food security + feeding the world

Question 1

what is food security ?

Answer 1

ability of human populations to access food or sufficient quality or quantity

Question 2

biological factors affecting levels of security

Answer 2

food being unaffordable
agricultural costs
increasing populations
changing diets (more varied)
climate change causing draughts
new pests or pathogens

Question 3

How we can increase food production

Answer 3

remove competition and pests
maximising photosynthesis- using industrial glass houses to control light levels and temp
using fertilisers- helps land remain fertile
planting a variety of crops which increase yield

Question 4

intensive farming

Answer 4

maximum product yield from small land area
uses fertilisers
animal growth max
using machinery to reduce labour costs

Question 5

organic farming

Answer 5

natural methods of crops, avoiding chemicals
produces smaller yield and is more expensive

Question 6

sustainable food production

Answer 6

producing foods in way that can be continued indefinitely

Question 7

hydroponic system

Answer 7

plants receiving minerals by being grown in water

Question 8

how can fish be a sustainable food source

Answer 8

fishing quotas
- provide limit on numbers and type of fish that can be caught
- allow fish to be free + reproduce
fish farming (bred in large cages and protects fish from predators)

Question 9

how farmers reduce fertilisers and pesticide use?

Answer 9

exploiting relationship between crop pests and crops (biological control)
gene technology creating crops more resistant to pests and disease
replace nutrients by spreading manure
crop rotation gives soil a chance to recover plant growth and prevents building up a crop pest