agriculture in the new century
It is no secret that turbulent times lay ahead for the agriculture industry. Globally, the population is growing at an exponential rate, especially in third world countries. This is obviously being accompanied by huge increases in demand which are not being met in the supply side of the food equation. How will we solve this problem in the this century and beyond? Well, most researchers agree that something has to be done. Currently, teams all over the globe are assembling and addressing this very topic of food insecurity. The solution is being approached from all different angles, from genetically engineered plants, to improved infrastructure, to diversification of irrigation styles all aimed at the goal of higher crop yields. However, through this class and examining primary and secondary sources on the topic, it is quite apparent that all the energy is going to trying to solve the problems in mainly one of these ways. This is unfortunately, neglecting to realize another key aspect in the equation; mother nature. Global warming is a topic that is sometimes lost in the midst because so much focus is solving the problem with developing technologies to solves today’s crop riddles. The problem is, with rising temperatures almost certain in coming decades, agriculture will be hit hard. Much research is going into this, its just that no clear cut solutions have been presented. Two sources addressed such a topic. The first was the article “ Global Warming changes the forecast for Agriculture” from the book The Unfinished Agenda, written by ( ). The second was the article “Agriculture & Global Climate Change” from the website http://www.pewclimate.org/projects/env_agriculture.cfm . Both examined how this issue is being delt with and what lies in the future for the industry and the global community as a whole.
The first article delt with the issue in some what of a positive light. It was reporting on the discussions held by ninety-nine countries at a seminar held in Shanghai in January, 2001. The topic at hand was global warming and its impact on international agriculture. The first item that was established was that global warming was indeed occurring around the globe and wasn’t simple a myth. The representatives concluded that a 1.4-5.8 increase in degrees celcius was expected in the coming century. Accompnaing this would be rising sea levels, flooding, droughts and violent storms which would all effect the global food market. According to the researchers, global warming could now be classified as a trend because of the fact that the 90’s were the warmest decade temperature wise in the northern hemisphere in the past 1000 years. It is also apparent that farmers have indeed adapted to these rising temperatures with various methods. This is because of the fact that crop yields are actually increasing globally.