13.2 What are the causes of inequality in global good security?

Question 1

Physical factors affecting food security:

Answer 1

Soil
Temperature and growing season
Precipitation and water supply 
Altitude
Aspect 
Slope

Question 2

How does ‘soil’ affect food security?

Answer 2

Farming is influenced by depth, drainage, texture, structure, pH, and mineral content of soil
Most important soil characteristics are:
- Texture: size of mineral particles in soil determines soil’s ability to store nutrients and hold moisture
- Structure: how the soil particles are bound which affects penetrability of air, water, and roots
- Nutrient supply: decomposed organic matter enhances nutrients eg phosphorus

Question 3

How does temperature and growing season affect food security?

Answer 3

Minimum threshold temperature for growth and specific length growing season eg In UK cereals require minimum of 6 degrees and cotton requires a 200 day growing season
Increases in latitude and altitude reduce growing season length

Question 4

How does precipitation and water supply affect food security?

Answer 4

Average annual precipitation determines the growth of crops and effectiveness, and seasonal distribution are important; coffee requires dry period before harvesting
India depends heavily on annual monsoons and if late this severely impacts food security
Intensity and duration important – prolonged moderate rain can infiltrate but heavy downpours promote run-off and fail to reach roots

Question 5

How does altitude affect food security? (High altitude)

Answer 5

Climate, soils, and growing season interlinked
As height increase, temperature decreases, and growing season decreases
Nutrient cycling is slower and leaching prevalent

Question 6

How does aspect affect food security?

Answer 6

Microclimate affected

In northern hemisphere, southern-facing slopes get more sunlight so warmer and drier soils

Question 7

Social, economic, and political factors affecting food security:

Answer 7

Land ownership, capital, competition, technology, land grabbing

Question 8

How does land ownership affect food security?

Answer 8

Many different types of land ownership
Russia: low demand for private ownership, regions where farmers own land are productive like Saratov, 26000 private farmers but vast majority state-owned
China:
Pre-1949 small intensive farmers owned by absent landlords
Post-1949 Communist party redistributed farmland amongst peasants, joined together to create state-run communes
1982 commune system abolished; farmers have contract with government farm rent-free for a quote which they could sell surplus of
Bangladesh: sharecropping where farmers pay ‘rent in kind’ to landowner to occupy land in exchange for fertilisers, seeds, machinery but landowner gets 50% plus of harvest

Question 9

How does capital affect food security?

Answer 9

In ACs farming is capital intensive but in LIDCs there is a shortage of capital so limited output threatening food security

Question 10

How does competition affect food security?

Answer 10

2 issues – competition in food markets and competition for scarce resources

Food markets:
Growing dominance of retail chains, agribusinesses and TNCs = lack of competition
Concern over prices paid to farmers for producers and price for consumers
Competition between ACs and LIDCs is offset by ACs ability to offer subsidies
Scarce Resources:
Competition for land, water, and energy
Agricultural land lost to urbanisation and govt decisions to grow biofuels

Question 11

How does technology affect food security?

Answer 11

Developments like new strains of seeds, fertilisers, mechanisations, and new irrigation methods = improve production = mainly in ACs due to reserve in capital and expertise
In LIDCs appropriate technology is more effective eg. small-scale irrigation drip schemes

Question 12

How does land grabbing affect food security?

Answer 12

Acquisition of farmland in developing countries by other countries seeking to ensure their own food security
‘Push’ factors like water scarcity, export restrictions and price fluctuations have forced countries short of land to find alternatives eg China, India
Benefits to target countries = local employment, development of infrastructure, new agricultural technologies introduced, creation of local food surpluses and enhanced food security
Disadvantages to target countries = local farmers displaced from land with no alternative employment, unequal power relations
Eg. $4bn invested by India into Ethiopia to grow flowers and sugar

Question 13

How does slope affect food security?

Answer 13

Slope angle affects rate of erosion and use of machinery
Soils on steep slopes are thin and excessively drained
At base they become waterlogged