The current situation of the global food demand, supply and the global environmental issue: Biofuels and water issues
2008
Matsuda, H.(Tokyo Univ. (Japan)) | Takahashi, D.
In recent years, the global economies have been faced with steeply rising prices. The members of World Bank and the United Nations including WFP (World Food Program) appeal to the world for necessary food emergency aid programs so that people in poverty might be prevented from being troubled by food shortages. Developed countries, such as Japan, the EU and the United States, comply with the world demand. One of the causes of the steeply rising price of food are the money inflow into the commodity futures market from the oil market and the investment market for housing at the United States. The changing food demand of BRICs, in which Brazil, Russia, India and China are involved, and emerging economies is the biggest factor of steep rising price of food. This will bring the structural change into the world food market. The fourth report of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) indicates the possibility of drought, temporary flooding, water shortage and transition of suitable land on agricultural production in the future. Agricultural production is not only carried through under these global environmental problems but also the effects of agricultural production on the global environment have to be minimized. The aim of this paper is to consider the possibility of attaining the sustainable agricultural production, which may minimize the influence of agricultural production on the global environment and which may keep pace with changing food demand and population increase by reviewing present studies, especially those focusing on biofuels and water issues. The sustainability science perspective is appropriated in order to consider the shape of sustainable agricultural production.
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