Addressing Food Security.

There are three categories in addressing the issues in food security. These are, reduction of food
production demand, increasing food production, and avoiding losses in food production.

1. Reduction of food production demand.

Food demand is predominantly driven by number of consumers and consumer expectations. To

reduce the growing food production demand, population growth should also be reduced.
Reducing overconsumption and waste should also be done to help alleviate this issue. It has
been estimated that between 20 and 40 per cent of all produce is wasted due to uneaten excess
food, inadequate storage systems and poor harvesting practices. Biofuel policies should also be
considered. Because of increasing demands in biofuel, lands used to produce crops are
converted to produce biofuels, thus, increasing the demands in food production per acre.

2. Increasing food production

With the increasing demand in food and some factors increasing the demand being
uncontrollable, production should also be increased. One way to increase food production is to
cultivate lands that are not used for food production, although this is problematic due to
urbanization and its threats to biodiversity. Some farmers use canal systems for crop irrigations;
however this is problematic due to water evaporation, and needed to be replaced with more
advanced irrigation systems to increase crop yields. Next, Aquaculture production is a good
alternative to existing conventional livestock production as it will produce more food and
alleviate the problems in global marine overfishing. Studying the genetics of crops will also
allow us to understand our crops better. Some genetically modified plants increase yields by
reducing their growth cycle. However, research and debates are going on in the scientific
society whether GMOS are safe or not. In growing crops, fertilizers are needed, however
efficient use can lead to saving money and increase yields. For example, the use of fertilizers
with nitrogen and phosphorus on wheat, rice and maize crops could be reduced by 13-29
percent and still produce the same yields.
3. Avoiding losses in food production

The last category tackles the issues in losses during food production. When food is lost, it is not
just the potential food supply is lost but also the effort and money spent for , fertilizers,
irrigation, and pesticides. Some steps can be done to prevent this. First, is by maintaining
disease resistance for crops and livestock with the help of pesticides and genetics, although they
can raise some issues for the people and the environment. Also, food losses can be minimized
by avoiding land and water degradation and through managing water treatment and land
maintenance. Lastly, knowing that climate change is a major restriction for food production,
reducing gas emissions, efficient use of fertilizers since they emit excess NO2 into the air , and
conducting researches to balance the large greenhouse gas, methane output of animal
agriculture, will be a great help to minimize extreme changes in our planet.