Future of food Flashcards
What is food security?
An adaquate, reliable and available food supply at all times
What are the three pillars?
Availability
Access
Utalization
What is availability?
Addresses food supply
What is access?
House-hold level access to sufficient food
What is utalization?
The intake of food must result in the body gaining sufficient nutrients and energy
What is the fourth pillar and what does it mean?
Stability
The idea that food security is dynamic
It is the sustainability of all 3 pillars for future generations
What is undernourishment?
When people recieve less than 90% of their daily calorie needs
What is over-nourishment?
When people recieve too many calories each day
What is malnourishment?
Nutritional elements the body needs such as minerals and vitamins
Can occur from undernourishment and over-nourishment
What are the current global food security trends?
- 850 million are food insecure
- 1 billion are water insecure
- 31 million Americans are food insecure
- 25% of Americans are obese
What is the global food insecurity index?
A worldwide overview of countries most and least vulnerable to food security. Uses 28 indicators for example the four key pillars: affordability, availability, quality and safety, and sustainability and adaptation
Current trends in the global food insecurity index
Finland - 83.7
Syria - 36.3
Malthus
Pessimist
Increase/decrease in response to various factors
Sooner or later population will be checked by famine, disease and widespread mortality
Crisis point with resources and population - Eventually population will decrease
Boserup
Optimist
Population determines agricultural methods
During times of pressures people find ways to increase the production of food by increasing work force
What is the global hunger index (GHI)?
Tracks hunger globally
4 indicators - undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, child mortality
What are the physical conditions required to grow food?
- Air
- Climate
- Soil
- Water
How does Air affect the growth of food?
Plants require carbon dioxide during photosynthesis - releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.
Plants also require some oxygen for respiration.
How does climate and soil affect the growth of food?
Climate and soil interlink as climate largely affects the characteristics of soil. The main climatic factors are precipitation, temp and sunlight.
How does water affect the growth of food?
Water makes up 80% of living plants therefore determines food production and quality. Water is needed for germination and growth. Water is necessary for photosynthesis.
Also acts as a solvent to allow minerals to be transported around plant.
What is a global food system?
Complex network which includes production, harvest, processing, transport, consumption and wastage.
What is an issue with the global food system?
We are buying more food than is needed but there is still people not able to access the food. If food waste is managed - feed people suffering from food insecurity.
How is the global food system influenced?
- Policies of nation states
- Trade
- Organisations (FAO)
- MNC’s (Multinational corporations)
How do you describe extensive food production methods?
Large scale commercial farming
Small inputs of labour + capital
Yield per hectare = low
Yield per capita = high
How do you describe intensive food production methods?
Small-scale farming
High labour + capital input
Yield per hectare = high
How do you describe subsistence food production methods?
When the production is for own consumption or local community.
This is vulnerable to food shortages because of the lack of capital.
How do you describe commercial food production methods?
Farming for profit
Large-scale
High capital input
What are examples of subsistence and commercial food production methods?
Subsistence = Wet-rice farming in India
Commercial = Cattle ranching in south America
What are examples of extensive and intensive food production methods?
Extensive = Canadian prairies cereal farming
Intensive = Horticulture in the netherlands
What is Agribusiness?
Large-scale farming practise
What is the influence of globalisation on the food industry?
- Development of transport
- Complex transnational food production
- Food demand changing
- Food preferences are changing worldwide
- Wider variety of foods
Opportunities with globalisation on the food industry
- Improved tech, significant technology advances. Make sure it is shared between all farmers
- Short term food relief, globalisation has facilitated food aid (bilaterally and multilaterally)
- Consumer choice, Allowed consumers to have access to a wider variety of products through online or outlets
Issues with globalisation on the food industry
- Food miles, measure of how far food has travelled. Improved transport and tech has meant food can travel further in a smaller time frame = environmental issues
- Obesity, food consumption has changed. Increase in fast food outlets = obesity more common (E.g. China)
- Price crisis, Global food prices are vulnerable to price shocks caused by shortages/transport issues/fuel costs/natural hazards
Obesity examples
In Brazil, Mcdonald’s grew 380%
In the Philippines, dietary changes include an increase of more than 50% imported bread/baked goods, decrease in veg and increase in fried street food
In China, increased meat consumption by 6x