Global food crisis looms as climate change and population growth strip fertile land

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Global food crisis looms as climate change and population growth strip fertile land

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"According to the UN's food and agriculture programme, 854 million
people do not have sufficient food. The current rush to produce fuel
from subsidized corn for vehicles by pork barrel politicians seems
extremely irresponsible."

But in many countries a combination of poor farming practices and
deforestation will be exacerbated by climate change to steadily degrade
soil fertility, leaving vast areas unsuitable for crops or grazing.

Competition over sparse resources may lead to conflicts and environmental destruction, the scientists fear.

"You can sum it up as need, greed and ignorance," said Andrew Campbell,
an Australian environmental consultant. "Some pressures on soil
resources come from simple human needs, where people don't have any
option but to grow crops or farm animals. But in other instances world
markets demand produce, so farmers try to meet those markets. And
sometimes, there will be land that's cleared that should not have been,
or grazed when it shouldn't have been. All these place great pressures
on soil resources."

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