The Geography of Food Wastage

One global issue that has become very close to my heart is food shortage. Is it merely an act of nature to keep the world's population in check, or evidence of a selfish humanity? In our current age of technological advancement, it is ironic that the number of people in less developed countries (LDCs) facing food shortage has doubled since 1990. Juxtaposing this with the immense amount of food wastage in developed countries (DCs) - 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted on a global scale, annually, almost 4 times the amount of food produced by the LDCs alone- it is indeed worrying.

Why and how is it that the DCs can comfortably waste food when people in the LDCs struggle to feed themselves? Undoubtedly, there are a host of factors that contribute to the problem of food scarcity. They range from extreme weather events to political instability.

Geography finds its roots deeply grounded in the discussion of time and space. This academia experience has shaped and continues to shape my way of viewing this issue.

Firstly, in terms of space. Geographical distance between the people in DCs and LDCs does not prevent their actions from influencing one another. Especially in the this global village, where we are increasingly closer to each other through connectivity in transport and communication.

Secondly, in terms of time. We live in the consequence of our predecessors' actions. For example, the Industrial Revolution, though taking place between the 18th and 19th century, continues to influence the way we produce food in the 21st century. Similarly, our actions will have an effect on our future generations.

The agency of change is us, the current generation, and whether the generations to come will reap the benefits of our actions or suffer the consequences of our actions will be up to us.