Strategies to increase food security
As the global population continues to increase, countries are finding ways to grow more food.
Irrigation
The channelling of water from rivers and streams to fields in order to help crops grow. can double the amount of food produced. Some parts of the world still do not have irrigation systems in place. Only 10% of the food produced in Africa comes from irrigated crops and so there is the potential to improve The mass of a crop produced. in these countries.
Aeroponics and hydroponics
A system that involves suspending plants in the air and spraying their roots with a fine mist of water and nutrients. and A system that involves growing plants in a porous material (other than soil) and allowing water containing nutrients to filter through it. are systems that allow plants to be grown without soil. Plants grown in this way take in water and nutrients efficiently. These methods are also good for countries where soil erosion or poor quality soil is an issue. However, they can be costly.
- Aeroponics involves suspending plants in the air and spraying their roots with a fine mist of water and nutrients.
- Hydroponics involves growing plants in a Something that allows water to pass through it. material (other than soil) and allowing water containing nutrients to filter through it.
The New Green Revolution
The The application of modern farming techniques, eg fertilisers, high-yield variety (HYV) seeds and irrigation. first began in the 1940s. It refers to the application of modern farming techniques in Any country that is among the poorest in the world, based on per capita income., eg fertilisers and pesticides, irrigation and high-yield crop varieties.
From the 1960s to 1990s, yields of rice and wheat in Asia doubled, but also produced economic and social problems for small-scale farmers.
Many LIDCs could still benefit from the Green Revolution.
The Blue Revolution
The Blue Revolution refers to using the fruits of the sea, lakes and rivers to provide food and nutrition. Fish are a very good source of protein and do not require good soil.
However, fish stocks must be managed An activity which does not consume or destroy resources or the environment. or numbers will fall to unsustainable levels and the resource will be gone, negatively affecting people and the aquatic environment.
Biotechnology and appropriate technology
Biotechnology is the An artificial process in which organisms with desired characteristics are chosen as parents for the next generation. or Describes a cell or organism that has had its genetic code altered by adding a gene from another organism. (GM) of plants and animals to produce specific features and A feature of an organism's body which helps it to survive.. Both involve mixing two species, both of which have beneficial characteristics. For example, selective breeding has been used on dairy cows to increase milk yields. GM has been used on wheat to produce crops that are disease Opposing something, or fighting against it. Many strains of bacteria have become resistant to types of antibiotics, which means that it is more difficult to kill them..
Simple equipment and technology that the local people are able to use easily and without much cost. involves using suitable machinery and sustainable techniques in LIDCs. Appropriate technology is usually affordable and easy to use - it can improve yields for many communities.
A hand-operated nut-shelling machine is an example of appropriate technology. It is affordable, easy to use, fast and simple to maintain. It saves time and effort and is vital to the nut farming economy in parts of Africa. Farmers can now afford to shell their own dried crops and this adds value to the product when they sell it.