, which humans consume around the globe.
The climate change is also taking devastating tolls on the local economies in the developing nations where there are disruptions in the seasonal weather (Schmidhuber & Tubiello). The rains are coming late or lasting long cam reduce the crop yields dramatically as the traditional methods of farming gradually become unsuitable for the new, unpredictable and extreme patterns of weather.

Plant diseases

Plant diseases are also another threat to the global food supplies. A vast number of the plant pathogens from the viroids of certain nucleotides to the higher plants are major causes of diseases in the crops. The effects of these diseases range from the mild symptoms to the catastrophes where the large areas planted with food crops are likely to be destroyed. The catastrophic plant diseases exacerbate the current deficit of the food supply where at least 800 million individuals in the world are fed inadequately (Strange & Scott, 2005). Controlling the plant pathogens is challenging because their population vary in genotypes, space and time. They also evolve with time, often overcoming resistance.

Possible Solutions

Establishing measures of protecting food supplies
Agricultural experts and government planners should come up with various measures of protecting the food supplies of the world. First, there have to be efforts of improving irrigation systems and mechanisms in the sun-scorched regions. Additionally, there have to be measures of replacing the sensitive crops with varieties that are more resilient.

Investing in renewable sources

Countries should also invest heavily in the renewable sources like wind energy and solar and invest less in the fossil fuels that are pollution-intensive. That is, the use of the clean sources of energy, which do not emit the greenhouse gasses or the conventional pollutants of the air, would be beneficial to the global food security (Stuart, 2009). Such sources do not contribute to either the increased concentrations of surface ozone or climate change.

Creating better access

Creating better access is also another possible solution to the threats to food supplies. Individuals or organizations can bring the mobile grocery stores to the food deserts, hence providing low-income consumers with the opportunities of making healthy choices of food (Stuart, 2009). Engaging the youths in the endeavors of the global food security is another possible solution. The youths would be essential in making farming economically and intellectually, which will assist in making the food systems attractive career options for the youths.

Recognizing role of governments

Recognizing the role of governments is also another possible solution. That is; the nations have to implement policies that provide access to the healthy, affordable and safe food. Governments can establish school-feeding programs or increase their support for sustainable production in the agricultural sector (Stuart, 2009).

Implications of implementing the solutions

If the governments or the involved stakeholders implement these possible solutions for the threats to global food supplies, there will be a reduction in the levels of insecurity of food in the world. As such, nations will have enough individuals for the workforce and can channel funds in other significant aspects.

Conclusion

The world is facing various threats in its food supplies. These threats if left unattended to can lead to severe problems across the world. Developed nations will have to spend more to assist the developing and nations will have to spend more on food, which might affect other sectors like security or economy.

References

Healey, J, (2011). Global food crisis. Thirroul, N.S.W: Spinney Press.
Jakab, C. (2011). Food supplies. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark.
Martindale, W. (2014). Global food security and supply.
Schmidhuber, J., & Tubiello, F. N. (0). Global food security under climate change. Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences.
Strange, R. N., & Scott, P. R. (2005). Plant Disease: A Threat to Global Food Security. Annual Review of Phytopathology. doi:10.1146/annurev.phyto.43.113004.133839
Stuart, T. (2009). Waste: Uncovering the global food scandal. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.