In this post , we will assess 5 main environmental concerns and how they affect food and water security.They include:
Deforestation
Deforestation is the cutting down of trees and transforming the forested areas into non forest areas.
Forests aid in preventing soil erosion, reducing water-runoff and improving the water cycle. The roots of the trees bind soil by their roots and prevent it from being carried away.They absorb heat and produce moisture which leads to rainfall and increased water and food supply. Conversely, a decrease in the number of forests leads to the increased exposure to green house emissions, interferes with the water cycle by causing a decrease in the amount of rainfall in an area and increased soil erosion. The cutting down of trees without replacing them poses a threat to the environment as they promote the availability of rainfall . Crop growth is also limited as most farmers may rely on rainfall for crop production.
To minimize this environmental issue, more trees should be planted- when one is cut, 2 or more should be planted.The enforcement of more stringent forest conservation schemes should be prioritized as well. Along with this, the logging and charcoal industries should be regulated and wood materials e.g. paper should be recycled.
Bio-diversity interference
The increasing temperatures alongside poor farming practices contribute to increased food and water insecurity. CO2 levels accumulate in the atmosphere causing exacerbating effects on food production. High amounts of this gas accumulate in the ozone layer, and prevent adequate sunlight from reaching crops. This limits the process of photosynthesis that is associated with food production leading to decreased food production .
Hence, organisms within the food chain lack access to adequate food supply leading to their decreased populations. When organisms within a food chain reduce in numbers , this affects the rest of the organisms in a food chain. For example, if the primary consumers in a food chain do not access adequate food i.e. plants, they die as a result of starvation, then the secondary consumers that rely on them for food, also starve due to limited food sources.
To preserve bio-diversity, sustainable farming practices should be utilized to reduce the destruction of animals and insects that directly consume crops. Avoiding the over-exploitation of fishing , hunting etc or avoiding poaching as well should be advocated. Also, conserving the habitats for biodiversity i.e forests, should be implemented .
Over-fishing
Among certain communities, fish are a major source of protein. Their over-reliance on as a staple leads to over-fishing. With over-fishing on the rise, there is an increasing threat to the fish population, which can interfere with aquatic food chains leading to an increase in algae and limited food for large fish e.g sharks.
Over-fishing can be addressed by incorporating sustainable fishing practices,implementing strict regulations on conserving fish sources and training such communities on alternative sources of protein.
Soil degradation
The use of unsustainable farming practices e.g excess fertilizer application, mono-cropping , poor vegetation cover lead to soil degradation. Mono-cropping does not allow for the soil to restore its nutrients as only one crop is grown constantly. A lack of vegetation cover exposes the soil to being eroded and excess fertilizer use interferes with micro-organisms and causes the poor development of plants.
By planting trees and crops, soil erosion can be reduced as the soil will not be easily carried away by either wind or water-run-off as it is bound by the roots of vegetation.Crop rotation should also be applied to allow for the soil to restore its nutrients as opposed to only particular nutrients being used up when only one crop is grown constantly.Using adequate amounts of fertilizers should also be recommended or even so some manure instead of synthetic fertilizers.
Pollution
Environmental pollution in whichever form, i.e air pollution, soil pollution or water pollution pose significant risk to food and water availability. In particular, water pollution leads to contaminated water sources, which consequently causes water shortages. Soil pollution causes plants to absorb toxic elements which over time can accumulate and negatively impact consumers. Air pollution causes pollutants to accumulate on the leaves of plants, preventing photosynthesis and in turn reducing food production.
To reduce environmental pollution, planting trees, dumping waste efficiently, reducing the use of fossil fuels etc are important.
The mentioned environmental concerns are critical to food and water security, as such they must be acknowledged and tackled promptly and effectively.