Introduction
Food security refers to the accessibility and availability of enough food that meets the needs and demands of a population for its well-being. Several factors inhibit the ability to attain food security, including the incapability to access food, lack of resources, and lack of nutrition knowledge. There are four distinct categories of food security: availability, access, utilization, and food stability.
Climate change plays a crucial role in the attainment of food security. Harsh climatic conditions and water scarcity make it hard to grow surplus food. Food security is determined by four main pillars, stability, availability, access, and utilization. Surplus food ensures food security as more food is available and stored for future consumption.
With the constant surge in population worldwide, the rate of food production needs to multiply to meet the high demand. The attainment of food security is a key challenge faced in the contemporary world; it is caused by industrialized agriculture, which affects the climate, problematic balancing between agriculture and the environment, and the inability of households to do farming or purchase meals.
The Food Security Challenge
Challenges have been experienced globally over the past years as prioritizing the attainment of food security becomes a priority. Several authors have researched to highlight the obstacles preventing the actualization of food security. In the study by Smyth et al. (2021), steps like agricultural research have been initiated to help improve yields and increase food production. Between 1960-2020, food production rose by 40 percent, and the land used for agriculture surged by 10 percent (Smyth et al., 2021).
Agriculture demands large portions of land, which includes inhibiting the natural habitats. Environmental degradation is highly contributed to by agriculture which emits about 35 percent of the global greenhouse gas (Tanentzap et al., 2015). Sustainable development goals (SDGs) identified in the research by Tanentzap et al. (2015) focus on three core elements: environmental protection, social inclusion, and economic growth. The main objectives to transform the world include zero hunger, life on land, no poverty, and climate action (Angelo, 2017; Tanentzap et al., 2015). SDGs help balance the environment and the need for food security that demands an increase in farmlands.
Agricultural Productivity
A decline has been witnessed in agricultural productivity, making it the principal challenge affecting food security. In the research by Bahadur et al. (2018), reducing greenhouse gases while increasing food production is problematic. Angelo (2017) comes to a similar conclusion; she asserts that the realization of food security after the industrialization of agriculture was never realized. Industrialized agriculture resulted in the attainment of further problems which affected the global economy, environment, and health which are yet to be solved.
Climate change disrupts local food production as farming seasons are altered (Angelo, 2017; Sekaran et al., 2021). The investments in the agriculture sector have also been reduced, thus affecting productivity. Farming requires higher investments to be successful; without funds, farmers cannot produce adequate food (Ray et al., 2022; Sekaran et al., 2021). The agriculturalists opt to engage in small-scale farming, thus having limited harvests.
Industrialized Agriculture
High yields are produced in industrialized agriculture, bringing severe environmental and human health problems. Angelo (2017), in her research, concludes that this type of agriculture results in water pollution, loss of biodiversity, toxic air pollution, and farm worker poisoning. Similarly, Bahadur et al. (2018) conclude the same in their study.
Global greenhouse gas emissions has been rising, and the move toward reducing them is problematic (Bahadur et al., 2018). With this dilemma, global food production has been on hold as long-lasting solutions are still not identified. Some proposed solutions include eliminating waste and increasing farming in unproductive regions (Bahadur et al., 2018). Carbon emission is a significant factor leading to anthropogenic climate change. Industrialized agriculture has not yet provided a global food supply without challenges or consequences. It becomes problematic to feed a growing population when global warming constantly affects crop farming.
An increase in industrial crop harvest will likely lead to a decline in agriculture. In Ray et al. (2022) research, the agricultural output harvested for direct utilization has decreased due to the increase in those grown for industrial purposes. With the constant climate change, farming has been an issue, thus affecting the annual production of enough harvests to attain food security (Ray et al., 2022).
In Europe and America, where industrial agriculture dominates, farming has been hit hard as feed crops have drastically reduced (Ray et al., 2022). The benefits of industrialized agriculture include increased yields, technological development, employment opportunities, food availability, and lower consumer costs (Angelo, 2017; Deaton & Brady, 2020; Ray et al., 2022). They are, however, experienced for a short period as the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. Over time, environmental concerns affect the climate, altering farming seasons. Industrial agriculture marginalizes small farming, thus affecting food security as it also plays a crucial role at the lower levels.
Balancing Food Security and Environment
The population continues to rise, so the global demand for food multiplies. With agriculture being the primary food source, it is the most land use on earth. The natural environment is thus faced with drawbacks brought about by this high demand as it requires the same resources as the agricultural producers. A study by Liu et al. (2022) concludes that farmland is the primary food source for humans and is the most precious natural resource. The research identifies urbanization as a contemporary problem that drives farmland marginalization.
In the study by Deaton and Brady (2020), the effects of intensive farming are a disaster as they considerably affect the natural surroundings. Studies by Tanentzap et al. (2015) and Angelo (2017) have come to a similar conclusion identifying farm cultivation as the main factor leading to environmental degradation. Without proper planning, industrial farming will likely lead to global warming as it is the primary producer of carbon emissions.
Balancing food security and environmental well-being has been a significant issue that has left many without proper solutions. Countries formulate and implement policies that aim at reducing agricultural costs. When the farm inputs are reduced, crop farming increases which are suitable for food security, but the habitat is affected.
In the study by Tanentzap et al. (2015), the potential resolutions to the conflict between food productivity and the environment need to follow the regulations, community-based, and economic instruments approach. Farmers are likely to accept the policies if a small fee is charged if they result in benefits. The two research works by Singleton et al. (2021), and Sekaran et al. (2021) conclude with similar findings as they agree on the impact agricultural and environmental policies have on attaining balance.
In Asia, the natural surroundings affect the attainment of food security. Rodents are widely spread and mainly affect rice and maize farms. Ecologically-based rodent management has been used to solve the problem, resulting in high rice yields (Singleton et al., 2021). The management provides control of pests without affecting the environment.
Household Food Security
Food is an essential item that every family requires for development and well-being. With food security, every household is guaranteed to have meals even if the yields degrade due to climatic changes. In the study by Ningi et al. (2021), a high level of food insecurity was identified among rural households in South Africa. The drivers of food insecurity were thus placed in the research, and possible solutions were identified. Similar findings were identified in the study by Bahadur et al. (2018) and Ray et al. (2022), where estimations of the land area used for cultivating food items were presented.
From the two pieces of research, whole grains, primarily used in industries, covered extensive farmlands, but the food crops with immediate consumption, such as vegetables, covered less ground. Land allocation for farming is also a significant factor in food insecurity. The grains farmers invest in are sold to large corporations and resold to the population at a higher price (Bahadur et al., 2018). Families with low income are possibly disadvantaged and are most likely to experience food insecurity.
Conclusion
The increase in population globally has resulted in high demand for food. Food security has been an issue because the market need is higher than the production rate. Food security requires producing enough surplus produce to cater to future populations’ needs. Agriculture is the primary food source and involves using large portions of land, which can cause farming and environmental conflicts.
Industrialized agriculture has been associated with the increase of greenhouse gas which causes climate change. Balancing food security and the environment has been a primary concern as it is nearly impossible. Without proper planning, the effects brought about by farming are likely to marginalize the benefits. If the climate is affected, farming becomes an issue, and without agriculture, attaining food security is impossible. Low-income families are likely to suffer when food items are sold at a higher price due to low production. Economic issues affect the ability to attain food security at the household level.
References
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