World Food Scenario: Emerging Trends and Issues

Full Length Research Paper

World food scenario: Emerging trends and issues

Badar Alam Iqbal

Department of Commerce, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (UP), India. E-mail: bai.chairman.comm@gmail.com.

Accepted 22 April, 2010

Global food scenario has been under heavy odds. This has been due to spiraling food prices and

scarcity of food grains all over the world. The result is that the specter of a hungry world that stood at

800 million roiled into unrest and political upheavals. One of the contributory factors is more population

and lesser output of food grains. There is also a saying that the Asian Economies and the US have also

contributed towards global food crisis. A lot of efforts have been made out both at international and

national levels. But there is some improvement in trends and situation and it is hoped that worst may

be over. The need is to take more effective measures to tackle the most alarming and burning issue that

the world is facing. The present paper reviews emerging issues and trends in respect of global food

situation and crisis. The year 2007 is considered to be the worst year ever for global food crisis and

prices in recent past. In this year, increasing food grain prices and shortage of food grains supply world

over have resurrected the specter of a hungry world, roiled with riots and political insecurity and

stability. One of the most relevant concepts has been given by Thomas Robert Malthus two centuries

ago in regard to causes of food crisis. According to this concept 'population would grow till it outstrips

food grains production, and then famines, wars and epidemics would intervene to restore the balance'

(Varma, 2008). This is what is happening today.

Key words: Food scenario, emerging trend.

INTRODUCTION

Trends in population and food grains output

In the year 1950-1951, the global population was nearly

2.5 billion and then there has been a gradual increase in

it (Table 1). At the end of the 20th century the global

population had touched a figure of 6.0 billion marks,

meaning a phenomenal rise of about 3.5 billion in just half

a century. In the words of UN Population Division, the

global