An Analysis of the Possible Food Shortage in the World Essay

Will the World Starve?Looking out a window upon a barren desert, a dry wasteland unfolds as a carpet tonowhere. Abandoned cities dot the horizon, as the ruins speak volumes to the oncepopulated extravagance of a country which lived on wealth and opportunity. The visionjust described is not one out of a Hollywood movie script, but one that is not only possiblebut probable. Currently, the world population numbers over six billion, with China alonecradling over one-sixth of the world's total population. With the world populationincreasing at a rate of one hundred million a year, the numbers are expected to hit tenbillion by the end of 2040. Most scientists agree that the maximum number of people thatthe earth can sustain is fifteen billion, leaving the earth in a quandary before the end of thetwenty-first century when the total world population is expected to reach a staggeringsixteen to eighteen billion. The consumption of the world's natural resources due to thisexponential growth could result in worldwide famine, a complete breakdown in the worldmarket, uncontrollable outbreaks of disease, and widespread crime and disorder.Currently, the ratio of land which can be used for agricultural endeavors isestimated to be one in nine acres. The world's produce producer is only a small sliver of atotal land mass apple pie sliced into nine equal, yet tiny slices and as the amount of soilsuitable for agriculture dwindles, the slice with which the world relies on continues toshrink. Considering the little amount of available farmland, it should be expected that therewould be more of an effort to conserve this vital resource, but unfortunately the issue hasnot yet risen to a level of global importance. The amount of fertile topsoil is becomingmore and more unusable for agriculture. Water, used for the irrigation of the world's lifegiving crops, contains naturally dissolved minerals and over time the minerals from theirrigated water supply collect in the topsoil. After many years of constantly farming aparticular region, the soil begins to become...

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