Food and Popluation. How they effect one another

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Food and population and how they affect each other
Fahrig and Merriam claim that in any habitat for a species to survive food is fundamental. Human beings are no exception and food is the most basic need that enhances our existence. Although humans comprise of the most adaptive species in any environment, they require food for growth and development. Currently, statistics indicate that the world population has exceeded 7 billion. The concern lately is if the world has the ability to feed its people and sustain them for generations to come. It is clear that the amount of food production has increased immensely over the years. Despite that, food sources that are renewable for example forests and water sources with fish are under pressure because they are getting over-exploited. (pp. 1762-1768)

Research shows that food production has doubled from the 1960s to the present day, but still a large portion of the world’s population goes hungry. Currently, it is estimated that more than 1.3 billion individuals go without food on a daily basis. The main reason for such circumstances is that the human population has enlarged more hastily than the production of food. Experts have claimed that there is an imbalance between population growth and the capability to generate enough food. The case is evident from the notion that population cannot rise without means of subsistence.

According to Daily, because the resources available on earth are limited when the population increases it affects people tremendously.

Farmers around the globe are finding the difficulty of maintaining a surplus of food that can sustain the number of human beings available because of the rapid increase in population. (pp. 1291-1292) Nowadays they face a demand for high production of food and farming practices that are sustainable and environmentally sound. Theoretically, economists believe that people have the ability to produce enough amounts of food to feed everybody, but practically it is impossible. When the number of people inclines and the amount of food stays the same or declines, people are bound to face scarcity of resources leading to overpopulation. The situation is taking place presently, and administrations globally are raising the concern to enhance more food production.
In fact, the quantity of food accessible holds back the size of the population be it that of animals or human beings unless factors such as disease, predators and space exploitation among others lower limit. Food production is a component that administers the growth of our population since individuals cannot endure without the availability of food. Research has proved that there is an imbalance between our ability to produce food and the capability to give birth to offspring. As a species, we are better off producing offspring than getting involved in food production. It is a challenge that has existed for the past generations, the present, and most likely the future. In spite of the problems human beings must be aware that the population could not be sustained without an increase in the production of food.
Pimentel states that, with more exploitation taking place due to a rise in the population the environment is subjected to extreme danger, the society will get affected, and poverty is expected to escalate in most nations around the globe. It is as a result of more human beings consuming more food and exploiting more resources to satisfy their needs. Thus, with the lack of enough food, the human population is expected to diminish. From research and reliable experiments, outcomes have shown that the power of the population to grow is greater than the power to produce enough subsistence crops. Some scholars and researchers have claimed that the disparity in the population rises by geometric development but the quantity of food increases by arithmetic development. Apparently, when the population surpasses food production, individuals who cannot access food are subjected to hunger. (pp. 9-14)

Additionally, as the population rises, the quality of water deteriorates rapidly. There is an increase in the destruction of plant and animal communities. Pollution of water has been partially caused by the rapid growth of human population. People store, consume and divert water which is utilized to transport waste and dirt that is discarded from industries, factories or homes without concern for health or ecological challenges. Therefore, overpopulation threatens not only the supply of food but also water supply. As the number of people increases, the need for land to produce food becomes a major priority.
Furthermore, factors such as urbanization and more creation of roads for transport consume more land that is precisely meant production of adequate food. Through the examination of the world’s population, it has been discovered that humans are reproducing offspring at alarming rates. Population growth has been rapid for half a millennia, and a large number of individuals requires more food supply and products from natural resources and agricultural activities.
In the current generation, most people are moving from rural to urban areas in large numbers meaning that most urban centers are crowded with limited land for production of food. The most suitable lands meant for maximum production of food are left unattended and deserted which eventually leads to lack of adequate supply of food in the society. The increase in population is deemed to play a crucial role to changes that are taking place around the world. Statistics have proved that 90 percent of the world population growth is happening in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In developed countries such as the United States, the natural increase is about 0.6 percent per year, while the entire population growth per year is estimated to be around 1 percent.
Schneider insists that the main reason why developing nations such as Africa and Latin America comprise of extremely high population growths is that a majority of the people are still under low living standards. (pp. 204-215). The quality of life sustained by the traditional farming systems is low compared to that of modern agricultural systems. The conditions present in the continents include short life span, illiteracy and lack of reliable social services. They require more children to work and generate more income. In Africa, Latin America, and Asia most of the children are expected to take care of their parents and nurture them because the mortality rate is high.

Africa is responsible for high rates of food production that are used to sustain the world population. Most countries in Africa thrive and enhance economic development by exporting food crops to other countries in bulk. Despite that, high birth rates in the continent overwhelm food production which immensely affects the society. The most efficient and dynamic agricultural systems are those available in industrialized nations, with minimal or no population growth. The case is different in developing nations because agricultural production is utterly associated with the rapid increase in population.
Another reason why there is a minimal availability of food in Africa is that most of the food produced is meant for export that generates income and sustains economic growth. Small amounts of food are left for consumption a situation which renders a large percentage of the population vulnerable to hunger because the food left behind is not evenly distributed. When the population rises in the developing nations, individuals who risk facing hunger increase and the circumstances get worse.
As a result, death rates escalate more often than in the developed nations because they have the financial capability to purchase enough food to sustain their citizens. Although they lack adequate land for sufficient food production, they have sufficient funds to purchase food from developing countries. The reason why they import food in bulk is that they have large populations such that they cannot produce enough food to maintain it. When the human population surpasses the quantity of food produced, the inadequacy of food and famine takes place. The scarcity of food is a challenge that occurs in both developing and developed countries because they need land for industrialization and development.
Developing countries are more likely to receive food aid because the distribution is tremendously uneven. It is estimated that more than 800,000,000 individuals in Africa do not access enough food to gain nutritional requirements a condition that has left them malnourished and unhealthy. It occurs so not because of food shortages, but because most of the time the famine victims do not access the food distributed. Global production of food has decreased since the 1990s especially cereals because most nations around the world are more concentrated on development, urbanization, and technological innovations.

The discrepancies between food production and population growth have resulted in misery and suffering for most people around the world. Most countries are still facing food emergencies leading to panic and civil conflicts. When the gap between the generation of food and rapid growth of the population expands more and more, it establishes challenges for individuals including malnutrition, civil conflicts, famine and shortage of food. Additionally, rapid population increase has an impact on the poor by affecting challenges of poverty such as lack of effective education and health distribution, minimum wages, and lack of assets that generate income for example land. It eventually results in income disproportion and the decline in economic growth.
In conclusion, food and population are issues that are related, and they affect each other in a variety of ways. For instance, an increase in population results in the lack of adequate food while a decrease in the population leads to a production of excessive food. The best way to solve the problems between population growth and food production is to regulate birth rates and population increase. Another way is to ensure equal distribution of food for people across the world and controlling environmental practices to avoid famine. All countries around the world are supposed to implement forums that enhance adequate production of food.
Works cited
Daily, Gretchen, et al. “Food production, population growth, and the environment.” Science 281.5381, 1998, pp. 1291-1292.
Fahrig, Lenore, and Gray Merriam. “Habitat patch connectivity and population survival.” Ecology vol 66, no 6, 1985, pp. 1762-1768.
Pimentel, David, et al. “Impact of population growth on food supplies and environment.” Population & Environment vol 19, no 1, 1997, pp. 9-14
Schneider, Uwe A., et al. “Impacts of population growth, economic development, and technical change on global food production and consumption.” Agricultural Systems vol 104, no 2, 2011, pp. 204-215.