Improvement in Food Production

Introduction

All living organisms require food to survive on Earth. Living organisms require the consumption of food to perform various activities. This shows that food production has immense importance for humans for their existence. To satisfy the hunger needs of a rapidly growing human population, constant improvement in food production is required. But, what exactly is the improvement in food production? It essentially means seeking improvements in agriculture, farming, and animal husbandry techniques.

 Definition: Enhancement in the production of food  involves sustainable agriculture, organic farming, inorganic farming, crop yield improvement, and animal husbandry. 

Sources of Food 

Before we jump into the improvement in food production classification, we must first understand food sources. Two significant sources of food are plant products and animal products.

The various types of plant products are as follows

·      Pulses

·      Vegetables

·      Cereals

·      Fruits

·      Nuts

·      Oilseeds

·      Condiments

·      Spices

The various types of animal products are as follows

·      Sea products

·      Milk 

·      Milk products

·      Meat

·      Egg 

·      Poultry

·      Fish 

Revolutions in Agriculture

Due to the rapid increase in the human population, the demand for food resources has risen. This constant rising demand for food resources has given rise to revolutions. These food revolutions have made many developing nations self-reliant. The food revolutions have played a significant role in improving food production.

The various types of food revolutions are as follows

·      Green revolution- Enhancement in the production of food grains

·      Blue revolution- Enhancement in the production of fish production

·      White revolution- Enhancement in the production of increased milk production

·      Yellow revolution- Enhancement in the production of increased oil production

Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainability means to ensure that an effort just keeps on going continuously. So, sustainable agriculture means the efficient management of agricultural resources for satisfying the hunger needs of humans while conserving natural resources. An essential aim of sustainable agriculture is the maintenance and enhancement of the quality of the environment. 

The achievement of sustainable agriculture can take place by adopting the following:

·      Mixed farming

·      Varietal improvement

·      Crop selection

·      Mixed cropping

·      Crop rotation

The advantages of sustainable agriculture are as follows

·      A successful integration of natural biological cycles and control

·      Protection and renewal of soil fertility and natural resources

·      It provides an adequate form of income to the farmers

·      Encourages and promotes family farming and the development of farm communities.

Organic Farming

Organic farming refers to the practice of raising crops that are unpolluted by the use of various natural means. Such means are as follows:

·      Manures

·      Biofertilisers 

·      Biopesticides 

There is an involvement of healthy cropping systems in organic farming. These cropping systems keep pests and weeds to a minimum while ensuring that plants get the required nutrients. In organic farming, there is almost no use of chemical fertilisers. Consequently, there is no toxicity in the crop plants or soil due to organic farming.

Advantages of Organic Farming

1. It does not cause pollution of any component of our environment

2. Farm wastes are recycled

3. Soil fertility is preserved

4. Significantly enhancement in produce quality

Crop Yields Improvement

Crop yield improvement consists of a range of activities for improving the amount of agricultural production.   This can occur for various crops like maize, wheat, rice, pulses, black gram, oilseeds, vegetables, and fruits. 

There are significant groups of activities in crops that yield improvement, which is as follows:

·      Crop variety improvement

·      Crop production improvement

·      Crop protection management

Animal Husbandry

Animal husbandry refers to an agricultural branch of agriculture that concerns itself with matters related to domestic animals. The various matters related to domestic animals like their sheltering, feeding, breeding, and health falls under animal husbandry. Such domestic animals are raised for milk, fibre, meat, and other items.

Animal husbandry involves livestock raising, day-to-day care, and selective breeding. It is the effective scientific management of domestic animals to receive useful items from them. 

Animals reared for animal husbandry can be divided into the following two categories:

• Dairy animals: This includes animals for gaining milk for them. Examples of dairy animals are buffaloes, cows, etc

• Draught animals: This includes animals for transportation and agriculture like donkeys, oxen, etc.

Conclusion 

Food is the source of life on this planet. All living organisms, including humans, require food for their existence. Food is essential for the growth, development, and repairing of our bodies. This shows the tremendous importance of the production of food. Moreover, we face challenges to food availability due to the growing population. So, what is required is improvement in food production for both plant products and animal products. Several food revolutions have also helped in this regard.