13.2 India: how human and physical factors combine to cause food insecurity

Question 1

Describe rapid population growth:

Answer 1

17 million extra people per year

Question 2

Describe the natural environments in India:

Answer 2

Mountains, deserts, grasslands, tropical and temperate forests

Question 3

What are the three major ecological zones in India:

Answer 3

1. Himalayan mountains in the north
2. Indo-Gangetic Plain in the centre
3. Peninsular Plateau in the south

Question 4

What is the decline in food production mainly due to?

Answer 4

Poor wheat harvests

Question 5

Where in the world does India rank for wheat and rice production?

Answer 5

Second highest in the world

Question 6

What proportion of world’s hungry are found in India?

Answer 6

One-third

Question 7

What are the threats to food security in India:

Answer 7

• Unreliable weather patterns
• Increased frequency of droughts and floods
• Declining water table
• Increased soil erosion
• Urbanisation reducing land availability
• Green Revolution having adverse socio-economic and environmental impacts
• Inefficient infrastructure led to waste
• Small-scale farmers disadvantaged by globalisation

Question 8

Describe the Punjab region:

Answer 8

In the northwest
Occupies less than 2% of the land area
Produces two-thirds of food grains
Used to be known as ‘the bread basket of India’

Question 9

What are the physical challenges facing India’s food security?

Answer 9

• Water shortages
• Increased temperatures
• Soil erosion

Question 10

Describe Punjab’s climate:

Answer 10

Semi-arid
630 mm per year
21 degrees average temperature

Question 11

Describe Punjab’s seasons:

Answer 11

1. Hot season (April – June)
2. Rainy season, 70% of rainfall (July – September)
3. Cold season (October to March)

Question 12

Water shortages: what has caused frequent droughts?

Answer 12

Unreliable monsoon rains in the past 16 years

Question 13

Water shortages: what have farmers done to compensate for droughts?

Answer 13

Drawn more groundwater for crop irrigation = accelerated decline in the water table

Question 14

Water shortages: what % of groundwater supplies are over-exploited?

Answer 14

80%

Question 15

Water shortages: consequence of water shortages on farmers?

Answer 15

Expensive equipment must be purchased to drill to huge depths leading to financial stress = high suicide rates among farmers

Question 16

Increased temperatures: what is the impact on crops?

Answer 16

Crops have reached their maximum heat tolerance leading to decrease crop yields

Question 17

Increased temperatures: what extreme weather event has exacerbated water table drop?

Answer 17

Droughts

Question 18

Soil erosion: characteristics of rainfall

Answer 18

Intense and heavy

Question 19

Soil erosion: consequence of intense and heavy rainfall

Answer 19

Little infiltration due to hard baked earth and high levels of overland flow leading to erison of fertile upper layers of the soil

Question 20

Soil erosion: what % of rainfall is lost to run-off?

Answer 20

40%

Question 21

What % of land degradation is due to water and wind erosion?

Answer 21

78%

Question 22

What are the human challenges facing India’s food security?

Answer 22

1. The Green Revolution
2. Government Policy
3. Impact of globalisation

Question 23

Green revolution: what was the aim?

Answer 23

To make India self-sufficient in food grains and to reduce the dependency on imports

Question 24

Green Revolution: what was introduced in 1960s?

Answer 24

High yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice and wheat

Question 25

Green Revolution: what qualities did the new crops possess + what did this create?

Answer 25

More resistance to heavy rain and wind damage than traditional varieties
As a result, the agrochemical business grew

Question 26

Green Revolution: what were the socio-economic and environmental disadvantages?

Answer 26

• HYVs dependent on intensive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides
• Favoured large wealthy farms
• Agrochemicals adversely affected soil and water quality
• Widened gap between rural rich and rural poor as small farmers couldn’t cope with cost of inputs

Question 27

Government policy: what did the Indian government introduce in 2013?

Answer 27

The National Food Security Bill to alleviate food shortages

Question 28

Government policy: what was the focus of the NFS Bill?

Answer 28

Subsidising grain purchases rather than addressing supply issues

Question 29

Government policy: what were the supply issues?

Answer 29

Inefficient transport and storage leading to food waste

High food prices and limited quantity and quality of produce

Question 30

Government policy: what other government area has been unpopular in India?

Answer 30

Limitations on FDI in the food retail sector

Has the potential to bring expertise and innovation from firms like Walmart

Question 31

Globalisation: what have been the adverse effects on Indian agriculture?

Answer 31

1. Small-scale farmers unable to compete with large-scale agribusinesses
2. Agricultural products increasingly imported from ACs into India
3. Small-scale farmers forced into high-value crops leading to food insecurity
4. GM crops sold by MNCs at exorbitant prices

Question 32

What are the key requirements for the future?

Answer 32

• Increased government investment in agriculture into machinery, fertilisers etc
• Better prices for farmers through direct selling at farmers markets
• Reduced input costs through shared labour and organic farming
• Improvements in local food distribution centres and infrastructure
• Appropriate technology to manage water supply