Problem of Food Shortage Causes and Solutions

Food is the essential thing which every one of us requires to keep himself alive. It is the basic need of every individual and every country. If we do not get food for a few days, we are likely to die.

Unfortunately, food shortage is a great problem in the world. There are many countries in the world where self-sufficiency in food is not present. Pakistan is one of those countries. We have to import wheat and other foodstuffs from other countries. However, we do not suffer from the shortage of food. Our government is alive on this issue They arrange sufficient quantity of food for its people. There are many countries in the world which are hit by starvation and famine.

The developing countries of Asia and Africa are facing this problem. The reasons for food shortage are many and some of them are as under:-

Firstly, The population of the world is increasing at a very rapid rate. There are more mouths to feed than the food which is available. The result is hunger and starvation. The most densely populated countries of the world have to face hunger and starvation

Secondly, The shortage of food occurs due to low productivity of certain crops. Wheat is the basic foodstuff in Pakistan, we have not attained self-sufficiency in it. The following factors are responsible for it.

(a) Old and primitive methods of cultivation.

(b) The irrigation system is old and defective. It has never been overhauled to meet the modern needs of agriculture.

(c) The marketing of crops to the cities is very poor.

(d) The farmers are uneducated and illiterate. They fight shy of using modern methods of cultivation. They keep themselves aloof from the use of tractors and tube wells.

(e) The farmers do not have enough money to purchase better quality of seeds and manure.

(f) The natural calamities too destroy the standing and ripe crops.

The goal of attaining self-sufficiency in food is certainly attainable. It is no doubt a difficult problem. But its challenge must be accepted. There are two typeset measures or means which can be adapted to increase agricultural output.
i. Long-term measures. ii. Short-term measures.

The short-term measures are the following.
i. We should educate our farmers and convince them to increase the yield of their fields.
ii. We should give them loans on easy terms. They should be enabled to buy the better seeds and good quality of manure.
iii. We must educate them to use insecticides when their crops are attacked by diseases.

Long-term measures include the following.

i. We must have land reforms. The poor farmers and agricultural laborers must be given some piece of land for cultivation. If a poor person is made the owner of a piece of land he, will get an incentive to work hard at it.
ii. irrigation system i.e. the distribution of canal water must be made on fair and just basis.
iii. The government should use their knowledge and experience to control floods.
iv. The farmers must be provided modern implements of agriculture like tractors harvesters and threshers in easy installments. If we adopt these measures, we can overcome the shortage of food in our country