Katherine Lucid Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences Chicago, Illinois Lack of Natural Resources Contributes to Food Insecurity in Israel Food Insecurity in Israel For our planet of over 6.8 billion people in need of food, there are about 57 million square miles of land. That seems like more than enough land to host a few more farms to keep the world population nourished, but that is not the case. Not all of the land in the world is well suited for crops. In fact, only 12 million square miles of land, out of the 57 million miles, are able to be grown on. This is due to the fact that there are mountains, deserts, ice, and many other places that do not have the right soil and weather conditions for a farm. In addition, about half of the arable land in the world is currently not being used for agricultural purposes. It would take a lot of time and money to put that land to use, and it would put immense stress on the environment. We now have six million square miles of arable land to distribute food to nearly seven billion mouths. As our population increases, our arable land decreases. The six million square miles of farmland decreases everyday due largely to desertification caused by deforestation. Something has to be done, or else our food supply will dwindle. A dwindling food supply causes food insecurity. Food insecurity is when people live in fear of starvation, and many countries are facing this problem today. Israel holds 7,411,000 of the world s hungry humans. The country has about 1,690,000 families, which mostly consist of three or four people. Half of all Israeli families include a couple and a child age seventeen or younger. Seventy-five percent of those families had an employed person in them. The average salary of the workers is 7,500 New Israeli Shekels, which is about $2,000 a month. When it comes down to the types of foods available in Israel, the Israelis do have a bit of food variety. The typical foods in this country include lamb, flat bread, lentils, beef, fresh fruit and nuts, raw vegetables, and dairy products. Some of the fancier dishes include grilled meat, vegetables and fish, and they tend to be spicy. These dishes tend to be stews, crepes, matzo balls, schnitzel, and latkes. Education `Education plays a major role in the Israeli lifestyle. Their schools are divided into four different tracks called state, state-religious, Haredi, and Arab. Most Israeli children attend state schools. The educational system is divided into three levels, which are similar to the way American schools divide children. The first level is primary education, which is for grades one to six. After that comes middle school, which consists of kids in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade. After completing ninth grade, a student moves on to high school for tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade. Of course, students can choose to move on to college after high school is completed. Of all the Middle Eastern countries, it has the highest number of Yale University alumni. The quality and importance of Israel s education system is clear. The Agricultural Community Israel s agricultural community is highly developed and represented by a fast paced production process that aims to manage with its inadequate water supply. Due to the fact that Israel has a very unique climate and limited natural resources, there is cooperation among farmers and scientists to amplify the
sustainability and growth of crops. The country has more than 215,000 hectares of land dedicated to field crops. Most of these are winter crops such as wheat, legumes, hay, and safflower. Other farms have summer crops planted. These include cotton, green peas, chick peas, sunflowers, corn, beans, watermelon, and ground nuts. Israel s agricultural practices are successful, but only 5% of the country s working population is employed in agriculture. The lack of natural resources available in Israel poses as a problem for Israeli farmers. Due to the arid deserts and the hilly terrain, only 20% of the land is able to be cultivated. For this reason, the farms also serve as laboratories, where its agricultural successes and failures are monitored, studied, and logged by scientists and farmers. This close relationship has allowed for advances in agricultural technology. For example, a full time farmer could produce enough food to feed seventeen people fifty years ago. Today, that same farmer can provide ninety people with enough food. This improvement shows that studying the farms can make a huge difference in people s lives. Seventy three more people per farmer are able to get their meals because of the close ties between science and agriculture. With time, these numbers could keep rising and lives could keep changing for the better if studies are still conducted. Israeli food markets and stores are available for people who can afford the goods. Fruit and vegetables are three to eight shekels a kilo, which equals a dollar or two in American currency. Bread, meat, and other frozen goods cost more than the fresh produce. They can average eight to thirty shekels each, or two to six American dollars. Although these prices seem low to us, many Israelis do not have food security. This means that their nutritional intake is poor in quantity and quality. Food may not be affordable or readily available to them all the time. Children may go to school hungry, and families may have to be hungry for a day or more. People need food to survive, and there are a few ways that the food insecurity in Israel can be addressed. The farmers need to be provided with more resources so that more food can be harvested. Also, more money needs to be invested into agriculture so that there is enough food for the Israeli population. Water scarcity is a problem for farmers, and it contributes to the lack of food for families. Without water, there cannot be life. Water It does not rain very often in Israel, since it is mostly an arid region. They rely on winter rains for a large quantity of their water supply. In order to conserve water, cisterns could be used. Cisterns are containers for storing water. A smaller version of a cistern is called a rain barrel. They could catch the rain water in the mountainous regions, and the water could be used for the crops. If the farmers only watered the plants as needed, then the stored water would last longer. If each family had their own rain barrel, then a lot of water would be available to families and farmers. It could be a simple remedy to the short water supply. Once an adequate water supply becomes available, more room can be made for farmland. Cisterns are already present in the mountainous areas in Israel. The country has them as a whole, but families should have access to a cistern of their own. They could pay for it over time, because it would definitely be worth it. The cisterns could be their water supply if they had their own plot of land to grow their own food on. 2
