Author: NHS
Last saved by: Joe Ankley

World Hunger & Food Insecurity
Katie Alexander 
North Huron FFA

	Good afternoon, honorable judges fellow FFA members and Guests. My name is Katilyn Alexander and I proudly represent the North Huron FFA Chapter. My speech topic is, “The challenges in feeding a growing population.” (Madame/ Mr.) Timekeeper I am ready to begin.

	I’m Victoria. I live in a small town near Somalia, Africa. Each day my family depends on the food we grow in our small garden to survive. However, sometimes the rain doesn't fall when it should, and the sun shines for too long. I live in a world filled with food insecurity. I never know when my next meal will be, and if it will be enough. Being the oldest of 9 children, I worry for the future when my parents won’t be here to help provide. What will I do? How will I promise my siblings food? How will we survive?

	Victoria is not alone. People all across the world go hungry each and every day. With our ever growing world population, the fear of facing a shortage of food, is ever more evident. Today, we’ll first explore how farming has kept up with population growth in the past. We’ll take a look at the daunting future population estimates. Finally, we’ll zoom in on few solutions that might help close the gap between food and our population.

	Farming has made outstanding changes in the past 50 years. In 1960 a farmer could feed just 26 people. With improved yields, crop rotations, hybrid seeds and advanced harvesting equipment, the current U.S. farmer feeds 155 people – about three NFL teams. In fact, U.S. Farmers produce almost 40% of the world’s corn, using only 20% of the total land harvested. Although developing countries are improving, climate change, poverty, disease and many other issues make their agricultural industries not as successful.

	In 2000, our world began to fear the number of 7 billion. How can we feed THAT many people?! However, we faced the challenge, and farmers produced more than enough food. Our next fear? Nine billion people.  That’s almost 34% higher than the current population and to put that in perspective, that’s like feeding another Indian AND China. The clock is ticking. By the year 2050 the world population will hit 9 billion, and continue growing. Nearly all of this population growth will occur in developing countries. 
	
	Currently, about 49% of the world population lives in an urban location. By 2050 this number will be just under 80% meaning food production must increase by 70% and meat production will have to rise from 200 million tons to over 470 million tons. Big numbers? Yes. Unattainable? Absolutely not! 

	Currently, there is more than enough food to feed the world yet, 925 million people still go hungry each day. Hunger due to inadequate income forces families all over to face malnutrition. So what would happen if there actually wasn’t enough food to go around? NOW is the time for the U.S. to explore options to improve our food security. NOW’S time for third world countries to begin preparing for the population surge. NOW is the time for our world to come together with a common goal: feeding our planet.

	So, let’s answer the question that Victoria and the rest of the world is pondering, how will we feed 9 billion people? A study in 2007 showed that 40 % of all the food harvested in the United States was wasted, most discarded based on our preferences – food that could’ve been exported to other countries.  Also, several studies point to world trade as a crucial part to food security. We need a dependable food market. We must amend policies such as OECD, a farm policy that has led to a decline in the world trade. Improving policies makes it easier for  developing countries to access the global market.

	Another way to feed more is to improve yields. Zhikang Li, a Chinese scientist, has worked diligently for the past 12 years to create a hybrid seed which he calls “green super rice.” He worked with hundreds of researches in 16 different countries using only conventional plant breeding techniques to cross breed more than 200 different rice types. In Asia alone, this rice could yield enough to feed an extra 100 million people. All over the world, hybrid seeds can and are being developed to grow in all climates, even in places like Sub-Sahara Africa. In the U.S. hybrid seeds help provide a higher yield, a quicker growth rate, and a more disease resistant plant. There is no question that with dedicated research we can do the same in developing countries.

	The hitch? We need to double our food production without damaging the environment. If we use resources more efficiently, raise yields, waste less food, and farm all of the land to its greatest potential our population will not fear a food shortage. According to _____, if we could farm places like Africa, to its best ability, our food supply would increase by nearly 30%. Imagine if all of the available land in the world could be farmed. We would never see another hungry child again, or fear any population increase.

	The year 2050, is not too far away, and the number of malnutritioned individuals is only growing. We will soon be one of 9 billion people, living in a world with an ever-growing population. Farmers have always tried to fill the gap between population and food. The advancements we have made in farming in the past 50 years have been crucial to the lives we each live today. The United States will have enough food to feed our population when the time comes, but, what's our duty to the rest of the world? We MUST work together to continue to improve world trade, waste less, and grow more without destroying our planet.

	Our world has the resources and the technology to eradicate hunger and ensure long-term food security. True, we face many challenges. But we need to begin preparing now, and work as a world to feed people everywhere. Like Anastasia in Russia, Mitch in Australia, Ramone in Mexico and even people like Victoria who already face food insecurity. It’s not going to be easy. But nothing worth doing ever is.