Reasons for the Worlds Food Surpluses and Shortages Essay...

Reasons for the Worlds Food Surpluses and Shortages In the world today, the three richest people in the world have more money than the 600,000 poorest. It is clear that the main reason for there being food surpluses in some countries and shortages in others, is the widening gap between the rich and the poor. In many LEDCs, such as Ethiopia and Mali in Africa and India in Asia, people are suffering from malnutrition and famine. Whereas in MEDCs, especially in North America and Europe, people are suffering from obesity and food surpluses. Until the late 1980s, both MEDCs and LEDCs were seeking to intensify farming and increase food production. However, in order to convert from extensive to†¦show more content†¦This makes it difficult to create the investment needed. On a larger scale, some argue that the main reason for food shortages and malnutrition in some regions, is the climate. Almost all LEDCs have a tropical monsoon climate. Much of the famine and disease is caused by the unpredictable droughts, which may last months meaning crops are unable to grow and the soil becomes dry and impermeable, followed by severe monsoon rains , which can cause terrible flooding and destroy large areas of land. As few crops can be grown, the necessary food for healthy living cannot be supplied, leading to malnutrition. Whereas in MEDCs such as the UK and Canada, the temperate climate allows stable and reliable growth of staple crops such as wheat and barley and natural disasters such as flooding rarely affect food prod uction. Problems of overpopulation in many LEDCs only enhances the problem of food shortages. In India, the population has reached 1 billion and the lack of efficient farming means that they are unable to provide sufficient levels of food for the constantly growing population. In addition, overpopulation has lead to overcultivation of the land which has caused the soil in some areas to become infertile. 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