IGCSE Case Study Courtesy: Amina Tiwana
How
does the increase in urbanization impact the agricultural food security?
Introduction
Urbanization is generally seen as an important factor towards
a countries evolution however with time it grows into a serious threat where it
takes away the basic necessity of an individual's life which is food. The rapid
conversion of agricultural land into residential/industrial areas has destroyed
the agricultural lands and its food security. This deprives farmers from their
crop cultivation leading towards a reduction in the food productivity and
quality, thus resulting in a shortage of the availability of food. Agriculture
is a source of income for a large part of the world's population, a reduction
in the land means an increase in the unemployment rate. Food insecurity, low
standard of living and even lower agricultural productivity are some of the
major consequences of such rapid urban developments.
Overly filled up urban areas is generally a result of the
ignorance of rural development, neglect in terms of employment, educational as
well as medical facilities forces groups of families to migrate elsewhere. This
not only contributes towards terrorism due to desperation but also plays a part
in an increase of poverty; this can be determined by the slums these urban
dwellers reside in with even worse water and sanitation problems. On the other
hand the rural areas face even drastic consequences due to a reduction of its
local population strength, which means even lesser helping hands for the food
production and a series of problems as well as a social downfall for the entire
community.
Global
Perspective
According to the 'World
Health Organization'; in 2014 the total urban population of the world was
more than half of its total global population, further the poverty rates were
estimated to face even drastic side effects if these over populated areas fail
to improve their poor living conditions.
While in Latin America
and the Caribbean the urban rate
stands at 78 percent of its total population. Unlike other countries these two
regions have enough awareness as well as thought out city planning but the
amount of food being produced for its very own growing population is so high
that at the end of the day more than half of it goes to waste while some are
still unable to feed themselves. Through the'American Chemistry Council' research has found that in the U.S.
food equivalent to $640 is thrown in bins every year.
Whereas in the United
Kingdom, laws in terms of Urbanization and the agricultural food security
are very strict and planned out development takes place both in the urban and
rural areas. While in terms of inheritance it is encouraged that the units of
lands are not sub divided and the agricultural lands are maintained well,
contributing towards better large scale productivity. The rural areas are as
equally developed as the urban ones and due to the good facility of transport
links all across the country people tend to stick to their rural hometown even
if they go to work on the urban side.
Due to the consumption of building material as well as land
usage for the development of urban areas, a large part of Rainforests suffer and are left behind unattended. While the focus
is mainly on villages and less economically developed areas, such rainforests
go through major loss as well. A 'Transmigration Program' in Indonesia moved more than 6 million
people far onto some islands of New Guinea, Borneo, Sumatra and Sulawesi in
order to balance the population of some central islands of Java and Bali.
Although it was considered to be beneficial for many people but the program
failed since the rainforests that were cleared in order to establish farms
weren't successful.
Regional
Perspective
Although India is
considered as a less urbanized country with its current urban population rate
at only 27 percent, it has started to face a crisis of rapid urban growth
recently. By the year 2030, an estimate shows that more than 50 percent of
India's population is expected to live in urban areas (www.un.org). Agriculture
being India's most important sector, a decrease in its productivity contributes
towards a rise in the number of poor people with poor living conditions and
major famine problems further leading to overcrowding/slums, unemployment and
an increase in crime rates.
'The Guardian' states that an air hub twice the
size of Heathrow has been planned which would greatly destroy an enormously
large proportion of farms near Beijing.
Urbanization had two very large impacts on the Chinese food security, a large
reduction in its agricultural land as well as labor. China for many years has been appreciated for its achievement on
providing sufficient amount of food to its residents however after the rapid
urban expansion, the Chinese government has been worried about the annual food
productivity reduction and many question if they would still be able to feed
themselves or not. In 1950 only a very small proportion of China's population
lived in urbanized cities however by the year 2010 the urban rate had touched
45 percent which is now estimated to rise with an additional 20 percent by the
year 2030.
