Food 3- Changes in Demand

Question 1

Problems with imports from LEDCs

Answer 1

Horticultural crops compete with subsistence crops for scarce land and water resources
Rainforest destroyed for cash crops & ghost acres
Food miles high (carbon footprint)

Question 2

Biofuel production

Answer 2

Brazil- sugar cane grown for ethanol
Zambia- jatropha (a drought-resistant, oil-bearing plant)
Competes with land for food production

Question 3

Imports into the UK

Answer 3

Air-freighted vegetables and flowers (Kenya)
High-protein animal feed
Beef from Brazil & Argentina

Question 4

High-protein animal feed

Answer 4

Over 60% of US grain is fed to livestock
44 million ghost acres in Thailand
Brazil cut down 12 million acres of forest to produce soya beans
1kg of beef uses as much water as is needed to produce 16kg of wheat flour

Question 5

Organic produce

Answer 5

Food had to be grown (or reared) and processed according to certain standards regulated by the Soil Association
Use natural fertilisers, no herbicides, limited pesticides, crop rotation and free range animals

Question 6

Problems with organic produce

Answer 6

Takes two years to convert, lower yields, high labour costs (e.g. Weeds controlled by hand)
More expensive due to high production costs, less uniform in appearance

Question 7

Advantages of organic produce

Answer 7

Do not release any synthetic pesticides so wildlife not harmed (diverse ecosystems sustained)
Organic farms use less energy and produce less waste (e.g. Packaging materials for chemicals)

Question 8

Local produce

Answer 8

Within a 50km radius

Promotes local diversity & food culture, fresher produce and boosts the local economy (multiplier effect)

Question 9

Farmers’ markets

Answer 9

All goods must be grown/reared or processed by the smallholder within the defined local area
Improves relationships and honesty

Question 10

Red Tractor Scheme

Answer 10

High quality controls, food safety and hygiene, standards for animal welfare and the environment

Question 11

Sustainable agriculture

Answer 11

The ability of a farmer to produce food indefinitely without causing irreversible damage to the local ecosystem

Question 12

Strategies to farm sustainably

Answer 12

Recycle crop waste, use animal or human manure, grow legume crops and forages (like peanuts and alfalfa) to fix nitrogen in the soil through the bacteria in their roots

Question 13

Causes of unsustainable farming

Answer 13

Policy failure, rural inequalities, resource imbalance, unsuitable technologies, trade relations

Question 14

TransNational Corporations

Answer 14

A company that operates in more than one country

Question 15

Horizontal integration

Answer 15

A small number of firms effectively controls a given market (e.g. Coffee)

Question 16

Vertical integration

Answer 16

One company owns multiple stages of the food production chain (e.g. Dole)

Question 17

Number of people in extreme poverty

Answer 17

1.2 billion

Question 18

Decrease in extreme poverty

Answer 18

700 million fewer people lived in extreme poverty in 2010 than in 1990