Farming, Water, and Security

Compare and contrast:

1) Israelis bring high-tech food to Angola

An Israeli company is using the latest water-saving technology to grow fruit and vegetables in Angola, which imports much of its food after 27 years of civil war. […] The farm was set up at the end of the war in 2002 and has been harvesting tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, mangoes, melons and grapes for three years. In fact, the farm produces 35 tonnes of vegetables every week of the year, selling most of this food to supermarkets and restaurants in Luanda.

2) Farms ‘big threat’ to fresh water

Farming poses the biggest threat to fresh water supplies, according to a major United Nations report. Agriculture is consuming more water as the world population increases and as people turn to a Western diet, one of the scientists on the report said. Farms use two-thirds of fresh water taken from aquifers and other sources. The UN concludes that ending subsidies on pesticides and fertilisers, and realistic pricing on water, would reduce demand and pollution.

So, artificially low prices on water are creating demand that far outstrips supply, leading the earth towards a security disaster. Only when water becomes a highly valuable commodity does innovation occur, leading to more appropriate controls designed to for long-term availability and scalability.

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