Explain Environmental Factors influencing food production?
You probably know that no agricultural region has a constant climate throughout the year. This is true even in the tropical areas. The variations in climate influence the cultivation patterns. For example, cultivation of rice necessitates adequate supply of water and the dry season is hence unfavourable for rice cultivation. In addition, there may be shortage of labourers in certain seasons. Elimination of these seasonal bottlenecks will improve the food production. On the other hand, too much mechanization will displace hired labour and prevent social gains. One also has to understand that agricultural data also is subject to seasonal variation. So policy makers have to analyze the data and formulate policy, having in mind the seasonal variation in agricultural working pattern. Seasonality brings in an element of risk and uncertainty for the farmer. This causes the farmer to invest in crops, which are less influenced by changes in climate. It also discourages him to invest more on technical inputs. The distribution of arable land has important economic consequences. Issues related to food/fertilizer transportation and food storage influence the availability and accessibility of food to the consumer.