Food - Paper 2 Flashcards
What parts of the world have the highest calorie intake?
North America and parts of Europe.
What parts of the world have the lowest calorie intake?
Africa, together with isolated countries in the Middle East and Asia.
Define food security:
When people have enough nutritious and affordable food to eat.
Define malnourishment:
A basic lack of food.
Define undernutrition:
A lack of a balanced diet so lacking specific nutrients.
Give 2 reasons why food consumption is increasing:
-Economic development
-Population growth
Give 3 reasons why economic development increase food consumption:
-As people become richer, they can afford to buy a greater quantity and variety of food
-Diets often change, with an increase in meat consumption
-Demand for convenience and highly processed foods increases, as people have less time to grow and prepare their own food
Give an example of an increase in meat consumption:
In China, the % of meat in diets rose from 6% in 1981 to 17% in 2011
Where is the fastest population growth?
Africa (2.52% per year)
What 6 factors affect food supply?
-Climate
-Technology
-Pests and diseases
-Water supply
-Conflict
-Poverty
Give 3 ways climate can affect food supply:
-In Sub-Saharan Africa, many farmers are dependent on seasonal rains which sometimes fail
-Serious flooding results from tropical storms
-Patterns of rainfall appear to be changing as a result of climate change
Give an example of farmers in Africa dependent on seasonal rainfall:
Recent droughts in Ethiopia and Somalia have caused severe food shortages and migration. Droughts can lead to desertification and salinisation.
Give an example of flooding from tropical storms devastating crops:
Cyclone Idai (Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi) 2019
Food supply and distribution in LICs can be affected by the lack of which 5 technologies?
-Farm machinery (low yields)
-Irrigation
-Storage facilities
-Transport infrastructure (to distribute food)
-Processing facilities (to preserve food)
Give 2 examples of pests/disease which can make tropical regions suffer as they lack the money to protect against them:
-Locusts can devastate food crops
-Cattle can be infected by airborne bacteria, causing bovine pleuropneumonia, a serious lung disease
Give 3 examples of water supply affecting food supply:
-The lack of water security, together with drought, reduces food production
-HICs can afford expensive water transfer schemes or irrigation projects, LICs cannot
-By 2030, almost half of the world’s population will be living in areas of high water stress
Where have recent conflicts led to food shortages?
Somalia, Syria and South Sudan.
Give 5 ways conflict often reduced food production and supply:
-War disrupts the distribution of food
-Farmland may be mined
-People are forced to move away, land is abandoned
-Water supplies may become polluted
-Food aid may be restricted in areas of military conflict
What might many farmers in LICs not be able to afford if living in poverty?
High-quality seeds, fertiliser or mechanisation which would enable them to produce more food.
What are 4 impacts of food insecurity?
-Famine and undernourishment
-Rising prices
-Soil erosion
-Social unrest
The UN estimated how many were suffering from undernutrition and when?
In 2019, over 820 million people were suffering from chronic undernutrition, almost all of whom were in LICs.
What led to grain shortages and prices to rise across the world in 2010?
Poor grain harvests in Russia, Australia and Pakistan.
Give an example of social unrest caused by food insecurity:
Between 2008 and 2011, 60 protests around the world were linked to food shortages, especially in North Africa and the Middle East.
What 5 strategies can be used to increase food supply?
-Irrigation
-Aeroponics and hydroponics
-Biotechnology
-The new green revolution of biotechnology
-Appropriate technology
what are 2 methods of irrigation?
-Huge pivotal sprinklers - often wasteful
-Drip irrigation - pipes on the ground deliver water direct to roots of plants
Irrigation commonly involves the local extraction of water from what?
Underground aquifers or nearby rivers.
what can irrigation also involve? Give an example:
Lengthy water transfers, using canals or pipelines such as the Indira Gandhi Canal in Rajasthan, India.
What are aeroponics and hydroponics?
They use modern scientific techniques to grow crops without using soil. Closely controlled by scientists, plants can be grown throughout the year in artificially lit and heated greenhouses. The plants grow quickly as nutrients are applied directly to the roots and diseases found in soils are eliminated.
What are 2 disadvantages of aeroponics and hydroponics?
These methods are expensive and require a great deal of expert knowledge.
What is the difference between aeroponics and hydroponics?
Aeroponics involves suspending plants in the air and spraying their roots with a fine mist of water and nutrients. Hydroponics involves growing plants in a porous. material (other than soil) and allowing water containing nutrients to filter through it.
