Global Food Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global Food Crisis - Essay Example The purpose of this secondary, desk-based research study is to inform the general reader about the multitudes of problems associated with meeting supply versus demand volumes to feed the hungry and also sustain new product development efforts using food products. This information is worthy of consideration as the future of food production and distribution, currently, looks considerably bleak and it ultimately impacts the quality of life for virtually every international citizen. The information gleaned from this secondary research study provides new information and factual statistics about the current state of the global food situation as well as future projections that continue to paint a dismal picture of success in meeting food demand internationally. There is no specific target audience that would best gain from the knowledge provided in this study as the impact of the global food crisis has an influence on scientists, government, general global citizens, and even stock market in vestors interested in commodity prices and value of their investment dollars. Russia, over the last two years, has experienced significant volume reduction in agricultural output of grain due to heatwaves and drought conditions that eroded more than one-third of the country’s entire crop output (Gorst, 2011). To ensure that the Russian people had enough stored grain to sustain its population’s needs, export bans were imposed on all wheat products until the country was able to improve total grain output.... perienced significant volume reduction on agricultural output of grain due to heatwaves and drought conditions that eroded more than one-third of the country’s entire crop output (Gorst, 2011). To ensure that the Russian people had enough stored grain to sustain its population’s needs, export bans were imposed on all wheat products until the country was able to improve total grain output. This export ban created a situation where wheat prices soared in European markets, leading to ongoing internationally-driven disapproval (Gorst). A similar situation occurred in Australia just this year due to excessive flooding caused by torrential rains and a variety of tropical storms (Mendleson, 2011). Australia relies on its export capabilities for a variety of crops for financial security, as does many of its import partners that rely on adequate crop volumes produced in Australia. Even though the disasters in Russia and Australia are not preventable, this provides excellent oppo rtunity for innovators to develop new farming techniques as a contingency plan to prevent such shortages from occurring in the future. These efforts could include refertilization of non-fertile lands in Africa or developing new greenhouse technologies for indoor food production. Biofuels are also adding to the problem as countries attempt to develop new fuel technologies to avoid over-dependence on foreign, traditional oil. According to a recent report, biofuels consumed 20 percent of sugar cane crops produced across the world between 2007 and 2009, thus raising these commodity prices (Chaffin, 2011). Even though innovators looked toward this new biofuel technology as a means to reduce the costs of foreign oil, it has led to significant shortages in the food supply. This is an indicator that biofuels