Problems and Concerns caused by Human Influences on the Environment

Famine

There are over 6600 million people in the world and it is estimated that over 1000 million people are suffering from under-nutrition or starvation. The birth rate, however, is not the same throughout the world. It is highest in developing nations, such as India, and lowest in the industrialized nations, such as those in Europe.

The problem is that most of the food is produced by the industrialized nations. Farming in the industrialized nations has become extremely productive. The developing and underdeveloped countries lack the money to improve their agriculture. The food which is grown is often wasted; crops which are harvested are stored in places where rats and insects can get to them.

For many countries the problem of food production is caused by natural factors such as drought. In most under-developed countries, however, farming could be much improved by irrigation and the use of fertilizers. Diseased animals could be helped by drugs and other chemicals. Unfortunately, all of these solutions are expensive and the farmers cannot afford them.

There is enough food for everyone but it is not distributed evenly. There is hope that in the future governments will be able to find ways to help those people in need all over the world.

FACT Farming in the European Economic Community (EEC) is so productive that limits e.g. milk quotas, have been placed on the amount of certain products which farmers can produce. The surplus stocks of foodstuffs produced by the EEC countries at the end of 1988 were as follows: 291000 tonnes of butter 28 million tonnes of milk 2,3 million tonnes of wheat 875000 tonnes of rice 723000 tonnes of meat 386000 tonnes of olive oil This amount of food represents a total monetary value of 457 million euros. Fruit cannot be stored so surplus fruit has to be thrown away.

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© Paul Billiet, Shirley Burchill, Alan Damon and Deborah James 2009