Food Security

Question 1

what is the global food production increasing in relation to

Answer 1

the increase in the worlds population

Question 2

why does the global food production have to increase

Answer 2

• so that we all have access to enough and the same amount of food that is safe for us to eat
• and has the right balance of nutrition

Question 3

what is food security

Answer 3

having access to enough food that is safe to eat and has the right balance of nurition

Question 4

what is the increasing human population in terms of factors

Answer 4

a biological factor affecting food security

Question 5

what are the four biological factors other than human population that are affecting food security

Answer 5

• increasing consumption of meat and fish an increasing animal farming
• environmental changes caused by human activity
• sustainability
• new pests and pathogens

Question 6

how do peoples diets change as they become wealthier

Answer 6

• they are likely to change to include a variety of foods

- including fish and meat which are expensive to buy

Question 7

is the changing diet of wealthier people good or bad

Answer 7

it is bad for food security

Question 8

given the fact that there is less energy and less biomass every time you move up a trophic level in the food chain, how do planting crops and animal farming compare

Answer 8

• for a given area, you can produce a lot more food for humans by growing crops
• rather than by grazing animals
• animals and fish being reared to be eaten are often fed crops that humans could eat

Question 9

what risk comes with over-fishing wild fish

Answer 9

the risk that there might not be enough fish available to catch in the future

Question 10

what does burning fossil fuels release

Answer 10

• lots of carbon dioxide

- which is a greenhouse gas

Question 11

what do greenhouse gases do

Answer 11

• they naturally trap energy in the atmosphere

- which helps to keep the earth warm

Question 12

what is the downside to the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Answer 12

• they are causing the global temperature to rise

- which is called global warming

Question 13

what is global warming and what does it cause

Answer 13

• ti is a type of climate change

- and it causes other forms of climate change such as changing rainfall patterns

Question 14

what would be the effect of climate change affecting the growth of crops

Answer 14

the yield of crops would decrease

Question 15

what other environmental change caused by humans reduces our ability to grow crops

Answer 15

soil pollution

Question 16

what does sustainability mean

Answer 16

• meeting the needs of todays population

- without affecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs

Question 17

what are biofuels compared to fossil fuels

Answer 17

they are renewable alternatives to fossil fuels

Question 18

what is a disadvantage of growing crops in order to make biofuel and what should be done to balance this

Answer 18

• they take up land that could be used for food crops

- we need to balance our need for this land to make biofuels with the need to grow more food now and in the future

Question 19

what could the high input costs of farming lead to for farmers

Answer 19

it may make it too expensive for farmers in some areas to continue farming and maintaining food production in the future

Question 20

how do pests and pathogens cause damage to crops and livestock (specifically pathogens)

Answer 20

• if a new disease spreads to a crop, lots of the population may not be resistant to the disease
• this means that a large number of crop plants will be damaged
• reducing the yield and the amount that can be sold as food

Question 21

how does the production of biofuel have its own mini carbon cycle

Answer 21

• the crops are turned into biofuel
• the cars use the biofuel and produce carbon dioxide
• carbon dioxide is used by the cops to photosynthesise and grow
• then they are turned into biofuel and the cycle repeats
• keeping the concentrations of CO2 in the air more balanced