According to “GM Crops: Food For Thought” article (2001), “This case is yet to be proven and whilst few genetic engineers would argue that GM crops are the sole means to solve world hunger and counteract all the myriad causes of social and economic inequity, there are those who believe that it's premature to discount the contribution the new crops might make” (para.10). As in the above example, there are lots of countries that have to need of some support to solve starvation. Alternative sources of food which means that substitute food can replace the principal food can help to solve these food problems. Alternative sources of food like new crops and meats are that most of people do not think of as edible and economical. However, nowadays some of new crops and meats have more nutrition, and people who cannot afford to buy enough food can get them cheaper price. So, many kinds of alternative food sources can be helpful to solve food problems such as starvation, lack of nutrition, economy and business crisis.
Food is “Material, usually of plant or animal origin, that contains or consists of essential body nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals, and is ingested and assimilated by an organism to produce energy, stimulate growth, and maintain life” (“Food”, n, para.1) Our sources of food are changing somehow, and our ancestors struggled to find more efficient and more sustainable sources of food. According to Starch 'fuel of human evolution' article (2007), “The researchers believe our earliest human ancestors began searching for new food sources other than the ripe fruits that primates eat. These were starches, stored by plants in the form of underground tubers and bulbs - wild versions of modern-day foods like carrots, potatoes, and onions.” Today, people who live on the earth have own habits of food style. It means that the source of food, which is from own ancestors, have kept for a long time. For example, dog farms are one of most popular food system in Korea. It is from customs as ancestors’ alternative food since 3000 years ago (“S Korea Dog Meat Row Deepens”, 2001). According to Plants For A Future (n.d.), There are quite literally thousands of species of edible plants that can be grown, yet most people are only aware of the thirty or so species to be found in the grocers, and many of these will have been imported” (para.1). Many people argue that some of alternative food is disgusting and weird; also, they think that it is not our style, and it can be harmful our health. However, some of countries’ people have to eat alternative food to live, and it is normal that some people eat different food in their culture, such as insects and dogs. Also, insects are very good source of nutrients. In Thai insects are traded on industries produce canned insects and insects dishes in these days (“Eating Insects in Thailand”, 2002). There are a lot of different sources of food, and different people eat different source of food. It is defends on People who live different climate, land, and economic surrounding. So, they have to eat different food because people can get alternative foods easier and cheaper than other principal food. Therefore, alternative sources of food can help everyone in the world.
First, the primary reason is that alternative sources of food can provide more food for hungry people. Some of countries isolate from world support such as North Korea, and they need to develop methods that can make more efficient and sustainable food sources. Different sources of food can be competitive in production and quality. According to “Plants For A Future” (n, d), “There are quite literally thousands of species of edible plants that can be grown, yet most people are only aware of the thirty or so species to be found in the grocers, and many of these will have been imported. They are all fairly easily grown in most soils and often require less attention than many of our better known food crops” (para.1). It means that alternative sources of food as crops can make easy way to get food. In other words, those new sources of food can make mass-production. This way can get the solution to several countries’ people who do not have enough food can get more food because of mass-production. For example, we know that there is almost same protein between meat and soy, and today many vegetarians got soy protein instead of meat. Moreover, soybean is much cheaper than meat because soybeans can have more output than meat. Therefore, alternative sources of food can solve starvation problem in the world.
Another reason is that alternative sources of food can have more nutrition. Some countries have a long history about alternative sources of food because they have known that it makes healthier body than other food sources since long ago, but today it become controversy to treat it like principal food or not. It could be controversial to treat it food or not. However, some people believe it have much more nutrition than principal food. For example, dog meat is very popular in Korea. According to the Cerralbo’s article (2005), “Dog food has many medicinal values such as beefing up men's virility and improving women's skin. “Anyone can tell you that eating dog meat is very healthy," said Park Gye-dong while enjoying a bowl of boshin-tang with his friends, "The Chinese wrote about its healing powers 3,000 years ago in their medical texts, and even now doctors tell patients who are recuperating from operations to eat dog meat in order to recover quickly” (para.11). GM food is also controversy in the world because it has lots of risks to eat. However, it can improve nutrition to control attributes and the major nutritional deficiency. Furthermore, alternative foods can be better quality than primary food because there are lots of alternative sources of food like GM food that can be better quality than other sources of food. For example, GM food increases resistance, productivity, hardiness, and feed efficiency, and it can be better yields of meat, eggs, and milk, also it can improve animal health and diagnostic methods (“Genetically Modified Foods and Organisms”, 2007, para.3). It can be something that we have never seen before, but it can be more perfect food. So, alternative sources of food can be good solution to get good nutrition and better quality food.
In addition, alternative sources of food can affect agriculture market. According to “Food For Thought” article (2001), “Proponents argue that GM crops have the potential to be of enormous benefit to farmers and consumers in less developed nations” (para.9). Nowadays rate of agriculture is declining since technology revolution. Many country’s rural people move to urban areas to get the better job because farmers’ income is declining, and labor force is still needed for lots of work. Furthermore, many different alternatives of sources of crops can make good market for consumers by cheaper price of crops. So, consumers can get variety of good quality food sources easily, and instead of principal food, people can have lots of choices to eat many different sources of alternative food. For instance, if farmers produce wheat instead of rice which need lots of labor and money to plant them, consumers can get chances to buy lower price of wheat. It means that farmers must buy seeds, which are from GM food companies, and more efficient seed can make more a yield of crops or meats, so it can affect increasing farmers’ income. Therefore, it will bring growth of agriculture.
Finally, country which has suffered about high rate of dependence on foreign crops and meats can reduce dependence on imports through alternative sources of food. Many countries supply cheaper food through trading other some crops and meats in lower price but recently increasing consuming of some sources of food bring unbalance of trade between countries. For example, if some countries monopolize some kind of crops, other countries which need it as the principal food have to import it even if it costs lots of money, so it means one county can affect another country’s economy. According to U.S. economic woes weigh on Mexico article, “More than any other country in Latin America, Mexico's economic fate is tied to the U.S., its partner in the North American Free Trade Agreement. Mexico sends more than 80 percent of its exports to the U.S., which is also Mexico's largest source of direct foreign investment and remittances” (para.4).However, if they can investigate alternative sources of food, they can reduce suffering food problem. First, alternative food can reduce suffering about tax from food. When the government makes trade sources of food with other country, they spend nation’s tax to buy it. If they spend taxes to invent newer or better alternative sources of food, it will reduce taxes on the food in the long run. Therefore, alternative sources of food are good solution to make good economy in the world.
Some of opponents say that alternative sources of food cannot solve hunger problem. However, it is incomplete because most country have suffered food problem somehow such as war and nature disaster. For instance, as Korean dog meat culture, they did not have enough meats in the past because of many of war and nature disaster. So, dog meat was good sources to get enough energy instead of other meats. Furthermore, some of opponents say that alternative sources of food do not have good nutrients. However it is illogical because some of crops have better quality than others and have similar nutrition with others. For example, soy and meat have similar protein in that, also some of improved breed of soy have much more protein and nutrition than meat. Therefore, alternative sources of food can be helpful in many fields of food, and it can be best solution to solve food problems.
In conclusion, alternative sources of food have lots of benefits in the world. It can be helpful to get more nutrition than normal food, and it can be helpful to get cheaper food. Many countries have suffered starvation and high price of foreign food, and consumers have suffered from these problems. If the government has more concentration to improve and invent alternative food, they will reduce suffering from food problems. Therefore, Alternative sources of food can be good solution to solve these problems in the world.
References
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