5.2: Terrestrial food production systems and food choices

Question 1

outline subsistent and commercial farming agricultural practises?

Answer 1

SUBSISTENT- farming for self suffiencey, enough to feed a family.

COMMERCIAL- large scale production (high yield) of crops and livstock for sale.

Question 2

what are some subheadings you can use to establish the differences between subsistent and commercial farming?

Answer 2

size/scale

use in MEDC or LEDC

level of mechanisation

legal regulation

Question 3

what out of the two farming options is the more sustainable in terms of energy, give an explanation for you response?

Answer 3

Subsistence- use of manual labour or draft animals prevent a heavy dependency on fossil fules. Commercial farming uses finite resources whic produce a lot of pollutants.

Question 4

what out of the two farming options is the more sustainible in terms of irrigation, give an explanation for you response?

Answer 4

Subsistence- some agricultural systems have very heavy water demands and require large-scale irrigation which may cause localised water supply problems and a drop in the water table, however, subsistense farming can also use water unsustanibly.

Question 5

what out of the two farming options is the more sustainable in terms of indigounous livestock and crops, give an explanation for you response?

Answer 5

subsistant as they are more likely to choose indigenous plants/livestock.

Commercial farming systmes sometimes fram crops or keep animals that are not indeginous to the area and this can creat a need for greenhouse and imporrs of feedstuffs.

Question 6

what out of the two farming options is the more sustainible in terms of fertilisers/ pestilisers, give an explanation for you response?

Answer 6

subsistence- crop rotation, biological pest control and other environmentally sound practices can cause fewer subsistence farming problems. Growing the same crop on the same land in commercial farming requires chemicals.

Question 7

what out of the two farming options is the more sustainible in terms of antibiotics, give an explanation for you response?

Answer 7

subsistence- keeping animals in close quarters (often inside) causes the spread of disease and this requires large amount of antibiotics, often used routinely.

Free range animals (subsistense) tend to be healthier nedd less antibiotics.

Question 8

what out of the two farming options is the more sustainible in terms of pollinators, give an explanation for you response?

Answer 8

with more biodiversity subsistence farms, pollinators have different habitats and there are usually enough insects and pollinate crops. Maany comerical crops require honey bee hives to be bought in as pollinators.

Question 9

outline how altering human activity can be used to increase the sustainability of food production systems?

Answer 9

change our attitudes toward our food and our diets.

eat different crops, increased consumption of insects- big protein source that refocuses quickly and in large numbers, eat less meat and improved education of food.

Question 10

outline how improving food labels can be used to increase the sustainability of food production systems?

Answer 10

raise awareness of food production efficency. Better labled increases consumer awarness of where the food was grown (food miles) and the amount of energy needed to produce it.

Question 11

outline how government control and monotoring can be used to increase the sustainability of food production systems.

Answer 11

the commision on sustanible agreculture nd climate change is working towards the intergration of sustanible agreculture into national and internationla policies- Reaserch, development, alnd rehabilitation, economic insentives and infastructure all help aid thedevelopment of sustaniblefarming.

Question 12

outline how creating buffer zones can be used to increase the sustainability of food production systems?

Answer 12

strips of land containing native spcies, of vegitation that are adjasant to agrecultural land. They support biodiversity, support insect preditors that limit crop pests , reducing the need for pestiside use. Limit run-off of fertilisers and pesicides into surrounding water and controle air and soil quality.

Plants trap sediment and their roots hold soil particals together which reduces the effect of wind errosion.

Question 13

why might climate make uneven food distributions around the world?

Answer 13

climate and local ecological conditions determine what will grow where on earth. we can adapt with greenhouses or irrigation but somecoutnries are too dry to too cold.

Question 14

why might landsutability make uneven food distributions around the world?

Answer 14

not all land is suitable for the production of crops - this culd be due to accessibility, fertility of the soil, terrain, amount of rainfall and type of soil.

Question 15

why might cash cropping in LEDC make uneven food distributions around the world?

Answer 15

the export-driven economies of many LEDC may lead to crops being generated for cash (cash cops) rather than feeding the local population.

Question 16

why might foodwaste in food production systems make uneven food distributions around the world?

Answer 16

as much as half of the food that is produced is wasted due to poor agricultural pracstises, inadequate infrastructure for transporting food and poor storage faciliites.

Question 17

compare reasons for food waste in MEDC and LEDC?

Answer 17

In LEDCs wastage tends to occure at the farmer/producer end of the chain of production. Inefficient harvesting, inadequate local transport and poor infastructure means that food is frequently handels inappropriatly and strored under unsutable conditions.

In MEDCs produce is often watsed through consumer behaviour with exacting marketing standards for apperance.

Question 18

outline how cultural and religious beliefs can influence people’s food choices?

Answer 18

some religions restrict certain foods e.g Island not eating pork. Hindus do not eat beef. Traditions shape the food we prefer.

Question 19

outline how politics and legislation can influence people’s food choices?

Answer 19

goverments can substadize or put tarrifs on some food to encurage or discurage their production

Question 20

outline how socio-economic structures can influence people’s food choices?

Answer 20

market forces determine supply and demand in a free market economy

Question 21

outline the ways in which population growth in society will decrease the availability of land for food production?

Answer 21

as populations grow more land wwill be needed for housing, infastrcture, schools, hospilas ect. The more land is used urban development the less land is avalible for agrecultre.

Between 1907 and 2007the area of land used for agrecultre onlyincrease by 8%.

Question 22

outline how populaiton growth could increase food production?

Answer 22

as the population grows we will need to maximise food production by:

1) improving the technologies of agriculture.
2) altering what we grwo and how we grow it.
3) reducing foo waste with improved storage and and transporation.

Question 23

explain why producing food from livestock is generally less efficient than producing food from crops on the same land?

Answer 23

energy is lost by respiration and waste production at each level within a food web. Livestock as they are on a higher tropic level than crops, are less efficient as only 3% of the feed they consume turns into edible tissue.

Question 24

explain why harvesting food from lower tropic levels may be more cost efficient?

Answer 24

food is manufactured and sold by weight so it is possible to calculate the energy contained in the food per unit volume, You can also calculate the energy used to produce that food to calculate the energy balance. Energy input : output is 1:9 for cereal is much low than sheep at 0:25.

Question 25

outlines the reasons a member of a society may tend to harvest from a higher tropic level despite the limminations in efficency?

Answer 25

taste and cultural preferences play and role and animals provide a source of protein.

Animals can convert into food vegetation that would be available to humans directly (e.g. grass).

Products from livestock are diverse (milk, meat, blood wool etc.) and in many cultures, the livestock are used as working animals.