Food Case Studies

Question 1

Climate Vietnam

Answer 1

Vietnam: Farmers enjoy longer harvesting seasons of 2 to 3 per year

Question 2

Soil Vietnam

Answer 2

2018-2019, Mekong Delta of Vietnam, very high rice production of 25.2 tonnes -> highly fertile soil

Question 3

Relief Vietnam

Answer 3

Slopes modified to create flat land for farming in Sapa, Vietnam (rice terraces)

Question 4

Commercial Farming Vietnam

Answer 4

1986, Vietnam, ‘Doi Moi’ policy in 1986 farmers private ownership of land. Farmers incentivised to produce rice as they own output -> increase rice production

Question 5

Status of land

Answer 5

• Kenya, combination of large landowners producing cash crops for world market (tea) and subsistence farmers who do not own their own land -> food security gap in population

Question 6

Gov Policies Singapore + Tech

Answer 6

• Singapore: Lim Chu Kang agrotechnology park, land set aside by gov to produce over 1000 tonnes every year in less than 1 hectare of land
• Since 2017, local farms in Singapore produce up to 8% of vege, 8% of fish, 26% eggs consumed her

Question 7

Food Policies stockpiling

Answer 7

• Singapore,stockpiles a 3 month supply of rice, requiring importers to import a minimum of 50 tonnes every month
• maintains 2 months’ worth of imports in government warehouses for up to a year

Question 8

ASEAN rice reserve

Answer 8

• China + Japan + ASEAN Commits to supply rice for a reserve to provide food-aid during natural disasters and more. China contributed 300k tonnes of rice, Thailand contributed 15k tonnes.

Question 9

HYV

Answer 9

• 1970 to 2010, IR8 variety of rice enabled rice production x2, wheat production x4
• saved india from famine in the 1980s

Question 10

pesticides

Answer 10

• 1980s, California, USA: The pesticide Malathion was used widely to address fruit fly problem in orchards

Question 11

irrigation

Answer 11

• 1991, Libya North Africa, The Great Man-Made River is one of the most extensive irrigation project which has made it possible to grow crops in the Sahara desert

Question 12

salinisation

Answer 12

• 1960, Murray-Darling Basin Victoria, Australia -> salt commonly found in landscapes and river -> concentrated due to irrigation and land clearing

Question 13

eutrophication

Answer 13

• cut off water supplies of 10 million at eutrophic lake taihu in china

Question 14

Climate change -> food shortage

Answer 14

• 2020 Australia heatwave, temperatures up to 49°C -> damaged wheat crops, 30% decline in wheat production
• loss of food production up to 50% in certain countries

Question 15

Extreme weather food shortage

Answer 15

cyclone yasi, queensland aust, 2011
destroyed 75% of banana crops and 20% of sugarcane crops
cost australian agriculture up to $800 million

Question 16

Pests

Answer 16

2009 Libya Africa, armyworm invasion -> all crops and plants in path devoured, 46 villages severely food insecure

Question 17

Civil Strife

Answer 17

2011, the Syrian civil war -> displacement of millions of people and significant damage to agricultural infrastructure, 60% decrease in wheat producion

Question 18

Poor Governance policies

Answer 18

2010, Madhya Pradesh, India 40000 villagers deprived of land due to mine, steel plant and port development

Question 19

Demand in emerging economies

Answer 19

2050, people in India will spend 32% more on food. An extra 400 million to feed, and they already have difficulties feeding the current 1.3 billion, with 270 million people affected by malnutrition.

Question 20

Cost of oil and transport

Answer 20

• 2008 oil price increase to 147/barrel, financial crisis -> 43% rise in food prices

Question 21

Biofuels

Answer 21

25% of all food crops in USA used for vehicles year -> could be feeding 330 million

Question 22

Lack of accessibility & inadequate food distribution and storage

Answer 22

India, poor road network and no cooling storage facilities causes 40% of fruit and vegetables to perish before reaching consumers. -> 20 million tonnes of food waste

Question 23

Silos storage

Answer 23

2009 Timor-Leste FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) 10000 silos, reduced loss to pests by 20%

Question 24

Biotech

Answer 24

• Drought resisrant corn which needs less rainfall -> grown on western great plains of USA which revieves 600 mml of rainfall

Question 25

Support local farmers

Answer 25

• Government: 2010, the Uganda government provided training, improved seeds and modern farming techniques to coffee farmers.

Question 26

National strategies (FELDA)

Answer 26

• federal land development authority (FELDA) 1960s - 1970s
• By 1985, more than 90,000 families had been resettled under the FELDA scheme → involved in agriculture activities (rubber, cocoa)
• Transforming jungle area into farms

Question 27

Internatonal Strategies

Answer 27

• During the 2011 Sudan food crisis, UNWFP (united world food programme) successfully ensured that food was delivered to 99.5% of recipients.