Read at :

http://www.ryot.org/combating-hunger-by-caring-for-the-earth-why-food-security-is-an-environmental-issue/

Combating hunger by caring for the Earth: Why food security is an environmental issue

Today, one in eight people[1] around the world will go to bed hungry. Though we often picture urban slums when discussing poverty, the majority of these one in eight individuals live in rural areas, where they depend on the Earth daily to produce their food and create a source of income.

Yet due to environmental degradation worldwide — including deforestation, pollution, and poor management — natural systems are altered. This reduces the land’s productivity, and rural farmers are left without enough food for their families. Deforestation is one of the clearest examples of this cause-and-effect sequence. As agricultural productivity decreases, farmers desperate to feed their families turn to cutting down trees to sell for cash, or to clear land for farming. Yet any attempt…