Food Crisis

Activity 20.4B Read the following article and Figure carefully. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s projection, by the year 2025, the world population will be around million. To feed this number of people, current world food production will have to increase more than double.

Figure Chairperson Activity 20.4B How can we increase the world supply of food? We should invent more advanced agricultural technology in order to increase the production of food. We should find more new sources of food. We haven’t fully made use of the ocean resources. The problem of insufficient food supply only concentrates in some LDCs. We should help these countries improve their infrastructure, social welfare, education, farming methods, etc. Only these changes can help them increase food supply. We should grow more genetically modified food to boost the yields.

Ocean Resources?

Almost 20% of the world’s animal protein comes from fish.

The Blue Revolution!

Boats fitted with sonar are able to find schools of fish below the ocean’s surface. Radar and GPS are used to help with navigation in with even poor weather and fog.

From 1950 to 1990, the total Fish catch has increased to 400%! What’s our fate?

Increase food production by advanced technology? Good for all countries?

How to help less developed countries to improve their infrastructure, farming methods so that food production can increase? Advice from foreign experts

Large scale irrigation project?

Small scale machine?

Can providing more education increase productivity?

Biotechnology? Use of scientific techniques to develop more productive crops and livestock –Crossbreeding of animalsCrossbreeding of animals –Hybrids of wheat and riceHybrids of wheat and rice –Genetically modified foodGenetically modified food

Good meat! Fast growing! Disease-resistant!

Yuan Longping -- Father of Hybrid Rice Due to Yuan's hard work, China's total rice output rose from 5.69 billion tons in 1950 to billion tons in 2000, about 300 billion kilograms more have been produced over the last twenty years. The annual yield is enough to feed 60 million people. The "Super Rice" Yuan is now working on yields are 30 percent higher than those of common rice.

GM FOOD? A Panacea to food crisis?

UK (BBC News) Tuesday, 14 May, 2002, 19:14 GMT 20:14 Africa 'needs GM crops to survive' For some farmers, GM crops mean new hope despite the uncertainties

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Whose viewpoints would you support? Study the worksheet and the table can help you to evaluate the various ways to solve the problem of Food shortage!