Question

Give two examples from history to show the impact of technology on food availability.

Answer 1

Hint:
As a well-known fact, the technology industry is one of the industries which has rapidly grown over the past few decades and centuries. Therefore, there is an adverse impact created by technology in food availability.

Complete step by step solution:
With a consistent, loyal consumer base of 7 billion, there is no bigger industry on our planet than food and agriculture. In fact, the World Bank reports that food and agriculture make up about 10 percent of global GDP, indicating that, based on the estimated global GDP of 88 trillion for 2019, food and agriculture will be priced at about 8 trillion globally.
To go back in the past the animals were transported live from America to Europe earlier, many perished or were unsafe to eat on the way. Thus, the meat was pricey. The animals could be slaughtered and exported to Europe as frozen meat at the point of departure from America, Australia, or New Zealand. This reduced the cost of shipping in Europe and lowered rates.
Considering the main impact of technology on food availability, the 2 points mentioned below are a major and important impact:
1) Cold storage methods and the use of refrigerated containers/ships have improved exports of perishable goods without fear of loss of the perishable goods. It was possible to send meat exported from America to places where meat was limited or even to the other end of the world.
2) Faster rails, larger ships, and lighter carriages allowed perishable foodstuffs to move cheaper and faster from distant land farms to their final consumers.

Note:
The potential of using technology to enhance food is enormous and applies to improving the use of food and reducing waste, a key to mitigating the environmental impacts of a rising human population.