Supplying is a term that is linked to the action and consequences of supplying. This verb, for its part, refers to providing what is necessary for survival.
It can be said, therefore, that supply is an activity that consists of satisfying, at the appropriate time and in the appropriate way, the needs of people with regard to the consumption of some resource or commercial product. The notion is generally equated to supply or the English term supply.
At an economic level, supply appears linked to logistics and the supply chain. This chain must anticipate the demand of the consumers and assure the delivery of the products to the distributors, to avoid the exhaustion of units for sale. Curiously, some companies, especially manufacturers of electronic products, use the lack of stock as a point of sale, since to reach that point it is necessary to have been very successful with the proposal.
The supply process, therefore, encompasses all those activities that enable the identification and purchase of the goods and services that a company or other entity needs to function.
The management of the supply chain is responsible for establishing relations between its various components and integrating the activities so that their objectives can be met.
Beyond trade, it could be said that supplying food to citizens is the most important obligation of a government. Without food, no life is possible; with a poor diet, development cannot be completed.
In Cuba, finally, the ration book is a notebook that can keep track of rationed foods that the authorities deliver to citizens. It is a control system that includes a decreasing quantity of products.
The world and the supply of drinking water
Water is a resource that in certain cities tends to be taken for granted, given the home delivery system that has been around for decades. But thirst in the world is one of the most worrying topics today; some specialists predict that by 2025, 3 billion people may lack the water supply necessary to live.
For more than 300 years, rainwater harvesting systems have been used in various countries for personal consumption. In Mexico, for example, this hydraulic collection technique is common in certain cities where drinking water contains high amounts of salts and produces kidney stones. However, not all people who supply water by these means have the necessary infrastructure to keep the reserves in hygienic conditions.
Ignorance about the needs of other countries, as well as little interest in caring for our planet, begins with the government and continues with the schools. The human being is characterized by acting when the catastrophe arrives. In cities like Buenos Aires, the water supply service is charged with a fixed amount; that is, it does not vary according to consumption. In this way, millions of people waste large amounts of this precious resource, while in other parts of the world there are those who spend months without renewing their reserves.
On the other hand, in countries where the amount of water consumed is charged, its inhabitants take precautionary measures so as not to overpay. Unfortunately, this does not mean that these people are aware of the situation outlined above, of the possibility of a drought worldwide within a few decades; they are simply taking care of their own economy, with an absolutely circumstantial and selfish vision. The solution, once again, lies in education, in the union of efforts and in respect for the environment.
