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There are incredible numbers of people all over the world who also experience craving for food. Many people believe that food cravings is brought on by the not enough supply of food. More importantly, it is assumed that because of the large human population of the world, a great inadequate amount of meals is developed.
However , this is certainly a completely phony assumption for as Robbins said, “There is enough meals in the world to feed 120 percent of the world’s population on a vegetarian diet. ” (Robbins, p. 178) This fact then simply brings about the question, if there is enough food, then simply why do so many persons go hungry? The answer lies in the economics of food production. Food is now a capitalist item. Therefore , the production of meals must be seen as the production of any other marketplace commodity.
Food production can be not influenced by global need, it really is driven simply by market require. As Robbins mentioned, “Food production is definitely not determined necessarily by the global need for food; it can be determined by the industry for foodstuff. ” (Robbins, p. 186) Looking at meals production from this perspective will certainly reveal the factors that affect the creation of food. The market for food refers to the number of some people that have the methods to buy pay for food. However , seeing that a large section of the populace lives in poverty, there are not many people who have enough money food.
As it is require that establishes the amount of food to be developed, the lower require translates to smaller food production. Producers tend not to want to make at a maximum level because it will mean an over-production. This will lead to lower prices and ultimately decrease productivity.
Another factor that affects foodstuff production is the fact that maqui berry farmers tend to work with land to make non food crops such as tobacco and corn and with crops which might be marginally healthy. (Robbins, p 186) The choice of what vegetation to flower relies on the particular market needs. For instance, maqui berry farmers tend to prioritize planting coffee for there is also a large global demand for this. Coffee produced in agricultural countries in Africa is certainly not for neighborhood consumption; it truly is produced because the more wealthy nations demand it. Maqui berry farmers consider the profitability of producing certain crops and coffee production is considered to be more profitable than vegetable creation.
Another model is me llaman bean. Soy bean is usually not as nutritious as fruit and vegetables. However , seeing that there is a marketplace for this plant in the more developed countries, farmers are likely to plant this kind of rather than fresh vegetables. A more tangible and apparent example of how market demand drives meals production is definitely the production of beef. Robbins discussed how come Mexican farmers tend to focus on beef production. “People in Mexico go hungry because land is devoted to the availability of meat, which handful of Mexicans can afford, but which in turn brings substantial prices in the usa. ” (Robbins, p. 186) The rationale at the rear of this is that food creation is driven by the needs of the marketplaces that have the amount of money to buy meals.
There is no question that there is enough food to feed the world. Hunger cannot be attributed to the inadequate volume of foodstuff. Hunger is because of an economic problem. Lack of meals on the dish is a result of having less money to acquire food.
Meals production has ceased to be determined by the need for it by everyone. It can be driven in what people who have the means to buy food require and want. Food has turned into a commodity rather than a necessity.
The perfect solution of the issue of food cravings lies not in production but also in distribution. While Robbins (p. 187) said, “Rather than seeing hunger or starvation as a failure of development, we can concentrate on a failure of distribution… The goal is merely to establish, improve, or protect entitlements, the legitimate claims to food. ” Reference: Robbins, R. (2007). Global Challenges and the Lifestyle of Capitalism.
4th education. Boston, MOTHER: Allyn and Bacon. pp 177-187.
