Geofile_Global_Food production Flashcards
What is a resource? Definition:
‘Any
feature of the environment which
can be used to meet human needs’
Think about the amount and quality of the food consumed at the beginning of the 21st century - has the gap between the rich and poor decresed or increased?
It has never been bigger! Increased!
Why would Europe cut down its food production after 1991?
No more Cold War; the global situation seemed more secure
What were the social consequences of higher food prices in 2008 (Africa, Asia?)
Food riots
What are two negative consequences of food prices increase?
A. People either cut on amount or quality
B. lower disposible income (for other goods)
Which Interational Organisation helps countries that need food aid?
FAO,
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
What is the impact of biofuels on food production?
A rapidly increasing proportion of
the world’s farmland is not used
for food crops but to produce other
resources, like sugar crane (to produce ethanol, a car fuel)
In what way higher oil prices affect the demand for biofuels?
Higher demand for biofuels; enrgy crops cultivations becomes more profitable
Which country produces a lot of biofuels?
Brazil
What is the effect of biofuel production on rainforests?
Deforestation
Kenya is using some of
its best land, previously used
for subsistence crops, and now
irrigated so even more productive,
for [————-] for the UK
supermarkets.
flower production
Two ways to change agricultural production to meet the world food demand
- Mechanisation of farming
- use more chemicals :(
Explain what does it mean that China is “cutting its own throat” when it comes to food production?
every year China loses a million acres of land
to new factories and real estate
development, so boosting the economy, but this is land that produced some of the highest yields
of food in the world, and China’s
population is still growing.
How does soya bean cultivation impact climate in Brazil?
This crop reflects more
of the sun’s radiation than rainforest does, so the ground surface does
not become as hot. This reduces convectional rainfall.
What are the human factors that negatively impact the intensfication of food production in Africa? [3-4]
a) held back in their development
by political instability, war,
b)** lack of
infrastructure **and investment,
c)
a **low skill **base in their populations.
d) diseases
like AIDS and malaria.
