Food security

Question 1

food security

Answer 1

a measure of the availability of food required to support a specified area

• how much there is
• quality
• access

Question 2

effects of increased food demand (4)

Answer 2

1) increasing population results in more food needed
2) increasing demand for meat/fish means more land is used for animal farming and a greater impact on wild fish populations
3) movement of people and goods introduces new pests and pathogens to areas, damaging local crops and animals
4) increased waste is produced, causing more pollution

Question 3

factors that reduce food security

Answer 3

• increase in human population (birth rates increasing, better access to medical care)
• changing diets - newly developed countries eat more meat
• new pests and pathogens that attack crops and farm animals
• environmental changes, global warming
• increased costs of farming
• armed conflicts

Question 4

intensive farming

Answer 4

uses machines, fertilisers, high yield crops to maximise the amount of food produced

• often growing one crop (monoculture, which reduces biodiversity and nutrients in the soil)
• hedgerows are removed from fields, reducing biodiversity
• machines create pollution
• fertilisers create eutrophication
• livestock are kept in smaller pens with regulated temps
• reduces energy they need for movement, so maximises size and yield
• fed high protein foods to increase growth
• fed antibiotics to prevent disease

-leads to antibiotic resistance in bacteria

Question 5

advantages of intensive farming

Answer 5

• higher yields
• cheaper food for consumer
• more efficient use of food
• quality control easier

Question 6

disadvantages of intensive farming

Answer 6

• reduction in biodiversity
• creates pollution
• risk of antibiotic resistance
• considered unethical

Question 7

organic farming

Answer 7

• does not use machines as much
• use natural fertilisers
• rotate crops to avoid monoculture

-more expensive

Question 8

sustainable biofuels

Answer 8

fuels made from plant material (e.g. bioethanol) are more sustainable/renewable

take up space for growing crops

Question 9

Explain the factors that farmers need to consider when using pesticides and fertilisers to increase the yield of their crops. [2]

Answer 9

• work out if the profit from the extra crops will be more than the cost of pesticides/fertilisers
• consider whether they will cause pollution (e.g. eutrophication) and damage the environment in the long run

Question 10

Growing crops to produce biofuels could be a way of reducing the use of fossil fuels and the pollution this causes. However, some scientists think that growing biofuels is not sustainable. Explain why. [3]

Answer 10

• are renewable and do not contribute significantly to global warming, but use farmland that is needed to grow crops for food
• possible richer people will pay high prices for biofuels, meaning farmers will grow them instead of food crops
• this could reduce the affordability of food for poorer people

Question 11

Bluetongue is a viral disease of sheep and cattle that is spread by insects. It causes a serious illness and many infected animals die.
It is usually found in southern Europe but has recently spread to the UK.

a) Scientists think this may be related to climate change, and farmers are concerned about its impact. Suggest why. [4]
b) Suggest why newly introduced diseases like this are a particular problem. [1]

Answer 11

a) getting warmer, insect can survive overwinter in UK/insect breeds faster in warmer weather
- more outbreaks of disease, greater impact on food supply

b) animals have no immunity/resistance