Food and Water Security

Nothing is as basic to human survival as food and water.

But billions of people lack access to adequate nutrition and clean water.

Population growth and increasing per capita food consumption by wealthier nations and people aggravate both hunger and environmental damage from food production.

Population growth and expanding agricultural, industrial and municipal water use pose serious concerns to water quality and availability.

Some 800 million people are chronically hungry and over two billion lack adequate nutrition.

There is enough food available to feed everyone on the planet, today. But economic policies, poverty, discrimination, and poor governance keep many people from receiving enough food.

However, the United Nations estimates we will need to increase food production more than 50 percent by 2025 to feed our growing population.

We are also doing damage to the Earth in producing much of our food – through destroying natural habitats for farmland, over-fishing, pollution from pesticides and fertilizers, soil erosion, and desertification.

More than 80 countries now face water shortages to some degree.

Many important aquifer and river systems have been seriously depleted by water withdrawals for human use.

Because of population growth, as many as 3 billion people may face chronic water scarcity by 2025.

As more people need more water, the potential for civil conflicts, "water wars" and greater environmental damage increases.

It is possible to provide adequate food and water for everyone.

We can convert to "sustainable agriculture" and improve harvesting, transportation, and storage technologies that currently waste as much as one quarter of all food produced.

We can use water much more efficiently in agriculture, industry, and residential applications.

We can address the poverty and discrimination that deny many people access to adequate food and water.

Possible Futures

As illustrated in these tours, global issues effect large groups of people, cross national and international boundaries, are persistent, and are completely interconnected.

Solving these problems may at first seem daunting and even overwhelming, yet inherent in their interconnections are opportunities for change.

We encourage you to look at these issues from a perspective that takes into account their interconnectedness.

The “answer” is one that doesn’t create new problems but rather searches for underlying causes and their links across the spectrum of issues and finally rests on common ground.

We have the tools at our disposal to create a world that represents our highest aspiration.

It’s up to each of us individually and as a community to make the choices and take the actions to create a future we want for ourselves and for future generations.

What choices and actions will you take?

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 849