There are two worlds. One is the temperate world comprising of all rich countries in North America, Europe, eastern Europe, Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific . The other is the subtropical and tropical poor countries in Africa, Asia and South America.
The rich countries have the following common features: high inherent productivity of crops and animals grown, abundant food supply, well organised agriculture and industry, strong R&D and patents, high level of education, well known schools and universities, well developed health services, highly developed cultural centers( theaters, exhibitions, libraries, cinemas etc ) and sports complexes, low crime, law abiding citizens, well developed democracy and mass media, high human rights and freedom. To add to this list , there is low population and population growth rate, low infant mortality and long life expectancy.
The poor countries have the following inherent issues: low level of productivity in agriculture and animal husbandry, inadequate food availability and nutrient deficiency, poorly structured agriculture and industry and low level of investment, poor R&D, education, health services, cultural centers and sports amenities. High level of crime, poorly developed democracy and mass media. In some countries low human rights and freedom. High population and population growth rate, high infant morality and short life expectancy.
Why are these basic differences? Some of the thinkers may relate all these to:
1) The high population in the poor countries
2) The lack of democracy and human rights
3) Low level of R&D and Investment
4) The poor education system
5) The corrupt Governments
6) All of the above
There are some other geographical or rather anthropological reasons behind the big issue of poverty. My focus is on them.
In the temperate countries, people require more calories per day (average 4000 calories/man/day) to sustain their life. So they have to eat more food and they eat more , especially more animal protein. Their ability to convert food into energy sources is high. So by eating wheat, milk and milk products, meat, fish fruits and vegetables they get the required energy to keep themselves warm in the coldest climate. Besides this, they need more energy to work more, since they have to do lot of works in the winter. That is they have to keep away the snow, have to commute to the work place in the harsh weather etc etc. They need to earn more money so that they could wear proper clothes, winter shoes etc, which are costly. The farmers have more job in the husbandry like warming up the animals, conserving the food etc. In short , the people living in continental climate require more food and more money. The living conditions are very harsh.
To the tune of such harsh climate and habitat, the things in such areas are different from the tropics and subtropics. The wheat grown in such area produces more protein, more than 12 %. The cow grown there gives 50 liters milk per day. The grain basket is varied : wheat, maize, buck wheat, barley, oats, rice and millets as against rice, wheat and maize in south. The milk products are more than 1000 or 10,000. The meat and fish is also from varied sources and meat and fish products are also plenty unlike in the south. Only the fruits and vegetables are grown less, but all the fruits from the world are available in the supermarkets. Many vegetables are grown in the green houses including hydroponics.
In short the food is varied and abundant in continental rich countries in the north. The crops grown and animals reared are highly productive. When the same crop varieties and animals are brought to the tropics/ subtropics and grown under the same conditions, they give a high yield, but far less than the results shown in their natural habitats.
Where as in the poor tropics and sub tropics in the south, the people have less calorific requirement, 2000 calories per day. The climate is not harsh and less energy is spent over the day. People here eat more vegetables and less meat. The food is not that much varied . The crops grown and the animals reared show less productivity. For example, the productivity of rice is 4000 Kg/ha in the tropics, where it is 6000 Kg/ha in temperate regions. The average milk yield of a cow is 10 liters/day in the tropics, where as it is 50 liters /day in temperate regions.
It is as if the Nature is playing a direct role in life. If the life requires less energy to sustain, the photosynthesis (plants) and synthesis (animals) is less and results in less food units. The load on the genotype of living organisms is linked with the environment. That is if a genotype(animal) is required to produce more meat or milk to meet it's own requirements, it adopts to the external conditions and acquires new desired characteristic to produce more meat or milk.
It all shows that there is big relationship between the nature and life. Where ever the nature demands high energy for maintaining life, the living organisms including plant, animal and human being are adapted to the living conditions . In harsh climate the requirement in all material wealth is high and so the human being acquire such wealth by the help of gifted plant varieties and animal breeds, scientific research and development, investment and adopting democracy and freedom.
The poverty is pushed out from these rich countries by the endless efforts of human beings and gift of the Nature.
Where as the poverty is growing in many countries in the south when the civilian wars, terrorism, state corruption, environmental degradation, natural calamities and corporate exploitation is wide spreading there.
Post script
There is big gap between the North and South.
Not much Southerner can be seen in a Tennis Championship or Painting Exhibition or Opera or Public Auction in the North. The dark skinned southerner is met with skepticism. Many in the North takes him or her as a terrorist or a killer or thief. The South East Asians , Indians, Paks and Bengla, are treated as dirty slum people. The Chinese people from Pacific countries are given due respect , but looked upon with suspicion. The Arabs are kept at a distance away. The Africans are inflaming fear among the Northerners. The South Americans are seen as rebells.
There is a big cultural war going on between South and North.
But the civilized people in the North love and respect the people from the South.
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