Recently the world population broke 7 million, the largest population the earth has ever seen. Only 50 years ago, the world population was just over 3 million, and the world was faced with mass starvation and famine. What happened in the past decades that has allowed to population to grow at such a massive rate is known as the Green Revolution. A series of scientific advancements, such as genetically modified plants, improved fertilizers and pesticides, and others, have allowed crop yields to swell.
It might seem like the world's food problems are solved, but with more food the population grows, and with a larger population we need more food. Even with the advances of the green revolution, we are quickly reaching the limits of what our food supplies can handle. Nations are searching for ways to provide their people with food security, though many of the options may do harm as well as good.
One option to increase food security is to simply try and grow more crops with the existing methods and infrastructure. While this may work for some countries, there are many problems with this solution. First of all, some countries are producing as much food as they can already, or they do not have the land necessary to grow more. Even in countries with the ability to grow more, the effects of farming on such a large scale can be disastrous to the local environment and water supply. Over use of nitrate based fertilizers, for example, can lead to algae blooms in bodies of water, sucking all of the oxygen out of the water and killing marine life. Other pesticides may simply pollute the water supply directly.
Another option some countries are considering is to buy fertile land from poorer nations, sometimes called a "Land Grab". While this will help the "Grabbing" country with their food security, it will only worsen problems for the poorer country. Not only have they given up fertile land, but they now face the effects of pollution and environmental damage as well as the possible exploitation of their peoples.
I never considered land grabbing as a possible solution, but it is definitely something to consider. Here is my question for you! Do you feel develop nations and wealthy societies have a moral responsibility to help those who are starving or low on funds to buy their own food, and why? -Rachel Frei
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