8) UK food security Flashcards
What has happened to average calorie intake in the UK?
It has decreased since 1940
Calorie intake in 1940
2350
Calorie intake in 2000
1750
Decrease in calorie consumption 3
People have less physical jobs now
More awareness about healthy eating
Spikes in the cost of food
What has happened to food availability?
It has increased
How much of its food does the UK produce?
60%
Why was food availability bad in WW2? 2
Global food shortages
Imports to the UK were disrupted by the Germans
This lead to rations being introduced
What did Common Agricultural Policy do?
It introduced the production of crops by intensifying agriculture (growing more in a smaller space)
What has happened to the imports of seaonal foods like strawberries?
Increased, we now import 78% of vegetables we consume
Where have food banks helped?
Newcastle
How many people in the UK don’t have enough to eat?
5 million
How any people have used food banks in Newcastle?
8%
How have food banks increased food security? 2
Reduce hunger and improve diets
Shops donate unsold food, reducing waste
Problems with food banks 2
Little fresh food as goes off - lots of processed food with salt and sugars
Don’t solve underlying problems such as wages
2 methods of increasing food security in the UK
Intensification
Hydroponics
Benefits of hydroponics 3
Vegetables grown all year round, reduces reliance on imports
Grown in otherwise deserted places so food production increases
Create jobs
Where are hydroponics used now?
In abandoned WW2 tunnels under London and Thanet Earth, which produced 10% of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes
Negatives of hydroponics 3
Can be expensive to setup which means prices are high
Lots of energy needed to power greenhouse and transport goods
Built in rural areas which destroys habitats
Methods used in intensification 5
Higher yielding crops planted Monoculture Irrigation techniques to water plants efficiently Chemicals to maximise yield Mechanisation to increase yield
What is monoculture?
Growing just one crop over a large area
What is intensification?
Increasing crop yield
Negatives of intensification 4
Monoculture crops can be wiped out by single pathogen or natural disaster
Monoculture reduces biodiversity
Chemicals pollute land and water, disrupting ecosystems
Over exploiting the land lead to soil infertility
