Food Security Flashcards
what is the global food production increasing in relation to
the increase in the worlds population
why does the global food production have to increase
- 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
what is food security
having access to enough food that is safe to eat and has the right balance of nurition
what is the increasing human population in terms of factors
a biological factor affecting food security
what are the four biological factors other than human population that are affecting food security
- increasing consumption of meat and fish an increasing animal farming
- environmental changes caused by human activity
- sustainability
- new pests and pathogens
how do peoples diets change as they become wealthier
- they are likely to change to include a variety of foods
- including fish and meat which are expensive to buy
is the changing diet of wealthier people good or bad
it is bad for food security
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
- 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
what risk comes with over-fishing wild fish
the risk that there might not be enough fish available to catch in the future
what does burning fossil fuels release
- lots of carbon dioxide
- which is a greenhouse gas
what do greenhouse gases do
- they naturally trap energy in the atmosphere
- which helps to keep the earth warm
what is the downside to the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
- they are causing the global temperature to rise
- which is called global warming
what is global warming and what does it cause
- ti is a type of climate change
- and it causes other forms of climate change such as changing rainfall patterns
what would be the effect of climate change affecting the growth of crops
the yield of crops would decrease
what other environmental change caused by humans reduces our ability to grow crops
soil pollution
what does sustainability mean
- meeting the needs of todays population
- without affecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs
what are biofuels compared to fossil fuels
they are renewable alternatives to fossil fuels
what is a disadvantage of growing crops in order to make biofuel and what should be done to balance this
- 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
what could the high input costs of farming lead to for farmers
it may make it too expensive for farmers in some areas to continue farming and maintaining food production in the future
how do pests and pathogens cause damage to crops and livestock (specifically pathogens)
- 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
how does the production of biofuel have its own mini carbon cycle
- 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
