Food gateway 3 (Stratagies to ivercome food shortage) Flashcards
Technological strategies: Storage (DAL)
D- The use of refrigerated warehouse storage of refrigerated delivery trucks to keep food fresh for a longer period of time. In LDCs, silos are used. Silos are airtight structures for storing crops.
A-Crops can be distributed to places further from its area of production → larger variety of food being made available and accessible for more ppl → Silos in Timor-Leste has helped reduce the loss of crops by 20 to 40%
L-Expensive → ↑cost of food production → unaffordable for very poor farmers
Fungus can continue to develop if grains have not been dried before being stored in silos
Technological strategies: Farming technology
D-The use of HYVs, irrigation technology, chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and machinery in order to increase crop yields. These improvements in technology since the 1960s are known as the green revolution.
A-Enabled Food to be grown in places previously considered unsuitable for agriculture → Irrigation allows for farming in areas that are too dry
○ ↑ crop yield for farmers → HYVs ↑ the production of rice & wheat in DCs 75% from 1965 to 1980 with only a 20% increase in area planted to these crops
○ ↑ efficiency of farming ↓ their dependence on labour → Singapore’s high-tech farms resulted in ↓ worker needed to grow crops
L- Expensive → unaffordable to farmers in LDCs
○ May result to environmental problems if not managed properly → irrigation may lead to waterlogging and salinisation
Technological strategies: Biotechnology
D- The science of modifying living organisms such as plants and animals. when When used for food it is generally known as Genetic modification. Genetically modified food refers to food delivered from crops that have their genetic make-up modified.
A-GM crops have a higher yield than non-GM crop → farmers earn a ↑ income → countries to be more self sufficient in food production and less dependent of food imports
○Enables food to be produced in areas previously considered unsuitable for agriculture. it has also helped to stabilise crop yield as GM crops are more resistant to extreme weather conditions → Drought-resistant corn which is tolerant of low rainfall conditions → Can be grown on the western great plains of the USA, where maximum rainfall received in the area is about 600 millimeters.
L-Mostly grown in large-scale commercial farms in DCs due to the high capital investment involved to purchase such as seeds. → Unaffordable for small farmers in LDCs
○Many consumers are wary of consuming GM food due to the potential health risks associated w them → the production of Gm food is small and there is low demand for them
○Biotech is mainly used to increase the yield of the world’s three leading cereal crops, corn, soya bean and canola. Its use is limited in other crops, including many that are important in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as cassava, sorghum and banana.
Agricultural strategies: Multiple cropping and crop rotation
D-Multiple cropping is a practice of growing two or more crops on a single piece of land at the same time. Crop rotation is a way of growing several crops on the same land area following the changes in seasons
A-Helps overcome soil erosion and prevent a decrease in soil fertility, ↑ food production
○Leguminous crops such as ground nuts and soya beans have roots that contain bacteria that produce nitrogen compounds.→ Crops release nitrogen when they die which acts as a fertiliser for other plants → other crops benefit
○minimises pests → when several crops are grown tgt some species act as a pest repellent protecting the other crops → increasing crop yeild
○Dependence on one crop is avoided → variability in prices, market, climate and pests and diseases do not have such drastic effects on local economies.
L- Multiple cropping is not possible in some countries due to climate
Agricultural strategies: Water and soil erosion
D-Water and soil are conserved when no-till farming is practiced. → refers to farming without removing from the soil without digging the soil for planting. → allows plant materials from previous growing season to be kept on the surface of the soil → maintaining the quality of the soil → decomposition → neutrients
A-Soil is protected against erosion or deterioration → the soil remains fertile for a longer period of time → ↑ crop yield
L-Tilling removes the plant materials. → Organic matter in the soil is diminished → soil becomes less fertile →wheels of machinery cause soil to be compacted over time → water cannot infiltrate → reach the roots of the plant → lower crop yield
Agricultural strategies: Leasing farmland to other countries
D- Some countries which do not have sufficient land suitable for farming may choose to lease farmland from other countries → 2008 South Korea negotiated a 99-year lease on a 3.2 million acres of farmland in madagascar
A-Allows other countries to generate income → can be used to help local farmers improve farming methods → ↑ local food production ↑ global food production
L- Could ↓ local food supply → farmland leased out → generate income for country → ↓ farmland available for local farmers → worsen food shortage in the country
Social strategies: Support local farmers
D-Consumers can support local farmers by purchasing locally produced food. This helps to diversify the sources of food supply in the country, in addition to food imports
A- Helps to keep local farmers in business through ensuring demand for their produce→ local farmers maintain their share of the food market→ no need to pay for shipment → cheaper than imported food → more affordable for consumers.
Social strategies: Population Control
D- In LDCs, growth in food production is slower than population growth. → Philippines where ↑population growth leads to supply of staples to not be enough to meat the ↑demand. → population control such as educated family planning may be used,
A- Villages in Philippines → community based family planning programs introduced → people provided with contraceptives → slow down population growth to alleviate the problem of food shortage
L-
Political and economic strategies: National strategies (Malaysia)
D- National strategies refer to strategies implemented within a country. Federal Land Development scheme→ reduced poverty in rural areas → develop unused land for agriculture → Farmers were provided w land, seeds and tools for farming → building of modern processing facilities for crops.
A- >90,000 families resettled under FELDA scheme in 1985 → most involved in agricultural activities such as rubber, oil palm, cocoa. sugar cane and coffee plantations
○Nearly a million acres of jungle transformed into farms
L-Food security threatened → as cash crops such as oil palm are favoured due to higher revenue
○most cash crops are long-term crops that require high capital. → are subjected to fluctuations of world price → high risk for farmers compared to other land uses
Political and economic strategies: International strategies
D- Food programs and aid assistance. → refers to activities that may be introduced by international organisations/national governments
○Food aid → granting the access to food to all people through international funding and support
Ex- United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) → Responding to Emergencies → Provision of emergency food assistance during wars and natural disasters.
A-2011 Sudan Food crisis → Food was successfully delivered to 99.5% of targeted recipients
L-Food prices may be inflated during emergencies → high costs for UNWFP
○Extent of assistance may also be limited by how much funds they receive from donors
