Human Impacts - Food Security Flashcards
Food security is influenced by a number of factors
- Food production
- Human population
- Socio-economic
- Political
Human population growth in South Africa between 2001 and 2011.
40-50 million
Examples of specific socio-economic factors leading to food insecurity in households
- Household size (overpopulation)
- Food prices
- Fuel prices
- Unemployment
- Exchange rates
Effects of food insecurity
- Hunger
- Malnutrition
- Child health
Negative factors for food production
- Climate change
- Poor farming practices
- Exotic plant species
- Poor crop gene pools
- Wastage
Climate events exacerbated (made worse) by climate change leading to food insecurity
- Drought
- Floods
- Intense weather events e.g. hail
Monoculture
- Modern farming techniques
- Large areas planted with one crop
- Commercial farms
Advantages of monoculture
- Low labour
- High yields
Risk of monoculture
Vulnerable to pests
Pest control used typically by commercial farmers
Synthetic pesticides
Possible effects of pesticides
- Kill pests
- Leach into waterways
- Kill natural predators of pests
- More pesticides needed
- Crops can fail
Alternatives to pesticides
- Avoid monoculture
- Use natural pesticides
- Encourage natural predators
- Plant companion crops
- “Organic farming”
Farming practice leading to most intense soil erosion
Grazing livestock
Two types of soil erosion resulting in loss of topsoil
- Sheet erosion
- Gully formation
Main method crop yields increased by commercial farmers
Synthetic fertilisers