Shortage Of Food Supply Research Articles

Economic and socioeconomics impact of biofuel production in the Arab Region

The growing global demand for energy with expected fossil fuel shortages accompanied with high fossil energy consumption and its adverse impact of environment and climate change stresses the search for alternative energy resources. However, biofuel energy offers many opportunities but poses a number of risks and tradeoffs that result in the shortage of food supply to the poor and increase, at the same time, food prices and food insecurity. The diversion of land by food staples to fuel increases food prices and reduced food availability worldwide. The main objective of this study is to assess the status of liquid biofuel production and processing in the Arab Region, to identify multiple effects of biofuel production and to identify the opportunities and challenges stemming from emerging biofuel industry for smallholder producers in the Arab Region countries. Primary information has been collected from stakeholders through questionnaires, rapid appraisal and field visits. Several Arab countries are using biomass from farms, processing residues and livestock manure. The other group is trying to grow fuel plants like Jatropha, such Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. The positive and negative impacts, in general, were briefly discussed, which in turn reflected the impact of biofuel production on economic and socio-economic. In conclusion, biofuels bring challenges and risks, including potential land-use conflicts, environmental risks, and heightened concerns about food security. These challenges and risks can be effectively dealt with through governmental policies. Key words: Biofuel, socioeconomic, food security, environmental impact.

Further evidence for the dependence of diabetes prevalence on nutrition in perinatal life.

In order to investigate the possible influence of pre- and/or early postnatal nutrition on the development of diabetes mellitus in later life, diabetes prevalences were ascertained in subjects of similar ages who were born in different periods with or without shortage of food supply. Between 1974 and 1982 the total prevalence of diabetes mellitus increased in Berlin/GDR by 26%. A significantly higher increase of diabetes prevalence (approximately 90%) was found between 1974 and 1982 for subjects at 26-33 years of age, whose years of birth changed from a "hypocaloric war and post-war period (1941-1948)" to a "relatively hypercaloric peace period (1949-1956)". By contrast, there was not found any significant increase of diabetes prevalence between 1974 and 1982 for subjects at 34-41 years of age, whose years of birth changed from a "relatively hypercaloric period (1933-1940)" to a "hypocaloric period (1941-1948)". These findings give further evidence for the dependence of diabetes prevalence in later life on nutrition in perinatal life.

High food supply in perinatal life appears to favour the development of insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) in later life.

Men who were born in war and post-war periods with shortage of food supply (1943-47) showed a markedly low prevalence of insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM), but not of non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (NITDM) in later life. A significant increase (+54%) of ITDM prevalence was observed between 1976 and 1982 for subjects at 26-31 years of age, who were born in a post-war period (1945-50) with shortage and a peace period (1951-56) without shortage of food supply, respectively. By contrast, there was not found an increase--but even a slight decrease (-14%)--of ITDM prevalence between 1976 and 1982 for subjects at 38-43 years of age, who were born in a peace period (1933-38) without shortage and a war period (1939-44) with shortage of food supply, respectively. A similar clear dependence of diabetes prevalence on food supply in perinatal life could not be observed for NITDM. On the other hand, the prevalence of NITDM appeared to be significantly dependent--in contrast to ITDM--on food supply in adulthood.

An integrated modelling approach for the management of clam farming in coastal lagoons

The development of shellfish farming was analyzed with a coupled watershed and 3D biogeochemical model for the Sacca di Goro coastal lagoon (Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy). Sacca di Goro is the second site in Europe for the production of the Manila clam ( Tapes philippinarum). Different scenarios were identified and analyzed, considering clam productivity under different environmental conditions, namely with and without macroalgal blooms. In addition, the influence of climatic variability – dry, average and wet years – was assessed. Model simulations indicated that macroalgal blooms have an important negative impact on clam productivity due to the risk of anoxia and subsequent clam mortality. Furthermore, simulation results evidenced that meteorological conditions also affect clam productivity, especially in a dry year due to a shortage of food supply.

Influence of management practices on soil organic matter changes in the Northern China plain and Northeastern China

Soil organic matter (SOM) is strongly related to soil type and management practices. Changes in government policy have brought drastic changes in farm management practices in the last two decades in rural China. This study investigates changes in SOM in two different soils: Ustepts and Udolls. Ustepts, in the North China Plain where the climate is warm and sub-humid, developed from an alluvial flood plain with organic matter <10 g kg −1. Udolls, in Northeastern China where the climate is cool and sub-humid, developed from loess-like materials with organic matter >20 g kg −1. Two locations for Ustepts and three locations for Udolls were used to collect 567 soil samples in 1980–1982 and again in 2000 for SOM analysis. Soil organic matter increased for Ustepts and decreased for Udolls soils over the sampling period, resulting from differences in fertilizer rates and crop residue input to soil. Higher fertilizer input and crop intensity and initially very low SOM content in Ustepts all contributed to greater OM input than oxidation release. In contrast, lower fertilizer input and crop intensity, and initially high SOM content in the Udolls, led to lower OM input than oxidation release. Increasing SOM content through higher mineral fertilizer input is a valuable option for sustainable agriculture production in areas where SOM is low and there is a shortage or potential shortage of food supply.

Diet and stable isotope ratios of gut contents and gonad of the sea urchin Anthocidaris crassispina (A. Agassiz) in two different adjacent habitats, the Sargassum area and Corallina area

:Anthocidaris crassispina collected from the Sargassum area and neighboring Corallina area were examined for their diet, and the stable isotope ratios of gonad and gut contents. Sargassum spp. were primary constituents of gut contents in both habitats, the percentages of them in the Corallina area were less than those in the Sargassum area and the other constituents were almost all calcareous algae. In the stable isotope analyses, gut contents were significantly different, but gonads were not significantly different between two habitats. It is suggested that there were abundant food sources in the Sargassum area, in contrast to the Corallina area where drifting seaweeds compensate the shortage of food supply from this area.

The Role of Light in Fructification of the Basidiomycete Cyathus stercoreus

Fructification in cultures of Cyathus stercoreus (Schw.) de Toni is a process in which photochemical reactions are involved. The amount of light energy required for fruiting to take place is a constant. This photoinductive constant is approximately 17200 foot-candle-hours considering optimum temperature (25 C) and light-saturation effect with reference to light intensity (240 ft-c). It is hypothesized that photoinduction becomes operative when a hypothetical “photoreceptive precursor” develops in the mycelium. The development of such a precursor is believed to occur when conditions unfavorable for good vegetative growth (e.g. shortage of food supply) develop in the culture. Internal metabolic pathways then shift to favor the production of the photoreceptive precursor. A linear function is derived which characterizes the biological photoinduction of fruit-body formation.

THE ROLE OF LIGHT IN FRUCTIFICATION OF THE BASIDIOMYCETE CYATHUS STERCOREUS

Fructification in cultures of Cyathus stercoreus (Schw.) de Toni is a process in which photochemical reactions are involved. The amount of light energy required for fruiting to take place is a constant. This photoinductive constant is approximately 17200 foot‐candle‐hours considering optimum temperature (25 C) and light‐saturation effect with reference to light intensity (240 ft‐c). It is hypothesized that photoinduction becomes operative when a hypothetical “photoreceptive precursor” develops in the mycelium. The development of such a precursor is believed to occur when conditions unfavorable for good vegetative growth (e.g. shortage of food supply) develop in the culture. Internal metabolic pathways then shift to favor the production of the photoreceptive precursor. A linear function is derived which characterizes the biological photoinduction of fruit‐body formation.