Volcanic Agriculture- Why risk it?

Volcanic agriculture has mass societal importance; as of 2023, there are 800 million people at risk of life threatening hunger globally. 3.1 billion people cannot afford a healthy, nutritious diet. Any land that is still able to be productively to produce food used ought to be.

The Malthus theory, as shown by the graph on the left, describes the catastrophe that can occur when population growth outpaces agricultural production. This is otherwise known as the population trap. There are criticisms of this theory and claims it lost all validity since the industrial revolution which revolutionised agriculture as it was once known.

However, I believe it is still valid, and we are at quickening risk of Malthusian Catastrophe each day. Agriculture is at risk; it is a primary industry with an ageing workforce resulting from generations of rural-urban migration, as well as food prices being incredibly market-volatile which means farmers can not actually afford to keep producing food with their minimal profits. On top of these factors, we are in the midst of a climate crisis, as well as war. The climate crisis is reducing the amount of land able to be used for agriculture due to drought, flooding, and other natural disasters, and this is heightened by human interaction with said lands; the Aral sea was over-farmed for cotton for clothing, and has now dried up.

The ongoing war in Ukraine is having detrimental effects on the agricultural industry. Between Russia and Ukraine, they export almost 12% of the world's calories. Both countries are key exporters of many basic agro-commodities, including wheat, barley, maize, and sunflower oil. Russia is the worlds top exporter of fertilisers, a necessity for productive yields. These countries being in war throws off the balance of current global agricultural trade.

Volcanic soil is acidic, with a higher average pore size, which means there is more room for roots, more room for oxygen and nutrients to reach the plants, and has better water retention; the water is retained better and does not flood the soil, which is a common cause of crop failure as it drowns the crop. Quite simply, its some the best soil a farmer could ask for, only it comes with the life-threatening risk of living by an active volcano. The link below shows the ways volcanic agriculture can help and provide for small communities living on/ by active volcanoes, in this case with the help of charities such as Operation Blessing; there is not only the chance for decreased food dependency elsewhere, but economic progress and female emancipation possible, as explained in the video.

Agricultural land is unequally spread across the globe, mainly focused in the tropics. Due to this, many countries outside of tropic regions have to be somewhat reliant on importing food from high agricultural-yield countries. This reinforces the idea of dependency theory, with the semi-periphery and the periphery giving basic resources (food) to the core, which in return gives goods. If we are to feed the world, this current dependency needs to be dismantled. Those living in volcanic areas are already at an economic disadvantage as they must spend large sums of money on appropriate infrastructure to withstand eruptions. For us all to eat, we must actively work to help each other achieve this.