National/Local
Perspective
The urban growth rate of Pakistan
is one of the fastest in South Asia which shows progress and economic
development. However while these urban areas are being developed and expanded,
the rural and agricultural lands keep on decreasing. As agriculture based economy,
urbanization of agricultural lands has huge consequences on the economy of
Pakistan. The 'Express Tribune'
states that over 60,000 acres of the agricultural land of Pakistan has been
shifted to the urban side in the last few years to cater the needs of the
growing population.
This continuous process of agricultural land conversion resulted
in food insecurity disturbing the annual food production and contributing
towards higher food prices. The poor were most affected by this unequal
distribution and shortage in the food productivity as a large part of their
income goes straight towards buying basic food items. Hundreds of thousand
children across Pakistan are malnourished due to lack of food and this scenario
is forecasted to further worsen in coming years. According to the ‘Food Security Analysis' (FSA) of
Pakistan, it was analyzed that Pakistan as a country is and will for a certain
period continue to face drastic hunger related issues. The reason behind it was
simple, rural citizens shifting to other urban sites in order to find better
living facilities and to end up with a better way of earning. If no improvement
on the rural side is made than it is nearly impossible to stop the rural-urban
dwellers to emigrate from one place to another. Urbanization in Pakistan has
grown to such an extent where in some areas agricultural land has been completely
wiped away without realizing its consequences on others living around them.
Possible
Courses of Action/ Future Scenarios
In order to protect and preserve the food security by the growing
threat of Urbanization, policies should be introduced while government
officials should keep a strict check on its maintenance. Good agricultural
lands shouldn't hold an option of being converted into urban sites such as for
industrial use but encouraged towards its improvement in terms of the
productivity or quality. Any urban related development should be thoughtfully planned
out keeping in mind that the availability of food and the general living
conditions are not disturbed after the change takes place. Such developments
shouldn't take place in areas where the agricultural land surrounding it is
less than the general prescribed number of acres.
Poor living conditions as well as lack of employment
opportunities are the very reasons behind the rural-urban trend further
contributing towards an even worse scenario in the rural sector. With the
introduction of better infrastructure such as good health and educational
facilities the ratio of these immigrants will fall to a great extent. By
supporting these rural families with a source of income so that they don't have
to go to cities; through proposing policies that promote improvement in the
agricultural sector and employment. Further improvements in terms of the
quality of food and land cultivation should take place while farming methods
should also be upgraded.
The most effective way to tackle an over populated urbanized area
is by improving the economy of the villages and by making sure the small scale
farming is fully functional and reliable while surplus manpower in rural areas
should also be encouraged. In terms of urban dwellers living in slums due to
poverty or over population, the government should help in accommodating these
families through building low cost multi storey flats. On an individual level
no one can help prevent urbanization but altogether as a community it can be
possible.
These would help in preventing the rapid growth of urbanization
to some extent and encourage people to stick to their hometowns rather than
migrating to other already overly filled up areas. These individuals should be
made confident enough to make a living out of whatever options are available at
the rural side which would also help the entire community to get inspired and rise
above the poverty line.Both the rural and urban areas must have an equal share
of resources as well as the population being fairly balanced. Importance should
be given towards educating some backward areas regarding the social and
economic value of developing rural areas. By doing so, less rural to urban immigration
would take place and these rural settlers would find pride in developing their
own towns instead of compromising elsewhere.
Personal
Perspective
When urban development takes place in areas where agriculture
was practiced it destroys the food security and proves to be greatly
unfavorable for farmers. Last year the government introduced new agricultural policies
which went against the interest of farmers due to a really low price range. This
resulted in many farmers burning their crops while sewing for next season
instead of harvesting due to zero market value for themselves while industries
benefited from this as well. Although I belong from a small village which is a
three hours drive away from where I've been raised while also having a very
strong link with agriculture as my family background, I have always felt as if
the wealth of the country is very unevenly distributed. The reason why my
family considered it important to send me and my siblings to the urbanized
world is because my hometown had no proper healthcare, educational or
agricultural security while also floods and famine are probably the most common
terms used there but no help of any kind has been seen up till the 18 years of
my life. Not only does this rural neglect contribute towards destruction
amongst smaller areas but the well developed cities have to go through an
overcrowded atmosphere too, so everyone in a way suffers.
