Archive for the ‘Food Security’ Category
According to the Worldwatch Institute, world grain production rose in 2008 for the second year in a row.
According to the article:
The harvest was up more than 7 percent over the previous year; the total amount of land dedicated to grain harvests worldwide has remained relatively stable over the past 15 years (at around 700 million hectares), but yields have increased 146 percent over the last 46 years.
World Grain Production Increases
Over-reliance for food on just a few grain species – rice, wheat and maize – jeopardises global food security: “Today only 150 crops are cultivated, a sharp drop from the 10,000 used over time, and three grains-maize, rice, and wheat-combined with potatoes provide more than 50 percent of humans’ energy needs.”
This loss of agricultural biodiversity-an estimated 75 percent decline since 1900-can limit the ability to adapt to climate change, lower nutritional security, and create monoculture crops that are more susceptible to pests and diseases. Climate change will also be a problem-
Some observers see the looming threat of climate change as a cause of concern. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall, and altered growing ranges may affect the quality and quantity of land and water available for grain crops. Temperature increases can also lead to yield reductions or crop failures.
Biofuel production and animal feedstocks compete for grain with humans, and it is the poor that suffer – witness the “rice riots” last year. Sooner or later there will be a peak in grain production (peak grain) due to issues with soil fertility and erosion, water supplies, pests, and climate change. Losing grain biodiversity makes it harder to respond to these challenges, as useful genetic traits are lost each time a variety goes extinct.
Wheat is one of the world's top energy sources
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