How does the ‘new’ green revolution differ from the original green revolution?
Today’s ‘new’ green revolution involves a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach, for example, promoting nutrient cycling through crop rotation, and mixed arable and livestock farming in less fertile areas.
What was the original green revolution?
It was hugely successful in introducing modern farming practises to parts of the developing world in the 1950s and 1960s. It revolutionised farming in some countries such as India, averting famines.
Describe the second green revolution in India:
In 2006, India promoted a second green revolution involving water harvesting techniques, soil conservation, the use of new seeds and livestock, and rural transport development to improve food distribution.
What is biotechnology?
A controversial scientific approach aimed at increasing yields by modifying products/processes.
Give examples of GM crops:
Maize in the Philippines and rapeseed in Canada.
What % of the world’s soya beans are GM?
Over 80%
What can GM crops do as they may not always increase food production directly?
They can increase farmers’ incomes, so they can purchase more food or invest in new food production methods on their farms.
What is appropriate technology?
A low-tech solution that makes use of local people and local cheap or recycled material.
Where is appropriate technology often used?
In LICs
Who often promotes appropriate technology?
NGOs and charities
What might appropriate technology involve?
Simple water harvesting techniques, irrigation schemes or crop processing, such as using bicycle power to de-husk coffee beans.
What is a sustainable food supply?
It involves producing food without causing any damage to the natural environment. It involves and benefits local communities, supports the local economy and can be applied to HICs and LICs/NEEs
What 6 strategies can be used to achieve a sustainable food supply?
-Organic farming
-Permaculture
-Urban farming initiatives
-Fish and meat from sustainable sources
-Seasonal food consumption
-Reduced waste and losses
What are 3 disadvantages of organic farming?
-Labour intensive (eg weeding by hand)
-Yields are lower
-Can be more expensive to consumer
What is permaculture?
(Permanent agriculture) is similar to organic farming in that it promotes farming that is in harmony with the natural environment.
What does permaculture advocate?
Using natural systems rather than artificial chemicals.
Give an example of natural ‘pesticides’ in permaculture:
Using ladybirds as natural predators for aphid control rather than chemicals.
What else does permaculture promote?
A sustainable lifestyle involving practises such as sustainable development, rainwater harvesting, composting, crop rotation and woodland management.
Where is permaculture widespread?
Through HICs
Where is permaculture not really seen?
in LICs/NEEs.
What is urban farming?
Community initiatives involving the conversion of waste or derelict land into productive farmland or vegetable gardens.
Which 3 places might people living in urban areas grow food?
Rooftops, patio gardens and in back yards.
What are 4 benefits of urban farming?
-Increased food security
-Healthier diets
-Improved natural environments
-Greater social cohesion
Give 2 example of urban farming:
-People in Detroit, USA, have benefitted from the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative, where derelict wasteland has been converted into garden beds, providing employment opportunities and fresh food for local people
-The Intercontinental New York Barclay Hotel has an apiary on its roof, with its bees producing honey that is used in the hotel’s kitchen
Where is there a particularly high public demand for meat and fish?
In HICs
Describe 2 methods of suitable meat/fish sourcing?
-Sustainable fishing conserves fish stocks and avoids harmful over-fishing which can have catastrophic effects on aquatic ecosystems
-Sustainable livestock rearing commonly involves pasture-fed, low intensity systems with the minimal use of chemicals or vaccinations. Free-range systems, particularly involving chickens or pigs, are common throughout the world
Who applies strict fishing controls to its members?
The European Union.
Give 3 examples of sustainable fishing:
-The use of poles and lines rather than nets
-Diving for shellfish
-Returning fish and crustaceans that are below a certain size to the sea
Give 2 advantages to free range systems for animals:
They benefit the environment and provide higher standards of animal welfare.
What is free-range farming more sustainable than?
The high-energy, intensive indoor systems operated in some parts of the world
Give 4 advantages to seasonal food consumption:
-Reduce food miles
-Reduce carbon footprint
-Supports local economies
-Provides jobs
How much of all food produced is wasted?
Almost one third.
What % of food waste is fruit and vegetables and why?
Over 60%, because these tend to go off quickly and require expensive storage and transportation systems.
Give 4 ways of reducing food waste:
-Introducing refrigerated storage where none exists
-Improving transport infrastructure
-Processing food to lengthen its shelf-life (or preserving it by making jams/chutneys)
-Applying common sense to consuming food before its ‘best before’ date
