Food production Essay

There are staggering numbers of people all over the world who experience hunger. umteen people believe that hunger is caused by the insufficient supply of provender. More importantly, it is assumed that due to the large tribe of the world, an inadequate amount of forage is produced. However, this is a completely false assumption for as Robbins said, There is enough food in the world to feed 120 percent of the worlds world on a vegetarian diet. (Robbins, p. 178) This fact then brings about the question, if on that point is enough food, then why do so m some(prenominal) people go starved?The answer lies in the economics of food production. Food is now a capitalist commodity. Therefore, the production of food must be seen as the production of any other market commodity. Food production is non driven by global need, it is driven by market use up. As Robbins mentioned, Food production is non determined necessarily by the global need for food it is determined by the market for f ood. (Robbins, p. 186) Looking at food production from this perspective pull up stakes reveal the factors that affect the production of food.The market for food refers to the number of people that have the means to buy and pay for food. However, since a large segment of the population lives in poverty, there are very few people who can afford food. Since it is demand that determines the amount of food to be produced, the lower demand translates to lesser food production. Producers do not want to produce at a maximum level because it will mean an over-production. This will result to lower prices and in the end lower productivity.Another factor that affects food production is the fact that farmers tend to use land to produce non food crops such as tobacco and clavus as well as for crops that are marginally nutritious. (Robbins, p 186) The choice of what crops to plant relies on what the market demands. For instance, farmers tend to prioritize planting coffee for there is a large global demand for this. Coffee produced in agricultural countries in Africa is not necessarily for local consumption it is produced because the more affluent nations demand it.Farmers consider the profitability of producing certain crops and coffee production is considered to be more profitable than vegetable production. Another example is soy bean. Soy bean is not as nutritious as vegetables. However, since there is a market for this crop in the more developed countries, farmers tend to plant this rather than vegetables. A more concrete and evident example of how market demand drives food production is the production of beef. Robbins discussed why Mexican farmers tend to concentrate on beef production. citizenry in Mexico go hungry because land is devoted to the production of beef, which few Mexicans can afford, but which brings high prices in the United States. (Robbins, p. 186) The rationale behind this is that food production is driven by the demands of the markets that have t he money to buy food. There is no question that there is enough food to feed the world. Hunger cannot be attributed to the inadequate amount of food. Hunger is a result of an economic problem. Lack of food on the plate is a result of the lack of money to buy food. Food production is no longer determined by the need for it by everyone.It is driven by what people who have the means to buy food demand and want. Food has become a commodity rather than a necessity. The solution of the problem of hunger lies not in production but in dissemination. As Robbins (p. 187) said, Rather than seeing hunger or famine as a failure of production, we can focus on a failure of distribution The goal is simply to establish, reestablish, or protect entitlements, the legitimate claim to food. Reference Robbins, R. (2007). Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism. 4th ed. Boston, MA Allyn and Bacon. pp 177-187.