I have a strong belief that in shaping a countries economy,
the agricultural sector plays a large role. This means that no matter how
developed the urban centers are, no further progress can be achieved if the
agricultural sector is left behind. Only when both urban and rural areas go
side by side improvement can be made. A country like Pakistan which is known
for its agricultural value, has a lot of potential to develop further. New
farming technologies such as genetically modified (GM) crops and hybrid varieties
with the help of selective breading can help produce better quality crops such
as wheat, rice as well as fruits and vegetables. When the quality of the crops
improves it would encourage trade and export products would also find an
increase in their production. Further while our export improves the foreign
exchange earnings would automatically increase which would help improve the
countries international relations. Owing to these, foreign investors will
settle down their businesses in the country and so a boost in the economy is
also likely to be achieved.
Awareness helps boost our minds in terms of such issues which
although aren't very well known in the society but are majorly important.
Through the introduction of new subjects like Environmental Management and
Global Perspectives our minds are broadened while a strong sense of self
awareness is established. Thus making us better human beings.
Words: 2,000
Bibliography
Website
links
1.http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/16/china-mega-airport-symbol-flight-agriculture-urbanisation (Accessed:
11-9-2015 / 12-13-2015)
2. http://farmingoutlook.com/documents/Agriculture_and_Food_Security.pdf (Accessed: 11-9-2015 /
12-13-2015)
3.http://nation.com.pk/national/23-Feb-2015/pakistan-faced-with-food-insecurity-threats
(Accessed: 9-15-2015 / 12-13-2015)
4.http://www.researchgate.net/publication/266493395_The_Culminating_Effects_of_Urbanization_on_Food_Security_in_China
(Accessed: 9-15-2015 / 12-19-2015)
5. http://borgenproject.org/urbanization-pakistan-threatens-food-security/ (Accessed: 9-15-2015 /
12-19-2015)
7.http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-3-318997-Food-security-improves-in-Pakistan
(Accessed: 3-21-2016)
9.http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/365/1554/2809esag/docs/RapidUrbanizationFoodSecurity.pdf
(Accessed: 3-21-2016)
10.http://www.foodnavigator.com/Market-Trends/Urbanization-threatens-world-food-security
(Accessed: 3-1-2016)
13.http://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2011/06/the-implications-of-urbanization-on-food-security-and-child-mortality-of-the-urban-poor/
(Accessed: 6-1-2016 / 10-20-2015)
14.http://www.ripublication.com/ijesdmspl/ijesdmv4n2_12.pdf
(Accessed: 6-1-2016 / 10-20-2015)
15.http://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/what-should-we-understand-about-urbanization-china
(Accessed: 1-6-2016 / 10-20-2015)
16.http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/06/24/americans-annual-food-waste/28988971/
(Accessed: 1-6-2016 / 10-20-2015)
Books
"Food Security, Poverty and Nutrition Policy
Analysis" by Suresh C. Babu, Shailendra N. Gajanan and Prabuddha Sanyal. (Accessed:
10-19-2015 / 1-7-2016)
Documentaries/Videos
"Understanding Chinese Urbanization by Professor Karen
Seto" -Yale Insights. (Accessed: 10-19-2015)
"U.S. households trash $640 in food a year" -USA
Today. (Accessed: 1-6-2016)
Graphs
Graphs
Source:http://www.citylab.com/housing/2015/01/east-asias-massive-urban-growth-in-5-infographics/384960/ (Accessed: 9-15-2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment