Food Resources Gateway 2

Question 1

Causes of food shortage

Answer 1

Physical

• climate change
• extreme weather events
• pests

Political

• civil strife
• poor governance

Economical

• rising demand for meat and dairy products from emerging economies
• soaring costs of fertilisers and transport
• conversion of farmland to industrial crop production

Social

• lack of accessibility
• inadequate logistics of food distribution and storage
• rapid population growth

Question 2

Climate change

Answer 2

1. It refers to variations in global climate or climate patterns over a period of time
2. Land previously suitable for farming no longer suitable
3. Land previously unsuitable for farming become suitable
4. Global warming causes glaciers to melt

Question 3

Extreme weather conditions

Answer 3

1. They refer to weather events that can cause loss of lives or damage to properties
2. These include tropical cyclones, droughts, hot and cold waves
3. Droughts reduces the water supply available for food crops while tropical cyclones flood farmlands, destroying the crops
4. Reduced crop yields lead to lower levels of food production and supply
5. This may cause significant food shortage especially if countries are not able to recover from the loss of crops
6. Such weather events are more likely to be more frequent due to climate change
7. It poses a serious threat to countries especially LDCs because they may not have the strong financial resources to recover quickly from loss of crops
8. In Australia, Cyclone Yasi damaged sugar cane crops extensively and caused the price of sugar to soar sharply

Question 4

Pests

Answer 4

1. Pests are major contributor of food shortage because they cause extensive damages to food crops, posing serious threats to food supply
2. In Liberia, a state of emergency was declared in 2009 as tens of millions of caterpillars invaded the country
3. According to FAO in 2009, the caterpillars devoured all plants and food crops in their paths
4. About 46 villages were affected by these pests
5. They pose a major threat to the already serious food security situation in the country

Question 5

Civil strife

Answer 5

1. It is the situation in which country faces major internal conflicts such as riots, unrests and civil war
2. It can lead to disputes over the control of resources that affect food production such as water and land
3. These resources may also be destroyed which in turn hinder food production
4. Landmines planted on farmlands can also reduce or entirely stop food production during and after a conflict
5. Safety of farmers is also threatened when they work on the farmlands
   3 less farmers working on the farms will decline food production, resulting in food shortage
6. Sometimes, the lack of food is the root cause of conflict, which could start a vicious cycle of civil strife and food shortage

Question 6

Factors affecting intensification

Answer 6

• climate change
• relief
• soil drainage
• government policies
• ASEAN
• ## purpose of farming