Every year, the world's population grows a little bigger. The strides made in health care have seen the world's human residents living for longer. Furthermore, a large percentage of the children born today survive to adulthood. The child mortality rate has gone down while the life expectancy rates have gone up in most nations. While the improved quality of life is an achievement we must celebrate, we should acknowledge that it has come with its fair share of challenges. The most significant challenge is the strain that the population growth has put on the food reserves. This can be attributed to the fixed and changeless amount of natural resources about the growing and constantly be changing the population (Barbosa-Cánovas et al., 2017).
The demographic transition model is proposed by behavior specialists as a way to deal with the population as well as the food security issues. Demographic transition can be defined as the shift from elevated birth and death rates, to reduced birth and death rates. This global phenomenon that correlates births and deaths can be used to research on a country's population dynamics. The model was developed by American demographer Warren Thompson in 1929. He began to make comparisons of observations he made in the industrialized societies and the trends that they formed. Other demographers continued to research it till it developed into the five or four stages recognized today. For this weekly study concentrate on the four (Weatherby et al., 2017).
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The first stage of the model is known as the Pre-modern or High Stationery stage. This stage was observed before the establishment of the Industrial Revolution. This was the state of most regions of the world at some point in history. The population at this stage is characterized by a high crude birth rate (CBR) and high crude death rates(CDR). The high CBR can be attributed to lack of access to contraceptives due to the poor advancement of medical services. According to Kegley and Blanton (2017) t he number of women who were actively engaged in economically empowering activities was also low because of cultural and societal restrictions. Families also produced more children as a mitigation measure against the high mortality rate. The high CDR was because of high disease prevalence and the lack of medical interventions to prevent common ailments. Hygiene was not practiced widely, so this contributed to the spread of infectious diseases. Once in a while, the occurrence of epidemics or natural disasters would cause a rise in the CDR. The population in this stage is stable (Barbosa-Cánovas et al., 2017).
Stage two can be called the Highly Expanding or industrializing stage. Some demographers call it the Urbanizing stage. This stage is marked by high crude birth rate and low crude death rates. As a result, the population grew exponent. The high CBR was still attributed to cultural norms. The low CDR was credited to the introduction and uptake of modern medicine. Sanitation began to take precedence in the lives of the population which further reduced the CDR. Apart from modern medicine and sanitation, demographers also cited increased food security as a supporting factor. This was as a result of improved farming practices. The additional food reserves also caused a spike in early marriages which further boosted the high CBR. Female literacy began to be observed at this stage. Many developing nations especially in Africa, are at this stage. The population at this stage is growing (Marston, 2017).
Mature Industrial or Late Expanding is what stage three is commonly called. This stage is characterized by low CBR as well as low CDR. Low CBR came because of female literacy translating into job occupations. This diverted the focus for childbearing. Contraceptives were also used by women who wanted to take control of their bodies. Communities then realized that they did not need many children because the few they had were more likely to survive till adulthood. Cost of living also rose as a result of urbanization, so it became better and more comfortable to raise fewer children. In this stage, the factors influencing the low CDR have been intensified and cemented. What the population at this stage is growing through the growth is limited. Stage four called the Post Industrial, or Low Stationery is the final stage of the model. The CBR and CDR are both low, so this stabilizes the population. Countries with this demographics have high levels of education, advanced health care and fewer children per woman. Many developed nations in Europe and United States are at this stage (Great Britain, 2013).
Living conditions between people living in stage four and those in other stages are sharply contrasted. For instance, a person living in stage four has access to clean running water, while one in stage two may still have to find good drinking water. On the other hand, the stage 2 dweller may have running water that is not safe for drinking. The health facilities in stage four may be superior with well-stocked pharmacies and standardized pricing. The stage two may have health care but of lower quality and with an affordable price for many. Food security is at a higher level for stage four nations, while stage 2 may still be struggling to access and afford safe food (Kegley & Blanton, 2017).
The incorporation of improved farming techniques may be the key to transitioning a nation from one stage to another. This is aimed at improving the living conditions of the population by transforming their food basket and availing cheap and safe food. This can be done by imparting knowledge on the bastions under stage two. The revolutionized agricultural sector stands to benefit nations through fertilizers, soil testing, irrigation techniques and other farming techniques. These measures will move a nation towards attaining food security.
Conclusion
Generally, while food security is always a concern for survival, the growth of megalopolises well as swift urbanization, together with regional economic upsurge and population growth continue to pose even more significant threats to sustaining food security for global populations. It is particular becoming tough to feed the majority of the non-producers of societies. As a matter of fact, social tensions is anticipated with the increase in the regional imbalances between the population increase and the economic upsurge. The global population growth especially in the developing world is highly dependent on the patterns of food demand.
. References
Barbosa-Cánovas, G. V., In Pastore, G. M., In Candoğan, K., Meza, I. G. M., In Buckle, K., Yada, R. Y., Rosenthal, A., Lannes, S. C. S. (2017). Global food security and wellness .
Great Britain. (2013). Global food security . London; The Stationery Office Print.
Kegley, C. W., & Blanton, S. L. (2017). World politics: Trend and transformation .
Marston, S. A. (2017). World regions in global context: Peoples, places, and environments .
Weatherby, J. N., Arceneaux, C., Leithner, A., Reed, I., Timms, B. F., & Zhang, S. N. (2017). The Other World: Issues and Politics in the Developing World . Milton: Taylor and Francis.
