Warning: Writing of a more serious note is below. It's a little longer, but feel free to read it, please.
Will Food Source be a Problem in the Future?
When thinking of the future, we all think about flying cars, inner tubes that take us all the way across town, and hover boards. However, do we think about how we will feed an even more crowded earth? It has been stated by scientists that by 2050, the total population of the earth will be around 9 billion people. Currently, we are standing close to 7 billion, and already countries, like America for example, are unable to feed every citizen. Issues such as global warming, water shortages, and how fast farming will develop are all factors that could play in how much food is available to the larger population in the years to come. However, there is a way to slow this eminent world-wide food shortage, it is just a matter of how fast we react.
An example of vertical farming
One of the best ways to battle against the food crisis is to improve the way we farm. The earth only has a limited amount of resources, so we must preserve and make use of what we have since we can’t find more land. If we develop a way to improve farming without increasing the amount of space we use, it will help in preventing the world-wide food shortage. Some ideas have been to create a skyscraper like greenhouse made for farming where the plots grow up instead of out, also known as vertical farming. Each acre of food would produce four or more times more than the outdoor acre could. Vertical farming could fix the problem of losing most of our crops to natural disasters. I believe changing farming crops from expanding horizontally to vertically is a great method of producing more food. One reason is because it saves room and gives us the opportunity to use the old farming land for more housing. Not to mention, vertical farms could be placed virtually anywhere. Of course, there are other options besides vertical farming.
One of these options is GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms. GMOs are organisms whose DNA has been altered in some way that does not occur naturally. The changes in the genes can then be put into another organism even if their species are not the same and can even increase the amount of nutritional value of the organism. This method is commonly used to for the plants that will be harvested. The good part of using GMOs to grow our vegetable crops is that the plant can be genetically altered to resist certain pests and viruses that natural plants are vulnerable to. However, this ability has installed the fear of the genetics of the viruses being resisted by the GMO will attack the body that has digested the GMO food, but this is false and cannot happen. The speculations people have about the safety of GMOs keep this method of farming from expanding further. While GMOs could be very beneficial to how much food we grow and its quality, I still believe that vertical farming is a better solution to farming.
Also, because farming and water are greatly connected, it would be rational to think about ways to save more water. Water is an important source for all living things to survive and since it too is limited in supply, preserving the earth’s fresh water should take priority. One strategy to save water would be to collect and reuse water. For example, collecting the water dripping off your dishes and using that water for your plants. On a larger scale, we should be looking at fixing and repairing old leaky pipes of cities. Even today we have the technology to detect the general area of leaks in pipes. However, if for some reason we need more water than we thought, distilling sea water is an option. While it uses even more energy than regular distillation processes it is less expensive.
Despite all this, one thing holds the success of farming and water accessibility very firmly: global warming. Global warming has been an issue that has been at the surface for decades, and yet not many have done anything to help stop it. As known, global warming is the phenomena where the entire temperature of the globe, and not just one part, is rising due to human activity. The excessive output of carbon dioxide particles from burning fuel is a large part of global warming. If we do not at the very least slow down the effects of global warming, much of the earth will become a wasteland where nothing can live. The best way to stop this is to one: drive less, make the switch to electric cars and get rid of fossil fuel as an energy source. Even reducing the amount of energy we use at home can help since the energy plants burn the most amount of fossil fuel. If we do not make these simple changes, natural disasters will get worse and farmable land will turn arid. Not to mention, the highlight is the ice caps melting which will raise the sea level and reduce the amount of freshwater that is available on the earth.
In conclusion, advancing farming, saving and reusing more fresh water, and slowing down the effects of global warming are all effective steps that will combat the future worry of a food shortage. While farming and water availability is mostly under control of the government, the people of all countries on this earth are responsible for stopping global warming. We can push our governments to advance farming techniques and saving water, but each individual has a large part in taking steps to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. As countries develop, they should be focusing on how to advance farming without taking more land, and how to encourage reducing the amount of pollution is released by their citizens.
One of these options is GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms. GMOs are organisms whose DNA has been altered in some way that does not occur naturally. The changes in the genes can then be put into another organism even if their species are not the same and can even increase the amount of nutritional value of the organism. This method is commonly used to for the plants that will be harvested. The good part of using GMOs to grow our vegetable crops is that the plant can be genetically altered to resist certain pests and viruses that natural plants are vulnerable to. However, this ability has installed the fear of the genetics of the viruses being resisted by the GMO will attack the body that has digested the GMO food, but this is false and cannot happen. The speculations people have about the safety of GMOs keep this method of farming from expanding further. While GMOs could be very beneficial to how much food we grow and its quality, I still believe that vertical farming is a better solution to farming.
Also, because farming and water are greatly connected, it would be rational to think about ways to save more water. Water is an important source for all living things to survive and since it too is limited in supply, preserving the earth’s fresh water should take priority. One strategy to save water would be to collect and reuse water. For example, collecting the water dripping off your dishes and using that water for your plants. On a larger scale, we should be looking at fixing and repairing old leaky pipes of cities. Even today we have the technology to detect the general area of leaks in pipes. However, if for some reason we need more water than we thought, distilling sea water is an option. While it uses even more energy than regular distillation processes it is less expensive.
Despite all this, one thing holds the success of farming and water accessibility very firmly: global warming. Global warming has been an issue that has been at the surface for decades, and yet not many have done anything to help stop it. As known, global warming is the phenomena where the entire temperature of the globe, and not just one part, is rising due to human activity. The excessive output of carbon dioxide particles from burning fuel is a large part of global warming. If we do not at the very least slow down the effects of global warming, much of the earth will become a wasteland where nothing can live. The best way to stop this is to one: drive less, make the switch to electric cars and get rid of fossil fuel as an energy source. Even reducing the amount of energy we use at home can help since the energy plants burn the most amount of fossil fuel. If we do not make these simple changes, natural disasters will get worse and farmable land will turn arid. Not to mention, the highlight is the ice caps melting which will raise the sea level and reduce the amount of freshwater that is available on the earth.
In conclusion, advancing farming, saving and reusing more fresh water, and slowing down the effects of global warming are all effective steps that will combat the future worry of a food shortage. While farming and water availability is mostly under control of the government, the people of all countries on this earth are responsible for stopping global warming. We can push our governments to advance farming techniques and saving water, but each individual has a large part in taking steps to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. As countries develop, they should be focusing on how to advance farming without taking more land, and how to encourage reducing the amount of pollution is released by their citizens.