Food Production and Distribution in the World

¶ … food production and distribution in the world today?

Despite Malthusian predictions to the contrary, there is generally enough food currently available to adequately feed the world's six billion people. In fact, Searchinger (2011) recently observed that, "Economists have made such a fuss about how complicated the food crisis is that they have created the impression that it has no ready solution. . . . This view is wrong" (p. 14). Indeed, agricultural crop production has continued to keep pace with population growth, with record-setting grain production being achieved in 2010 (Searchinger, 2011). The real problems with food production and distribution in the world today relate to rising demand during a period when an increasing amount of food crops are being diverted for the production of biofuels. In this regard, Searchinger emphasizes that, "Since 2004, biofuels from crops have almost doubled the rate of growth in global demand for grain and sugar and pushed up the yearly growth in demand for vegetable oil by around 40%. Even cassava is edging out other crops in Thailand because China uses it to make ethanol" (p. 14). This diversion of human food crops to energy-producing resources has driven demand -- and prices -- up for food across the board, creating a virtual food famine in many regions of the world today (Searchinger, 2011). For instance, according to Searchinger (2011), "Increasing demand for corn, wheat, soybeans, sugar, vegetable oil and cassava competes for limited areas of farmland, at least until farmers have had time to plow up more forest and grassland, which means that tightness in one crop market translates to tightness in others" (p. 14). As the demand for cheap energy continues to increase in emerging nations such as China, India, Brazil and Malaysia, competition over scarce agricultural resources will further exacerbate current trends. As Searchinger points out, "Low reserves and rising demand for both food and biofuels create the risk of greater shortfalls in supply and send prices skyward" (2011, p. 14).

What problems are specific to subsistence and commercial agriculturalists?

While both subsistence and commercial agriculturalists are faced with some of the same constraints to production such as the weather, subsistence agriculturalists typically enjoy far fewer resources to help them overcome periods of inclement weather. Commercial agriculturalists have sophisticated farming machinery available and can irrigate their crops irrespective of the prevailing weather patterns. The concentrated use of powerful chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides by commercial agriculturalists also ensures that they will produce at least a minimal return on their investment (Kaufman & Heri, 2007). By sharp contrast, subsistence agriculturalists typically rely on traditional methods of production that do not demand large farming machinery or such high levels of chemical applications, but which result in reduced crop yields compared to their commercial counterparts (Kaufman & Heri, 2007).

What can be done to alleviate these issues, ensure food safety, and distribute food equally around the world?