Class 10 English Chapter 12 Population Growth and World Food Supplies notes, vocabulary, grammar exercises solved
The alarming and incessant growth of population is causing serious problems in almost all continents. Great pressure is being placed on arable land, water, energy, and biological resources. As the world population grows, the food problem will become increasingly severe. The most vulnerable will be the population in developing countries. The per capita availability of food grains has been declining for the past 25 years. Certainly with a quarter million people being added to the world population each day, the need for grains and all other food will reach unprecedented levels.
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There are about quarter of a million people added to the planet per day. This exponential growth is mostly happening in developing nations.
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More than 99 percent of the world's food supply comes from the land, while less than 1 percent is from oceans and other aquatic habitats. The continued production of an adequate food supply is directly dependent on ample fertile land, fresh water and energy. As the human population grows, the requirements for these resources are never depleted. On a per capita basis they will decline significantly because they must be divided among more people. At present, fertile agricultural land is being lost at an alarming rate. The shortage of productive fertile land combined with decreasing land productivity is the major cause of current food shortages. Water is another critical item for all crops. Massive amount of water is required during the growing season for cultivation. Agriculture consumes 90% fresh water compared to other human activity.
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Fossil fuel energy is another prime resource used for food production. Nearly 80 per cent of the world's fossil energy is being used by the developed countries. Because fossil energy is a finite resource, its depletion accelerates as population needs for food and services escalate. Thus, cost of fuel increases everywhere.
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Solutions for the future must be based on the conservation and careful management of land, water, energy, and biological resources needed for food production. None of these measures will be sufficient to ensure an adequate food supply for future generations unless the growth in the human population is simultaneously curtailed. Several studies have confirmed that to maintain a relatively high standard of living throughout the world, the optimum world population should be less than 2 billion. Therefore, from now until an optimum population is achieved, strategies for the conservation of land, water, energy, and biological resources are to be implemented effectively. Maintaining a sound and productive environment all over is essential.
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