Food Production

Question 1

Farming can be:
types

Answer 1

• sedentary or nomadic
• subsistence or commercial
• arable, pastoral or mixed
• extensive or intensive

Question 2

Sedentary farming

Answer 2

Sedentary farming is when a farm is based in the same location all the time.

Question 3

Nomadic farming

Answer 3

Nomadic farming is when a farmer moves from one place to another. This is common in some LEDCs.

Question 4

Subsistence Farming

Answer 4

Subsistence farming is when crops and animals are produced by a farmer to feed their family, rather than to take to market.

Question 5

Commercial farming

Answer 5

Commercial farming is when crops and animals are produced to sell at market for a profit.

Question 6

Arable farming

Answer 6

Arable farms grow crops. Crops are plants that are harvested from the ground to be eaten or sold.

Question 7

Pastoral farming

Answer 7

Pastoral farms rear animals - either for animal by-products such as milk, eggs or wool, or for meat.

Question 8

Mixed farming

Answer 8

Mixed farms grow crops and rear animals.

Question 9

Extensive farming

Answer 9

Extensive farming is where a relatively small amount of produce is generated from a large area of farmland.

Question 10

Intensive farming

Answer 10

Intensive farming is where a large amount of produce is generated from a relatively small area of land. Inputs will be high to achieve a high yield per hectare. Inputs could be either fertilizers, machines or labour.

Question 11

Factors that affect farming

Answer 11

Capital:
Choice:
Climate:
Labour:
Market:
Politics:
Relief:
Soils:

Question 12

Farming as a system

Answer 12

Inputs
Physical inputs
Human or Cultural Inputs
Processes or Throughputs
Outputs
Feedback

Question 13

Physical inputs

Answer 13

Physical inputs are naturally occurring things such as water, raw materials and the land.

Question 14

Human or Cultural Inputs

Answer 14

Human or Cultural Inputs are things like money, labour, and skills.

Question 15

Processes or Throughputs

Answer 15

Processes or Throughputs are the actions within the farm that allow the inputs to turn into outputs.
Processes could include things such as milking, harvesting and shearing.

Question 16

Outputs

Answer 16

Outputs can be negative or positive, although they are usually the latter. Negative outputs include waste products and soil erosion. The positive outputs are the finished products, such as meat, milk and eggs, and the money gained from the sale of those products.

Question 17

Feedback

Answer 17

Feedback is what is put back into the system. The main two examples of this are money, from the sale of the outputs, and knowledge, gained from the whole manufacturing process. This knowledge could then be used to make the product better or improve the efficiency of the processes.

Question 18

Advantages of Green Revolution for Subsistence Farming in the Lower Ganges (Bangladesh:

Answer 18

Yields increased three times
Multiple cropping
Other crops grown which varied the diet
Surplus to sell in cities creating profit
Improving standard of living
Allows purchase of fertilisers, machinery

Question 19

Disadvantages of Green Revolution for Subsistence Farming in the Lower Ganges (Bangladesh:

Answer 19

Poor farmers could not afford HYVs, fertilisers
and machinery
Some borrowed and ended up with large debts
HYVs need more water and fertiliser, which is expensive
Eutrophication caused by the increasing use of fertilisers

Question 20

Subsistence Farming in the Lower Ganges (Bangladesh: Skip

Answer 20

The Ganges river flows eastwards from the Himalayas through northern India and into Bangladesh.
Poor area therefore subsistence farming

The area around the Ganges is moist (especially during the monsoon sea), warm (over 20 degrees centigrade most of the time) and fairly fertile (alluvium from flood events).

However, growing rice is very labour intensive, rice paddies need to be constructed to hold water, irrigation channels need to be dug, seedlings planted, weeds removed, and rice
harvested.

As well as humans, animals like water buffalo are used. Traditions means that plots of land are divided up after death which makes the farms less productive as they get smaller.

Question 21

How are they trying to improve Subsistence Farming in the Lower Ganges (Bangladesh:

Answer 21

To try and improve yields in areas like the Ganges River the so-called green revolution started in the late 1960’s.

The green revolution was an idea to introduce western plant varieties and farming techniques.

The main change was the introduction of HYV crops which aimed to increase yields.

Other changes involved the introduction of tractors, irrigation channels and chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

The green revolution brought some successes and failures.

