Meera Srivastava is presently working as Head, Post Graduate Department of Zoology, Govt. Dungar College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. She is also Convener- Board of Studies in Zoology, and Member- Academic Council, MGS University, Bikaner. She has contributed to more than 152 research publications published in journals of national and international repute and in the form of conference abstracts. She has represented more than 76 Conferences and has visited United Kingdom, France, Scotland, Italy, Thailand, Dubai, Sri Lanka and Malaysia and has been invited to deliver talks, Chair/ Co-Chair Technical sessions.
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. Historically, people secured food through two methods: Hunting and gathering, and agriculture. Today, the majority of the food required by the ever increasing population of the world is supplied by the food industry based on agriculture produce. Third agricultural revolution
concentrated on industrialization of agriculture with mechanization, chemical farming, food manufacturing
, addition of economic value through processing, canning, refining, packaging, green revolution, plant breeding, biotechnology, genetic manipulation
, etc. Crop products are eventually stored for varied periods of time depending on market demand, size of production and the farmer’s needs. Herbivorous insects are said to be responsible for destroying one fifth of the world’s total crop production annually. By their very nature, most insecticides create some risk of harm to humans, animals or the environment. Unfortunately, some of the highly hazardous insecticides are continually and indiscriminately used globally. The small farmers prefer those because they are cost-effective, are easily available and display a wide spectrum of bioactivity. It is for sure that insecticides, once enter the environment will have negative impacts on air, water, soil, human beings and animals. Some suggested management strategies include: Integrated pest management (IPM); Use of resistant varieties; Employing biological control measures; Use of bio-pesticides, Sterilization technique, Sex attractants and Pheromones and above all educating farmers. Food safety and food security
are monitored by agencies like the: International Association for Food Production, World Resources Institute, World Food Program, Food and Agriculture Organization and International Food Information Council. They address issues such as sustainability, biological diversity, climate change, nutritional economics
, population growth, water supply, and access to food.