B6.2 - Feeding The Human Race Flashcards
Food security definition
ability of the human population to access food of sufficient quality and quantity
Factors affecting food security
Increasing populaiton
Changing diets
New pests and pathogen
Climate change
How to increase food production
Maximise photosynthesis
Fertilisers
Remove competition and pests
Plant crops which are pest resistant
Intensive farming
Famring which uses techniques which produces maximum yield from minumum area - often using chemicals and machcinery
Techniques used in intensive famring
Fertiliers
Pesticide
Maximise growth rate
Machines minimise labour
Organaic farming
Natural method of producing crops and animals, without chemical
Why is organic food more expensive
Since they are grown naturally, there are less yields compared to intensive farming. Therfore it is sold for higher costs
Sustainable food produciton
Making food in a way that can be continued indefinitely
Fish farming
Farms in which fish are kept to help monitor the amount of fish, but also provide food for people.
How does fish farming improve food production
Fish can be used for food but at the same time, overfishing can be prevented and we can ensure we farm fish in a sustainable way
Advantages fo fish farming
Protection against predators
Enough food for fish to grow properly
Controlled water quality.
Competition is eliminated
Disafvantegs to fish farming
Easy for disease to spread
Large amount of waste produced
Farm raised fish not as nutritious
How can farmers reduce reduce use of fertiliers and pesticides
Spread manure instead of fertilisers for nutrients
Crop rotation - plants take up different nutrients. Chnage the crop planted in one area to allow certain nutrients to replenish whilst the others get taken up..
Use biological control - using organisms (called biological control agent) which naturally feed in pests to remove them
Advantages of biological control
Environmentally friendly
Self-sustaining process
Doesn’t disturb soil
Disadvantage of biological control
The control agents are expensive to get hold of
Slow process, takes time
Won’t completely remov epests, just reduce numbers
The control agent you introduce could end up becoming the largest pest
Hydroponics
Growing olants in water containing minerals
(Removes soil)
Adavantges of hyrdroponics
Maximises space (u can fit several plants in rows)
Conserves water (no run off - all water in the tubes and re-used for plants) Hihger yields (since nutrients and water is controlled) Better quality food
Disadvantage of hydrponics
May not work in power outages etc
Expensive set up costs
Water allows waterbourne diseases to spread really quickly
Requires constant monitering
Selective breeding
Process by which humans breed animals and plants with deisred chraacteristics
Example of where selctive breedning may be used
Farmers breeding cows which produce more milk, so that they all produce lots of milk. Better for their sales
Steps of selective breeding
Decide the characteristic you want Select parents with higest oevels of this Breed them Select best offspring Breed again Repeat for several generations
Disadvanatges of selective breeding
Reduces number of alleles (gene pools) of a species resulting in decreased variation
Increases chances of creating genetically inherited diseases
Gene pool definitin
All of the genetic material in a population
Genetic engineering/modification definsitin
Altering an organisms genome for a desired characteristic
