How Can Feed The World - 1248 Words

How to Feed the World What do you think this picture shows? It looks like a factory farm, right? As much as it may surprise you, this is what most free range farms look like. Before I explain the picture I want to ask you a question. Which sounds more concerning: a) more than 1.2 billion people live off under 50 pence a day or b) Africa uses less than 3% of the world’s energy, despite having 12.5% of the world’s population? Studies show that in the 1990s more than 3 billion people were suffering from poverty. As the population boom continues to progress, that number is on the increase. Soon, the struggle to feed everyone will become ever more discernible. Food is arguably the most important fuel to keep our bodies functioning; without†¦show more content†¦It prompts us to look at it. Buy it. But is it really the best option to keep us alive? Multiple studies show that intensive farming could be the only way to supply our ever-growing population. It’s bad; it’s cruel; it’s unhealthy. Intensive farming often receive bad press for animal cruelty, but what people do not realise is that most of these facilities actually treat their animals better than most free range farms. As our population grows, it will become much harder to supply food for you and me using free range farming. Some people refuse to believe it, but intensive farming provides us with over double the amount of meat as free range farming does. It is no different for crops. Statistics prove that intensive farming produces a much higher crop yield than our traditional methods. This is allows to maximised land use, meaning more crops can be produced in the same area. Therefore, leads to economies of scale and directly contributes towards meeting the ever-growing demand for food supplies. Furthermore, this will mean that we can supply more food at a cheaper price for those living in poverty. Today, many intensively farmed crops are genetically mo dified. This may sound horrifying, but these plants often contain more vitamins and fibres than the average carrot or cabbage. Also, due to its modified genes, they can grow: faster, bigger, and tastier. Some customers are put off by this, but they allow us to