New technologies in relation to food processing and storage have also contributed to more secure food supplies.
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Machinery: Increased mechanisation has contributed to more efficient agriculture and increased outputs.
Artificial fertilisers: These add nutrients to the soil and improve crop yields.
Biotechnology: New higher-yielding crop varieties have been developed, that produce more seeds and are capable of withstanding drought.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs): GMOs have been developed, with properties including higher yields and resistance to disease and pests.
Advantages of GMOs
• More food can be produced using less land.
• Reduced need for pesticides. zz zz Disadvantages of GMOs
• High cost means developing countries benefit less from them.
• Unknown possible health impacts.
Pest control herbicides/fungicides: The development of these has helped to decrease damage to crops and to increase yields.
Storage: Improved methods of food storage have increased food security in many countries that have to cope with dry seasons (e.g. Niger, Ethiopia).
The impact of climate change
Increased levels of carbon dioxide due to technological advances in society have contributed to climate change. This is reflected in droughts and rising sea levels. Climate change has serious implications for the carrying capacity of many regions of the world. In the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, rising sea levels are causing saltwater intrusion into the paddy fields.
Irrigation
Improved irrigation technology has led to increased food production in areas of the world where precipitation is unreliable. However, there are a number of negatives to this technology.
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Aquifer: An underground layer of permeable rock that contains water.
Water pumped up from aquifers: As aquifers need a long time to replenish their supplies, depletion of their water supplies will have serious consequences for food production and domestic consumption.
Water diverted from rivers: Diverting water threatens fish populations that are a vital source of food for many communities, thus reducing the carrying capacity of these areas (e.g. the destruction of fishing in the Aral Sea).