Question 22

Input water intensive subsistence farming: rice production lower Ganges (Bangladesh)

Answer 22

Water buffalo (adapted to
wetlands)
- Rice seeds
- Flat land (terrace)
- Labour intensive
- Hand tools
- Year round growing season
- 2 hectares of land
- Monsoon rain (June –
September)
- Rich soil
- 90% of agricultural water in Asia is used in rice
production
- 5000 litres of water = 1 kilogram of rice
- Paddie
-fields

Question 23

Process water intensive subsistence farming: rice production lower Ganges (Bangladesh)

Answer 23

• Rice cultivation
• Caring for water buffalo
• Harvested in October
• Planted in November
• 2000 hours a year to farm 1 hectare of land

Question 24

Output water intensive subsistence farming: rice production lower Ganges (Bangladesh)

Answer 24

• Some wheat
• No profit
• Rice
• Rice seeds
• Manure à used for
  domestic fuel

Question 25

Large Scale Commercial Farming in Indiana, USA e.g., Fair Oaks Farm

Answer 25

Fair Oaks Farm is a large commercial farm occupying 30 square miles in NW Indiana, in the Mid-West region of the USA.

• Fair Oaks Farm lies within the Corn Belt
• Soils are deep, fertile, and rich in organic material and nitrogen, and the land is relatively level.
• The warm climate and well-distributed rainfall during the growing season are ideal conditions for raising corn.
• Diversified. It produces feed grains and raises livestock for the purpose of dairy farming and it also offers agritourism experiences.
• Dairy Adventure Center where visitors can watch cheese and ice cream being made from an observation deck.

Question 26

Fair Oaks farms Indiana USA Input

Answer 26

• 25,000 acres
  (established in 1999)
• There are 10 dairy barns
• Each cow consumes 40 pounds of grain, 50 pounds of silage, more than 30 gallons of water
• Flat, green à good grass à soil/ climate/ rainfall
• Machinery (e.g., 72 cow carousel)

Question 27

Fair Oaks farms Indiana USA Processes

Answer 27

• 32,000 cows are milked (a day 3 times)
• 10 dairy barns milk more than 3,000 cows a day
• Cows are milked on a 72-cow carousel
• Milking time 8 1⁄2 minutes (more efficient)
• Manure is converted into energy to reduce waste and pollution

Question 28

Fair Oaks farms Indiana USA Output

Answer 28

• Produces enough milk for 8 million people
• 80 calves are born (birthing barn) everyday
• 2.5 million pounds of milk are produced per day
• Methane gas powers generators

Question 29

Sahel

Answer 29

• The Sahel is a strip of semi-arid land that stretches across Northern Africa
• It is located between the Sahara Desert to the north and Savanna environments to the south.
• It stretches coast to coast, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea.
• The Sahel is found in Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, North
  Sudan, Eritrea, Cameroon, Central African Republic and the extreme north of Ethiopia.

Question 30

Natural/physical causes of food shortages in the Sahel

Answer 30

Drought: Rainfall rates of 100 mm/year. The rainfall is highly variable and concentrated a common feature of Sahel for around 5000 years. However, lower than average rainfall years have been more common since the mid 1970’s.

Flooding: In 2011, extreme flooding in the Sahel destroyed crops leaving 18 million people without enough food and a million children at risk of starvation.

• Pests: Attacks on crops by birds, pests and locusts reduces food production. For example, between 2003-2005 locust swarms affected 20 countries across northern Africa, destroying millions of hectares of crops. In Niger, 4,000 villages were abandoned by residents who had lost their crops.

Question 31

Human causes of food shortages in the Sahel

Answer 31

• Conflict: Conflict limits food production and distribution and forces people to migrate. Millions of people have been forced to move into desert fringe areas by armed conflicts in the Sahel region.
• Overcultivation: Overcultivation and overgrazing both result in soil erosion. If vegetation has been eaten by cattle or killed by drought, the exposed topsoil becomes baked hard by sunlight. When it finally arrives intense rain washes over the soil rather than soaking into the ground. As it flows it carries the topsoil away. Once the soil has eroded, it becomes impossible for the vegetation to grow back.
• Overgrazing: Nomadic farmers cannot move, due to new political boundaries, or because large companies have bought up the land rights in a region. Civil war and political instability also force herders to stay too long in places.
• Overpopulation: There were just 30 million people living in the Sahel in 1950. Today the figure is closer to half a billion. By 2050, it is expected to reach one billion.
• Climate change: The UN estimates that 80 percent of the agricultural areas in the Sahel belt are already affected by climate change.
• Access to markets/poor infrastructure development: Lack access to markets to buy food or infrastructure to distribute it.

Question 32

Desertification

Answer 32

Desertification is the process of land turning into desert as the quality of the soil declines over time.

Question 33

The main causes of desertification include:

Answer 33

*Population growth - An increased population is putting greater pressure on the environment for resources such as wood and water.

*Removal of wood - When the land is cleared of trees, the roots of the trees no longer hold the soil together, so it is more vulnerable to soil erosion.

*Overgrazing - an increasing population results in larger desert areas being farmed. Sheep, cattle and goats are overgrazing the vegetation. This leaves the soil exposed to erosion.

*Soil erosion - this is made worse by overgrazing and the removal of wood. Population growth is the primary cause for soil erosion.

