World Food Production Problems

There are many problems the world population must face today and in the future.  Climate change has resulted in catastrophic weather events across the globe, causing crop loss at alarming rates.  Poverty and hunger are horrific conditions that exist across the planet, yet are solvable situations.  Ample food supplies  are available if only the supplies were distributed properly. The lack of clean water and arable land are mounting issues for the world's population to face.  Government unwillingness to work for a common goal and governmental corruption are serious worldwide dilemmas.  The population of the world today stands at seven billion two hundred million (7,200,000,000) and is growing by the second.  The projections for the year 2050 call for the population of the world to exceed 9 billion.  The amount of  arable farmland in the world cannot keep pace with this growth pattern.  The rapid increase in population and the impacts of globalization have caused irreparable damage to the world's ecosystems, in particular the rain forest.  Slash and burn techniques called swidden, are rapidly diminishing the rain forest at an alarming rate in order to attain more cropland and grassland to raise the ever increasing demand for beef.  Another issue to be taken into account is the rise in income in developing nations from low income to middle class.  As incomes rise around the world, people tend to alter their diets, consuming fewer grains and increasing their consumption of meat and other more costly foods.  Urbanization is another issue.  Currently approximately half of the world's population resides in rural areas, and half in urban areas.  By 2050 the number of of people living in urban areas is expected to grow to 70 percent.

This graph identifies the population migration from rural to urban areas from 1950 to 2050.

According to a report by The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),   projections are that "food and feed production will need to increase by 70 percent by 2050 to meet the world's food demands."  In addition to population demands, deforestation and  environmental concerns include water for crops.  Political corruption and food waste are issues facing the world today, and are serious issues which need to be addressed in the future.  Poverty is the number one reason for hunger in the world.  
Thailand produces more food and is a major exporter of rice, and many other food products.  Thailand, like the US, has ample food to feed their nation, and agribusiness is a major factor in the economy of Thailand. 

Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/sites/default/files/documents/global_situation_analysis_for_next_global_campaign_12mach_final.pdf>.

"FAO.org." Statistics | FAO. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.fao.org/statistics/en/>.

Rowntree, Lester. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2014. Print.