B7.5 Food production Flashcards
What is “food security”?
Ensuring an entire population can be fed.
State six biological factors which threaten food security.
“1. The increasing birth rate has threatened food security in some countries
- Changing diets in developed countries means scarce food resources are transported around the world (e.g. quinoa from Chile)
- New pests and pathogens that affect farming
- Environmental changes that affect food production, such as widespread famine occurring in some countries if rains fail
- The cost of agricultural inputs (e.g. fertiliser)
- Conflicts that have arisen in some parts of the world which affect the availability of water or food”
State three ways the energy loss from animals can be reduced.
“1. Limiting the movement of animals
- Control the temperature of their environment
- Feed animals a high-protein diet”
Generally, what is happening to ocean fish stocks?
Stocks are declining.
What level of population must be maintained in fish to avoid extinction?
A large enough population to enable breeding.
How does controlling the net size used in fishing help sustainability?
Bigger holes in the net mean only large, adult fish are caught and smaller, younger fish are left to grow and reproduce.
How do fish quotas used in fishing help sustainability?
Prevents over-fishing of a species by fisherpeople from different countries.
What does the fungus Fusarium produce?
Mycoprotein (Quorn and other similar brands).
What is required to grow Fusarium?
Glucose syrup, oxygen.
What genetic characteristics could be used in developing GM crops?
Herbicide or pesticide resistance; increased growth or production; added nutritional value (e.g. golden rice, which contains high concentrations of Vitamin A).
