Food and Resources KQ2 (Food Shortages) Flashcards
Causes of food shortages
> Physical
1) Extreme weather
2) Climate Change
3) Pests
> Political
1) Civil Strife
2) Poor governance
> Economic
1) Rising demand for meat and dairy from emerging economies (BRICS)
2) Soaring costs of fertilisers and transport
3) Biofuel
> Social
1) Lack of accessibility
2) Inadequate logistics of food distribution and storage
3) Rapid population growth
Physical: Climate change
Def: Variations in global climate over long term
- Cause farmland to become unsuitable for farming
- Lengthen growing season
1) Temperature
- Global temp increase, food prod:
<50% in some countries (i.e. Brazil, Australia)
>35% in others (i.e China, Canada, Russia)
- Shrinking of glaciers
- Loss of water during dry season = unable to grow crops
Climate change, shrinking of glaciers example
- Seasonal melting of Himalayan glaciers provide river basins of India and China with water for irrigation during dry seasons
- IPCC predicts rapid temperature increase will completely recede glaciers by 2035, loss of water = smaller crop yield
Physical: Extreme Weather Events
Def: Severe weather events causing loss of lives and damage to property
- Damages crops
- Altered weather conditions = growing crops difficult
- Country unable to recover from loss of crops
- More frequent EWE due to Climate change
- Food shortage
e. g. Droughts,
- Water supply unavailable for crops to grow
e. g. Cyclones
- Flooding of farmlands, Stong wind damage etc
Extreme weather events causing food shortage example
Cyclone Yasi, Australia, 2011
- 75% Banana crop destroyed
- USD$350 million in banana crop loss
- 20% Sugar cane plantation destroyed
- Food shortage + inflation of prices
Physical: Pest
- Major contributor to food shortage
- Eat, spoil, damage food crop
Pests resulting in food shortage example
e. g. Liberia, NW Africa, 2009
- State of emergency declared
- Millions of caterpillars invaded country
- Devoured all plants and food crops in path
- Affected 46 village farms
- Posed major threat to already serious food security issue in region
Political: Civil Strife
Def: Situation in which a country faces major internal conflicts
- Leads to disputes over and destruction of resources, affecting food production
*Refer to vicious cycle of civil strife and food shortage
Civil strife leading to food shortage examples
- Landmines planted on farm fields hinder food production during and after conflict (e.g. Sudan)
- Food stocks depleted and not replenished
- No imports, agriculture, food aid etc (e.g. Afghanistan)
Political: Poor governance
Def: Poor exercise of economic and political authority to manage a countries affairs
- Corruption, policy errors, inability to implement policies etc
1) Prioritise other developmental > ensuring food security
- Local farms left with small plots of land = smaller crop yield
- Farmers lose means to produce own food = generate smaller incomes
- Limited revenue to purchase food
- Food shortage for farmers
- Food shortage for nation if reliant on local food prod.
2) Neglect for food security and safety
- Do not diversify food supply/stockpile
- Do not ensure food safety
- Unable to source food during crisis
- Food not available / Not safe for consumption
Poor governance leading to food shortage example
e. g. Madhya Paradesh, 2010, India
- 40,000 villagers deprived of land for farming
- Land developed into mine, steel plants and port
- Villagers lose means to produce food and sell food
- Left with extremely limited income to buy food
Economic: Increase in demand for meat and dairy products from emerging economies (BRICS)
BRICS: Past LDCs with growing economy contributing significantly to global economy
- Rising disposable income = more purchasing power = afford meat and dairy products
- Increase in demand for food
- Demand for livestock increase = demand for grain increase
- Competition for grain btwn humans and livestock
- Depletes global grain inventory
- Decrease in staple grains
- Decreased grain imports to LDCs since demand is lower than needs to feed livestock
- Food shortage, inflation
Economic: Soaring costs of fertilisers and transport
1) Food and fertiliser
- Price of fertilisers increase, cost of food prod increase, cost of food increase
2) Food and transport
- Fuel cost increase, transport and machine operation costs increase
- Cost of food production, food transportation and fertiliser transportation costs increase
- Food prices increase
DCs: Greater financial ability to absorb price increase
LDCs: Large portion of income already spent on food, Increase in prices may cause inability to purchase food
Soaring costs of food production example
e. g. Kazakhstan, March 2011
- Crude oil price Increase 10.3%
- Wheat export prices increase
- Food shortages in Tajikistan amongst low income households
Economic: Biofuel
- Industrial crops more profitable
- Companies and farmers convert farmland to cultivate industrial crops
- Biofuel: Fuels that derive energy from biological carbons instead of fossil fuels such as coal.
- Increase in biofuel demand, Increase in prod. of industrial crops
- Crops not used for population = food shortage
- Decrease in supply for certain food = increase prices
Biofuel resulting in food shortage examples
e. g. USA, 2009
- US Department of Agriculture found 25% of all food crops were used to fuel vehicles instead of feeding population
- Enough food wasted to feed 330 million people for a year
Social: Lack of accessibility
- Accessibility: How easily residents can reach food that is available
1) Transport facilities must be available so food reaches people who live far away from shops
2) Location of shops affect accessibility
- Few and far apart = low accessibility
- Uneven food distribution
- Not able to obtain fresh food = smaller food intake
Social: Inadequate logistics of food distribution and storage
- Food distribution: Movement of food from farms to retail outlets
- Depends on accessibility and transport (i.e. Physical barriers, location)
-Poor management in arranging distribution of food and inadequate transport networks cause food shortages
Inadequate logistics of food distribution and storage example
e. g. Timor Leste
- 1/3 population experience food shortages between harvests
- Worsened by lack of storage facilities and difficulty of accessing remote communities in country
Social: Rapid population growth
1) LDCs
- More detrimental in LDCs
- High birth rates and high population growth
- Food supply unable to meet growing demand for food
2) Global
- Global population to reach 10 billion in 2050 (FAO)
- Food production needs to match population growth to ensure food security
Rapid population growth resulting in food shortages examples
e. g. Sub Saharan Africa, 2025
- 75% Africans will have to rely on food aid
- Arable land limited and declining due to global warming
- High population growth in region intensifies food shortage
