Discuss some of the ways in which Engineers and/or Applied Scientists can ensure adequate water and food supplies for a growing population.
In the current global set up, it is essential to note that about one billion people lack accessibility to fresh water. The same number in relation to the global population also suffers from extensive hunger and malnourishment. Individuals suffering from several diseases and ill health conditions because of the aspect of overconsumption or inappropriate consumption quality characterize the upper end of the food spectrum. The main aspect of the scientific study should focus on enhancing the growth and development of individuals through the achievement of healthy global entity. This makes it vital for the engineering and scientific programs to enhance the process of food security and fresh water accessibility to the ever-growing population across the globe. Scientists have the ability and opportunity to ensure the achievement of food security and water accessibility to the growing population through several ways. The main aim of this research paper is to identify and explain the scientific concepts towards the achievement of the food security and water accessibility to the growing population thus the opportunity to enhance the health condition of the world’s population.
The first aspect of ensuring food security across the globe in relation to the growing population is the need to increase food production levels. It is ideal to note that food production level is low in the arid and semi-arid areas thus contributing to massive cases of hunger and malnutrition in such areas. In order to achieve food security in such areas, it is ideal to enhance the level of production thus the opportunity to meet food demands by the population of the world especially in such areas. Some of the areas experiencing low food productivity across the globe include sub-Saharan Africa and the subcontinent of India. The improvement of the production of food levels in these areas will enable the farmers to improve their income levels while also ensuring food security within the regions and the rest of the world. Scientists have the opportunity and ability to increase the level of food production through the increment in relation to the arable areas and the output or crop yields with reference to unit of land. This is through adoption of new or modern farming techniques such as irrigating the arid and semi-arid areas to enhance their production levels. This will indicate that the crops will not depend on the rain only for the achievement of quality harvest (Swaminathan et al, p. 18). The available water for irrigation will also be applicable in the rearing of animals thus the opportunity to enhance food security for the growing population.
The other technique that is applicable in relation to the achievement of food security is the practice of green farming. This is applicable in the arid, semi-arid, rural, and urban context thus the opportunity to enhance the productivity levels of the food. This ensures that the crops have the ability to prosper under adverse weather or climatic conditions (Swaminathan et al, p. 19). The modern climatic condition portrays elements of uncertainty thus the opportunity to execute such measures as green farming to facilitate the achievement of food security for the growing population.
Another concept of enhancing food security for the growing population is the integration of the genetically engineered crops and food products. This is because there is no clear evidence that the products are unfit or unhealthy for the human consumption thus should contribute towards the achievement of the food security thus meeting the needs of the growing population across the globe. Extensive application of biotechnology in the food production has the ability to produce healthy and nutritious food components to enhance the growth and development of the growing population in relation to the achievement of food security. Another way of enhancing food production is the ability to incorporate cheap farming inputs. This will enable farmers to maximize their profits or output thus the opportunity to indulge in the process more often. The application of machines and other advanced farming tools or equipment will enable farmers to meet the needs of the growing population across the globe thus the opportunity to achieve the food security for the current and future generations. Other methods of enhancing food security include land reforms, effective land use, increase technological advancements, and adoption of alternative inputs to maximize the content of the output (Swaminathan et al, p. 23).
In the aspect of ensuring accessibility of water to the growing population across the globe, it is ideal to adopt and implement the concept of conservation. This would involve the aspect of catching rainwater in the large tanks to carter for its absence during the period of drought. Scientists also focus on the conservation of the natural resources such as forests to act as the rain-catchment areas thus the ability to ensure a constant supply of fresh water to the growing population. It is also ideal to integrate the concept of water treatment to achieve the fresh water accessibility to the population. It is also crucial to harvest the underground water through the borehole technique to supplement the concept of the fresh water and food security in relation to the growing population (Wagstaff & Mariam p. 42).
Works Cited
Swaminathan, Monkombu S, and Norman E. Borlaug. Science and Sustainable Food Security: Selected Papers of M S Swaminathan. Singapore: World Scientific, 2010. Print.
Wagstaff, Adam, and Mariam Claeson. The Millennium Development Goals for Health: Rising to the Challenges. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2004. Print.