*Climate change - the global climate is getting warmer. In desert regions conditions are not
only getting warmer but drier too. On average there is less rain now in desert regions than
there was 50 years ago.

Question 34

Effects of food insecurity in the Sahel

Answer 34

• 18.7 million people in the Sahel region faced an extreme food crisis in 2012.
  20 million people in the region are at risk of food insecurity and 2.5 million of them need immediate lifesaving food assistance.
  An estimated 5 million children younger than 5 suffered from malnutrition.
• Many families were left with nothing to eat and found their only sustenance in soups made from wild plants so bitter that animals often neglected to eat them.
• “To make them edible, peasants boil the plants repeatedly so as to get rid of the bitter
  taste,”
• Climate change, droughts, food shortages and conflict are causing people in the Sahel to migrate in search of safety, food and water. The entire region is poverty-stricken and moving within the country or to a neighbouring country does little to alleviate the issues that migrants face.
• They move from drought-affected areas to marginal areas that are put under more strain than they can handle. These new areas then become degraded and unable to support the increasing population.
• The only real hope is international aid but that is usually slow to arrive and generally inadequate.

Marasmus and kwashiorkor

Question 35

Physical factors of the Sahal region

Answer 35

Long term decline of rainfall in southern Sudan
Increased rainfall variability
Increased use of marginal land leading to degradation
Flooding

Question 36

Social factors of the Sahel region

Answer 36

• (39%)High population growth linked to use of marginal land (overgrazing, erosion)
• (65%)High female illiteracy rates
• Poor infant health
• Increased threat of AIDS

Question 37

Agricultural factors of the Sahel region

Answer 37

• Highly variable per capita food production; long-term the trend is static
• Static (cereals and pulses) or falling (roots and tubers) crop yields
• Low and falling fertiliser use (compounded by falling export receipts)
• Lack of a food surplus for use in crisis

Question 38

Economic/political factors of the Sahel region

Answer 38

• High dependency on farming (70% of labour force; 37% of GDP)
• Dependency on food imports (13% of consumption 1998-2000) whilst exporting non-food goods, e.g. cotton
• Limited access to markets to buy food or infrastructure to distribute it
  *Debt and debt repayments limit social and economic spending
• High military spending

Question 39

Situation compounded by the Sahel region

Answer 39

• Lack of government political will
• Slow donor response
• Limited access to famine areas
• Regional food shortages

Question 40

Food aid in Sahel region

Answer 40

According to the charity ActionAid there are three types of food aid:
* relief food aid which is delivered directly to people in times of crisis
* programme food aid which is provided directly to the government of a country for sale in local markets (this usually comes with conditions from the donor country)
* project food aid which is targeted at specific groups of people as part of longer-term development work.

Question 41

How they are reducing deforestation in the Sahel region

Answer 41

Planting trees
As part of sustainable farming, farmers plant trees to help bind the soil together and reduce the loss of fertile soil.

Terracing
Farmers also create terraces on hills which prevent rainfall run-off on sloping land, keeping soil fertility high.

Fuel efficient stoves:
Usually trees are removed for cooking, however this is unsustainable as it reduces soil fertility and rainfall rates.

Stone bunds
The stone bunds form a barrier that slows down water runoff, allowing rainwater to seep into the soil and spread more evenly over the land.

Question 42

Strategies to reduce desertification

Answer 42

*Planting more trees - the roots of trees hold the soil together and help to reduce soil erosion from wind and rain.

• Improving the quality of the soil - this can be managed by encouraging people to reduce the number of grazing animals they have and grow crops instead. The animal manure can be used to fertilise the crops grown. Growing crops in this way can improve the quality of the soil as it is held together by the roots of plants and protected from erosion. This type of farming is more sustainable.

*Water management - water can be stored in earth dams in the wet season and used to irrigate crops
during the dry season. This is an example of using appropriate technology to manage water supplies
in the desert environment.

*Magic stones (or bunds) are circles of stones placed on the ground to hold water on the soil rather than letting it run quickly over the surface.

*Drip irrigation is where water drips slowly onto the ground from pin-sized holes in a hose lying on top of the soil. This minimises water loss, maximises effectiveness and can be delivered via a solar pump.

Question 43

Sustainable development in the desert – The Great Green Wall

Answer 43

The Great Green Wall is an African-led project with an epic ambition: to grow an 8,000km natural wonder of the world across Africa’s entire width. Its goal is to provide food, jobs and a future for the millions of people who live in a region on the frontline of climate change.

The Great Green Wall is taking root in the Sahel region, at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, one of the world’s poorest places.

One aim of the Great Green Wall is to reverse desertification and bring dry land back to
life. When there were no trees, the wind used to erode the soil (aeolian erosion). The leaves support the nutrient cycle, and the canopy increases humidity in the environment and offers shade which means less watering is needed. Drought resistant acacia trees have been planted. The roots of the trees hold moisture in the soil.