Sep 01 2009
Some Facts To Chew On!
It’s been a while since I last blogged and thanks to my careful planning, I have lost the weight I intended to. However, with food being constantly on my mind (dieters will relate to this), it’s no wonder that recently I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance it plays in our lives and yet, how much for granted we take it.
Every 60 seconds, there are 250 people born! And of course, China and India are leading the world’s population race, with each country being inhabited by more than one billion people. Scientists claim that at this rate, the world’s population will touch more than 9 billion people by the year 2040! To feed such a population, we must either grow more food on existing farmlands or carve out more space from our wilderness on which to harvest it. And what about the other challenges that food cultivators face? Electricity consumption, disposal of waste products and pollution are only some of the side effects that have to be dealt with.
And that’s only one side of the picture. Currently, we produce enough food for our 7 billion inhabitants. But not everyone gets a taste of this production. Food distribution is still widely unbalanced and families in poorer nations will still feel the pangs of hunger each night as they lay their heads down to sleep. In the recent years, food production has increased, but the question is what goes into creating this extra food. While ‘organic’ farming is on the increase, so is the use of fertilizers and pesticides in the production of crops and the use of steroids and hormones in cattle farms.
So in the end, whose problem is this really? Rich nations often lay blame on developing or poorer nations with high birth rate figures. But can a family of 4 with a gas-guzzling SUV and an extra large home really afford to point fingers of blame elsewhere?
And so, as I munch on my apple and contemplate not only my future, but the future of the two children I’ve brought into this world, I can only think of ways I need to contribute, small as they may be. And I hope that this can be a lesson to my children and theirs too; to think before buying, to stop before wasting, to recycle before throwing out and to appreciate all what they have, instead of wishing for all they do not.
