Application of GIS to Ensuring Food Security

In order to feed the world's rapidly growing population, currently about 8.2 billion, with a crop productivity of about 2.1 billion metric tons, and according to the World Bank report, the population will increase to about 9.7 billion, and hence the estimated productivity will be about 3.3 billion metric tons, we have been able to increase agricultural production due to technology being advanced in the past few decades. However, we also face numerous issues today, like shrinking cropland, depleting water supplies, and climate change, which emphasize the necessity of taking previously unheard-of steps to attain agricultural resilience to provide food for everyone. To monitor crops and implement targeted & optimal management practices that will increase crop productivity, geographic information systems and other technologies like remote sensing, global positioning systems, etc. have been essential. In this article, we discuss the application of GIS that helps boost efficiency and production, thus helping in problems of food security.