Food and Resources KQ3 (Strategies to overcome food shortages) Flashcards
Strategies to overcome food shortages
> Technological
1) Storage
- Refrigeration
- Silos
2) Farming technologies
- Green Rev
3) Biotechnology
- GM-Foods
> Agricultural
1) Multiple cropping and crop rotation
2) Water and soil conservation
- No-till farming
3) Farmland leasing
> Social
1) Support local farmers
- Purchasing local produce
2) Population control
- Education and family planning
- Access to healthcare facilities
> Political and Economic strategies
1) National
2) International
Technology: Storage
1) Refrigeration
- Keeps food fresh for longer periods of time
- Crops can be distributed to further places
- Larger variety of food made available
L: Large scale = expensive
- Adds to cost of food prod.
2) Silos
- Airtight structures for storing crops
- Reduce pest damage, increases storage life
L: May be unaffordable for LDCs
- Fungus can continue to grow if crops are not dried properly before storage
Storage examples
Timore-Leste
- Reduced loss of crops to pests by 20%-40%
Technology: Farming technologies
1) Green Rev
- F, H, P, H, I, M
- Increases crop yield, efficiency, productivity
- Enable food to be grown in places previously unsuitable
- i.e. irrigation in dry places ¨Great Man-Made River¨
L: May cause environmental issues if not managed well
( e.g. Eutrophication, Salinisation, Waterlogging)
Green Rev examples
e. g. HYVs
- Increased rice and wheat yield by 75% even with only 20% increase in farmland area between 1965-1980s
e. g. Singapore
- Computerised high tech farms decrease need for labour
Technology: Biotechnology
Def: Science of modifying living organisms
1) GM Foods
- Higher crop yield = higher income = countries more self-sufficient = less dependent on food imports
- GM Foods can be produced in areas previously unsuitable for agriculture (i.e. More resistant to EWE)
L: GM seeds usually only grown in large scale commercial farms in DCs, usually not affordable in LDCs
- Potential health risks = smaller demand
- Used only for limited crops
GM Foods VS HYVs
GM Foods: Gene modified, synthetically altered
HYV: Naturally altered, done through X-breeding
GM Foods examples
Drought resistant corn
- Tolerant of low rainfall
- Allows for growth in Western Great Plains, USA
- Rainfall <600mm/year
Used for top 3 crops
- Soybean, Corn and Canola
Agricultural: Multiple Cropping and crop rotations
- Multiple cropping: growing 2 or more crops at the same time
- Crop Rotation: growing of several crops at one specific time in specific orders.
A:
1) Leguminous crops as natural fertilisers
- Plants with pods
- Roots contain nitrogen producing bacteria
- Release nitrogen when plant dies
- Acts as natural fertiliser for next plant
- Prevents soil infertility
2) Minimise problems of pests
- Some species of crops act as pest repellent (garlic, pepper, onions etc)
- Repels pests from adjacent crops
- Reduce usage of pesticides
3) Dependence on single crop avoided
- Damaged crops will not have drastic effects on economy
- Other crops still able to be sold
- Reduces variability in prices
L: Limited space available to grow the large variety of crops
- Diseconomies of scale and requires more resources
Multiple cropping and crop rotation examples
e. g. Garhwal Himalaya, India
- Multiple cropping and crop rotation a practice known as “baranja¨
- Involves growing >12 crops on same field
- Harvested and rotated multiple times per year
Agriculture: Water and Soil Conservation
No-till farming: Farming without removing weeds from soil nor digging soil for planting
- Allows plant and natural material from previous growing seasons to be kept on surface of soil
- Maintains quality of soil through decomposition
- Soil is constantly re-fertilised w/ natural nutrients
- Soil protected from erosion and infertility
- Higher crop yield
Agriculture: Farmland leasing
- Countries which do not have sufficient land suitable for farming may choose to lease farmland from other countries
A: Generates income = used to help local farmers improve their farming methods
- Increases local and global food production
L: May reduce local food supply in countries already facing food shortages
Farmland leasing examples
e. g. Korea, 2008
- Negotiated 99-year lease on 3.2 million acres of farmland to Madagascar
e. g. Ethiopia
- Millions suffering from food shortage
- Rely heavily on food aid
- Lease out land to generate income
- No land for farming = intensified food shortages
Social: Support local farmers
- Purchasing locally produced foods
- Helps diversify food supplies
- Enhances food security, decrease reliance on food imports
- Demand for local produce = local farmers maintain share of food market
- Local produce cheaper = more affordable (no transport costs)
Social: Population control
- Essential to ensure people have sufficient food
- If population growth > rates of food prod. = food shortage
1) Education and family planning
- Sex education, community based family planning programmes
2) Access to healthcare facilities
- Contraceptives and clinics
Population control examples
e. g. Philipines
- Families usually large
- Insufficient food to provide for all
- Community based family planning programme
- Provides contraceptives and education
- Slows population growth to ensure enough food to feed existing population
Political and economic strategies: National
- Implemented within country
- Includes Agricultural policies
- Works together with food policies to achieve food security
National Strategies example
e. g. Singapore: High-tech farming, 1970s onwards
- Agrotechnology parks that house high tech farms are built
- Equipped with necessary infrastructure modern farms require (e.g. computers, hydroponics)
Successes:
- Local farms produce >8% veg, >8% fish, >26% eggs Singapore requires
- Reduces reliance on food imports
Limitations:
- High set-up costs may translate to higher food prices
- Shortage of trained workers
- Competition from cheaper imports
Political and Economical: International
- Strategies implemented in many countries
- Include food programmes and food aid
- Food programmes: Programmes introduced by Govts/IOs to address specific food shortage issues
- Come in form of food aid
-Food Aid: Granting access to food through international funding and support
Food programs and aid UNFWP examples
UNWFP
1) Responding to emergencies
- Provides emergency food assistance during wars and disasters
- 2011 Sudan food crisis, food successfully given to 99.5% of victims
L: Food prices may inflate during food crisis. Challenging for UNWFP to provide aid to countries dependent on funds and aid
2) Cash and Voucher Scheme
- Cash and vouchers given to people who cannot afford food but stay in places where food is accessible
- Beneficial to local economy as beneficiaries can use cash and vouchers to purchase local products and help generate more revenue for local economy
L: Not sustainable in the long run as beneficiaries may become reliant on such help
3) School meals
- Provide meals for students in schools to ensure they get nutrients they need
- Provides incentive to attend school, learn more effectively
L: Coverage of program uneven across countries
LDCs: 18% receive daily meals in schools
DCs: 49 % receive daily meals in schools
Food programmes and aid World bank examples
1) Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), 2010
- Provides financing to countries needing help to increase agricultural productivity
- Provides assistance to improve food security in specific countries and regions
Successes:
- Helped 7.5 million in 12 countries
- Rwanda: Funded 2010 project to reduce soil erosion and improve productivity in hillside agriculture
- Increased potato yields 7x and Cereal yield 4x
- Togo: increased corn and cassava production