The Environmental Costs and Possible Solutions There is an environmental cost for making more room for farms. In order to clear the land to be cultivated, many trees need to be cut down. This is called deforestation. Deforestation leads to desertification, which is the fast depletion of plant life and topsoil. Thus, by making room for a farm, you could be ruining the farm. A solution to deforestation could be simple. For every tree cut down, plant one somewhere else. Another solution could be to make use of the land that isn t inhabited by trees already. A little effort can go a long way. Urban gardening can be conducted in order to counteract the cutting down of trees. Community gardens could be put together. It would be a great place for people to interact and relax. Trees could be planted in the garden, along with native plants. The native plants make the environment healthier, and the plants also provide us with clean air to breath. They would also be easy on the eyes. Gardens could improve a person s mood, and be an educational place. Israeli students could learn gardening techniques, and have hands on experience to replace science lessons for their classes. Plants grown could also be sold for profit, or donated to an organization aimed towards addressing the country s food insecurity and lack of natural resources. Food Insecurity and Farming The food insecurity trends are worsening in Israel. More families live their lives without enough food. If the farms had enough water and energy, then less Israelis would be hungry. This change would benefit the farmers and the consumers. The farmers would make more money and more food. If there is enough food, then it does not have to have a high price tag. Therefore, providing natural resources to farms would make the cultivated food more affordable to Israeli families. For more independent people, it is possible for them to start their own family farm to provide for themselves. If resources were made available to the everyday Israeli family, then they would not have to rely on others to keep themselves full and alive. If families were able to provide for themselves, it would be an improvement to food insecurity. They could control how much and what kinds of food they eat. If they had extra food left over, they could then sell that food to provide even more for themselves with the money they make. Subsistence farming could increase the quality of the Israeli diet. In order to keep family farms running and successful, the community should come together and discuss best practices. They could share their successes and failures, and come up with ideas to improve the quality of their farms. They could also sell seeds to farmers who need help. For example, if a farmers crop fails, his family could go hungry. If six farms donated a handful of seeds to this poor farmer, he would be able to sustain his family the next growing season. Farming techniques could be taught in schools, and schools could have their own farms so that the children had a food source outside of their homes. In addition, if more money was focused on agriculture production, then the price change could decrease crime rates. When the prices of things go down, then it is not necessary to steal. If things become more affordable to the average family, then they can get their food the honest way. If they do not have the time, education, or resources to have their own farm, then they have to rely on the local stores and markets. If government officials, school officials, and agriculture companies started an agriculture awareness campaign, then the people would be informed enough to start their own farm or start their own organization. This organization could be aimed towards opening soup kitchens for the less fortunate, or hosting food drives for families during Israeli holidays. 3
Solar Energy Without energy, work cannot be done. A lot of energy is needed to operate a farm. If the farm is on the larger side, then machinery needs to be used in order to get work done. Since this area of the globe gets a lot of sun, solar panels would be a good investment for the Israeli farmer. Right now, Israel gets its power from imported coal and oil. Providing themselves with their own energy would save them money in the long run. The energy could be used to operate vehicles for shipping the crops, and for crop maintenance machinery. They would also be able to sell their excess energy to other people and companies to make a profit. It would be like a second family farm. This technology has been introduced, but not fully embraced. Solar water heaters line rooftops all over Israel. Passive solar heating techniques are also already present. This means that houses are designed so that they can heat themselves with sunlight in the colder months due to the placement of walls and windows. If more solar panels were introduced in this country, it would be a bit of weight off the people s shoulders. Conclusions In conclusion, the quality of life in Israel could be improved if farmers were equipped with adequate energy and water supplies. Cisterns are a great way to save water and get it to the crops so that they are a success. Subsistence farming would improve the falling trends in food insecurity, and it would make the families more independent. Deforestation is bad for the farms in the long run, so urban gardens are a good way to give back what we take from the earth. They could easily improve the quality of life within the communities they exist in. Energy sources other than coal and oil exist, and should be embraced. The sun is present in Israel daily, so solar energy is an excellent way to get clean energy and go green. Earth s fossil fuels will not be there forever, after all. Community and government involvement is essential if the people want a change for the better. Communication among farmers and scientists continues to make a difference in agriculture in Israel, so communication between them and the government could make an immense difference in the country. Food kitchens and organizations would benefit poor families, and give them hope. If farmers have resources more readily available, then prices and crime rates could go down and save the country a lot of trouble. With a little help, Israel could be well on its way to an adequate food supply and a bright future. 4
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