An important method of increasing the world food supplies is to cut down the wastage at all stages of food production and storage.
Land
In many regions of the world, arable land is wasted through poor management and bad farming practices. For example, overgrazing and leaving land bare and exposed to leads to soil erosion which makes the land less productive than it was before. Such wastage of goof arable land can be prevented through proper farm management and good farming practices.
Water
Water is extremely Important in certain farming regions. Yet, a large percentage of irrigation water is wasted through poor schemes and pollution. This can be prevented by implementing well planned irrigation schemes and practicing anti pollution measures
Manure and Fertilizers
Farmland manure is wasted instead of being used to fertilize soil and improve its crumb structure. Many farmers also do not know how to apply artificial fertilizers in the correct amounts and by the appropriate methods. This waste a lot of expensive fertilizers, lowers crop yields and upset the ecosystem. This can be prevented through education and training Schemes.
Pest and Diseases
In crop cultivation, weeds , pest and diseases causes heavy losses in yields. In many cases, such losses could have been cut down by careful management. In livestock rearing, losses due to diseases can be prevented by good nutrition, good sanitation, vaccines , prophylactic medicines and following the veterinary officers recommendations m
Harvesting
In the tropics, primitive harvesting and winnowing methods cause considerable crop losses in field. Careless harvesting of root crops and vegetables causes damage. Damaged crop do not store well so are wasted.
Storage
Enormous amounts of food are wasted during storage and transport. In the cause of the cereals , improper drying of grains and storage pest such as rat and weevils cause a lot of waste. Such wastage can be easily reduced by drying the grains properly, using rat proof bins and fumigating the stored grains with the appropriate insecticides.
Loss of perishable foods such ad meat, milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables on the way to market is very high in the tropics. This is due to faulty packaging, unreliable transport and lack of cold storage facilities. In addition, foods like milk and meat spoil fast at the high temperatures present in the tropics. Even at many homes, food is wasted because of poor storage.
Education, proper transport and storage facilities can help to prevent food wastage and make more food available for the world's population.
