Growing crops for bio-fuels is often criticized because of its direct competition for land for food production. The recent price increases on world food markets are partly a result of this competition. For instance, cereals prices have increased by more than 60% percent since 2005 and in 2006 sugar prices peaked on a level twice as high as the level of previous years. There are concerns whether...

Agricultural production is not keeping up with the world demand for food because the human population is increasing faster than agriculture’s food production capability (Pimentel et al., 1999). Uneven distribution of food, the inability of the poor to purchase food, and political unrest also threaten world food security for human society. Currently, more than 3 billion humans worldwide are maln...

This paper discusses the traditional consumption of wild edible plants in the rural communities of the Campoo (Cantabria), a region in northern Spain. Through semi-structured interviews with key informants, data on the perception, gathering, preparation and use of 60 edible wild plant species were collected. Social, economic and cultural factors need to be taken into account when trying to unde...

With concerns of energy shortages, China, like the United States, European Union, and other countries, is promoting the development of biofuels. However, China also faces high future demand for food and feed, and so its bioenergy program must try to strike a balance between food and fuel. The goals of this paper are to provide an overview of China's current bioethanol program, identify the pote...

The rush for land acquisition—primarily driven by food shortages, food price volatility, and the run for agrofuel—has drawn considerable attention, as documented by reports published in late 2009, 2010, and 2011. Terminological differences aside, it is—quite distinct from material or service outsourcing—a kind of off-shoring farm production across borders to relatively land-abundant nations and...

INTRODUCTION Matabeleland South launched the malaria pre-elimination campaign in 2012 but provincial spraying coverage has failed to attain 95% target, with some districts still encountering malaria outbreaks. A study was conducted to evaluate program performance against achieving malaria pre-elimination. METHODS A descriptive cross sectional study was done in 5 districts carrying out IRS usi...

The subject of the future regarding nutritional status and food security, and of their ramifications in terms of nutrition-related disorders/diseases in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) populations, is a complex one. As well as social unrest, a country's socioeconomic situation may affect food availability and, crucially, influence the generally low proportions of the Gross National Product devoted to...

This study explores the ecological indicators relevant to long-term sustainability by the food-energywater nexus among BRICS (Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa). The sustainability issue arises with the EKC (environmental Kuznets curve) hypothesis and biodiversity that require proper resource allocation to provide food security among the BRICS countries. This study ...

Analysis of a natural fertility agrarian society with a multi-variate model of population ecology isolates three distinct phases of population growth following settlement of a new habitat: (1) a sometimes lengthy copial phase of surplus food production and constant vital rates; (2) a brief transition phase in which food shortages rapidly cause increased mortality and lessened fertility; and (3)...