New article: Nearly 2 billion people around the world depend on imported food read more at here http://www.spinonews.com/index.php/science/item/3302-nearly-2-billion-people-around-the-world-depend-on-imported-food

A team of researchers at Aalto University in Netherlands conducted a study to analyze the connections between resource scarcity, population growth and food imports. The research shows nearly 2 billion people around the world depend on imported food.

Postdoctoral researcher Miina Porkka said, this has been a topic of global discussion for a long time, previous research has not been able to demonstrate a clear connection between resource scarcity and food imports. We performed a global analysis focusing on regions where water availability restricts production, and examined them from 1961 until 2009, evaluating the extent to which the growing population pressure was met by increasing food imports.

According to the new reports, nearly 1.4 billion people rely on food produced elsewhere, and another 460 million live in regions where imports fail to make up for the defect of the local food supply.

Fortunately, there are other options. Farmers, scientists and policy makers can work to minimize food waste, boost efficiency and soften demand.

As the planet resources become taxed and global food supply chains become increasingly interconnected and fragile. Researchers say it's important to encourage sustainable solutions to food scarcity problems.

One more recent study showed crops reliant on vulnerable water resources are being traded with increasing regularity, shrinking water tables across the globe.

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Porkka said, keeping food demand in check is the key issue. Controlling population growth plays an important role in this study, but it would also be important to enhance production chains by reducing food waste and meat consumption.

 

According to reports, one quarter of all the food produced in the world is wasted, and reducing this would be really significant on a global level.