Food Security

Question 1

What are the regions of the planet which are completely suited to agriculture?

Answer 1

South America, North America, Europe, Asia and Africa

Question 2

Why are many regions around the world not suitable for agriculture?

Answer 2

Poor climate and soil fertility and slope of land

Question 3

Where does most of the world’s food come from and why?

Answer 3

Asia and Africa as they have good soils and climate

Question 4

Which biome is most commonly used to grow food and crops?

Answer 4

Grassland biome

Question 5

What are the environmental factors that influence decision on a farm?

Answer 5

Sunlight, soil, rainfall, temperature, slope of land and wind

Question 6

What are the human factors the influence decisions on a farm?

Answer 6

Markets, technology, experience and finance

Question 7

Why is soil important?

Answer 7

Because it is fundamental for life, is a medium for plant growth, is a filtration system for water, provides habitats for water and stores carbon

Question 8

What is weathering?

Answer 8

The breaking down of rock, soil and minerals

Question 9

What is soil made up of?

Answer 9

Air, broken down rock and organic matter

Question 10

What is desertification?

Answer 10

The transformation of fertile soil into infertile soil

Question 11

What is soil degradation caused by?

Answer 11

Loss of nutrients, erosion, deforestation, leaching and increasing salinity

Question 12

What are food miles?

Answer 12

The distance and time food takes to travel from where it was grown to where it is sold

Question 13

Which biome is a good climatic zone for agriculture and why?

Answer 13

Temperate forest because it has a good variety of climate and amount of rainfall

Question 14

What are some examples of bad climatic zones for agriculture?

Answer 14

Desert, polar and mountainous

Question 15

What often determines what is grown in a given location?

Answer 15

Climate

Question 16

What do farmers in Australia use to overcome the lack of good climate?

Answer 16

Technology

Question 17

What do Australian farmers use to irrigate their crops instead of relying on natural rainfall?

Answer 17

Water from dams and rivers

Question 18

Describe how market influences decisions on a farm?

Answer 18

Farmers who grow food for profit have to be able to sell it, plus the market can determine which crops a farmer chooses to plant

Question 19

Describe how technology influences decisions on a farm?

Answer 19

New technologies such as irrigation systems and breeds of crops allow crops to spread into new areas

Question 20

Describe how experience influences decisions on a farm?

Answer 20

Farmers often specialise in growing a certain crop or raising a certain animal, leading to a great deal of expertise in this certain area

Question 21

Describe how finance influences decisions on a farm?

Answer 21

Many farmers do not have the financial resources to buy machines and hire labour, thus they must rely on physical labour

Question 22

Describe how sunlight influences the decisions on a farm?

Answer 22

Places near to the equator receive more sunlight than places closer to the poles, influencing the length of the growing seasons

Question 23

Describe how soil influences the decisions on a farm?

Answer 23

Plants need certain minerals and trace elements to grow and they take these from the soil

Question 24

Describe how rainfall influences the decisions on a farm?

Answer 24

The amount of rainfall that plants need differs, but all plants need rainfall to survive

Question 25

Describe how temperature influences the decisions on a farm?

Answer 25

Different plants have different tolerances to temperature

Question 26

Describe how slope of land influences the decisions on a farm?

Answer 26

Flat areas, although at risk of flooding, are generally easier to farm on then hillsides, and slope of the land can be important in determining the amount of sunlight plants receive

Question 27

Describe how wind influences the decisions on a farm?

Answer 27

Strong winds can dry out the soil, and damage or even destroy crops