Introduction
The United Nations has warned of impending widespread food shortages, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said the global food system was already under “immense strain” before the pandemic hit.
Now, it says, the situation is rapidly deteriorating, with prices rising and supply chains being disrupted.
The FAO is calling on governments to take urgent action to prevent a major food crisis.
The Problem
Food shortages are a big problem that is only going to get worse as the population grows. The problem is that there is not enough food to go around and people are going to start dying of starvation. This is a big problem that needs to be solved.
Food Insecurity
In the United States, hunger and food insecurity are persistent problems. In 2015, 42.2 million people—more than 1 in 7—lived in food insecure households, meaning they lacked access at times to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members (USDA, 2016a). The prevalence of food insecurity was highest among households with children headed by single women (35.6 percent) or single men (30.4 percent), Black non-Hispanic households (28.8 percent), and Latino households (26.2 percent).
Prevalence of food insecurity was also higher than average among very low income households—those with incomes below the official poverty line or at 125 percent of it—and low income households—those with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the poverty line (USDA, 2017b). In 2015, 17 percent of US households were considered very low income and 48 percent had incomes below 185 percent of the poverty line.
There are a number of different ways to measure food insecurity at the household level, but one common measure is the Food Security Supplement (FSS) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The FSS is administered annually to a nationally representative sample of US households by the Census Bureau on behalf of USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). ERS uses data from the FSS to estimate levels of food security in the United States as well as changes over time.
Drought
Drought is a temporary condition of scarce groundwater reserves in an aquifer system caused by precipitation deficit over an extended period of usually several months.Droughts may also be triggered by excessive precipitation removal through groundwater withdrawals, surface water diversions and/or water losses due to evaporation. They may also develop over geologic time frames due to changes in land use practices or climate change that result in reduced infiltration and increased withdrawal rates.
Pest Infestations
One of the most common problems faced by coffee growers is pest infestations. These can be very difficult to control, and can cause significant damage to crops. There are a number of different pests that can attack coffee plants, including coffee Berry Borer, Coffee Leaf Miner, and coffee rust. Control measures must be taken to prevent these pests from damaging the crop.
The Solution
The solution to food shortages is not as simple as increasing food production. We need to address the root causes of hunger, which include poverty, conflict, climate change, and environmental degradation. We also need to increase access to food, improve nutrition, and reduce wastage. There are many ways to do this, but it will require a concerted effort from the international community.
Diversifying Crop Yields
Crop diversification is a vital agricultural strategy for farmers worldwide. By planting a mix of crops, farmers can reduce the risk of losing their entire harvest to pests, diseases, and other threats. Diversification also helps to ensure a more stable and reliable food supply, as individual crops can fail due to unfavorable conditions in any given year.
There are many ways to diversify crop yields, but some of the most common strategies include intercropping (planting two or more crops in the same field), relay cropping (planting one crop after another in the same field), and crop rotation (planting different crops in the same field in successive years). Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages, so farmers must choose the right approach for their particular circumstances.
No matter what strategies they choose, farmers must always be prepared to adapt their methods in response to changing conditions. By diversifying their crop yields, they can safeguard their livelihoods and help to ensure a more stable food supply for everyone.
Improving Storage and Distribution
Coffee is a $100 billion industry, with more than 500 billion cups consumed each year. The vast majority of that coffee is roasted, ground and brewed by large commercial roasters, who have difficulty tracking the origins of their beans and ensuring Coffee is a $100 billion industry, with more than 500 billion cups consumed each year. The vast majority of that coffee is roasted, ground and brewed by large commercial roasters, who have difficulty tracking the origins of their beans and ensuring uniform quality.
To improve storage and distribution, some roasters are turning to blockchain technology. Blockchain is a distributed database that allows for secure, transparent and tamper-proof transactions. In the coffee industry, blockchain can be used to trace beans from farm to cup, ensuring quality control and transparency throughout the supply chain.
Several companies are already using blockchain to track coffee beans, including BeanChain, Coda Coffee and BlockCypher. These companies are working with roasters and farmers to create a decentralized database of coffee bean transactions. Roasters can use this database to track the origins of their beans and ensure uniform quality. Farmers can use it to get fair prices for their beans and improve transparency in the supply chain.
Blockchain has the potential to transform the coffee industry by improving storage and distribution throughout the supply chain. This will benefit farmers, roasters and consumers alike by ensuring quality control and transparency at every stage of production.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the four food shortages expected in the near future are wheat, corn, soybeans, and rice. While there is no need to panic, it is important to be aware of these potential shortages and have a plan in place in case one or more of these crops become unavailable. Talk to your local farmers and food producers to get a sense of what options are available in your area and be sure to have a backup plan in case of emergency.