To feed the world the food industry is still dependent on good weather. Poor harvests caused by droughts have sent prices for wheat and corn rocketing. As a result, many people can no longer afford to buy even basic foodstuffs.
Staple foods are becoming increasingly expensive. Wealthy western countries are largely unaffected by the problem but the developing world is badly hit.
People there are having to spend most of their income on food, and many can no longer afford even the basics. Meager harvests are not the only factors driving up food prices. We look at the roots of the problem.
The impact of climate change on international food production has long been underestimated. New studies looking at the effects of extreme weather scenarios on global food prices in 2030 project that the consumer price of corn and other grains could increase by as much as 140 percent.
Moreover, scant attention is paid to the fact that the agricultural industry itself contributes to climate change. Experts maintain that the sector could theoretically reduce its CO2 emissions by some 6 billion tonnes a year. But how?
For many people in the world, rice is one of the basic foodstuffs. But how can production be guaranteed when the cost of seeds is rising, and how can farmers ensure good management of water resources?
The System for Rice Intensification offers one solution.
How can plastic bottles filled with water change lives? In the Philippines, visionary Illac Diaz has come up with an idea that is as brilliant as it is simple. Using discarded plastic bottles filled up with water and a bit of bleach, he's helping light up the slums of Manila.
Here, electric light is too expensive for most people. But now they're punching a hole in the corrugated iron roof of their shacks and inserting a plastic bottle filled with water so that sunlight from above is refracted through the liquid into the room below.
The road to environmental protection is fraught with obstacles in Turkey. Electricity shortages are one problem, and the country wants to boost its production capacities.
Power cuts are common, but new hydroelectric plants should help tackle power shortages while also protecting the environment.
