Increasing Food Production

Question 1

What are the types of technology that help increase food supply?

Answer 1

•irrigation
•aeroponics
•biotechnology
•appropriate technology
•new green revolution

Question 2

What is irrigation?

Answer 2

•The artificial watering of land
••irrigation can be used to make dry areas more productive or increase the number of harvests and yield of crops

Question 3

What are the advantages of irrigation?

Answer 3

•modern irrigation systems can minimise water wastage by delivering water directly to the roots of crops reducing evaporation and run off (this prevents water from draining away causing soil erosion )
•beneficial for commercial farming as it allows precise delivery to specific areas ensuring each plant recieves enough meaning water delievery is consistent amongst crops which would be otherwise hard to monitor. This leads to healthier crops and more yields

Question 4

What are the disadvantages of irrigation?

Answer 4

•dams and reservoirs are expensive to construct and may divert resources from other essential sectors like healthcare, education, or infrastructure, affecting overall economic development.
•not beneficial for small scale farms due to high constructing and operational costs

Question 5

What is aeroponics?

Answer 5

•plants are suspended in air.
•Water containing nutrients is sprayed into into the roots
•The water drips off the roots and is reused

Question 6

What is hydroponics?

Answer 6

plants grow in a nutrient solution supported by materials like gravel

Question 7

What are the advantages of hydroponics and aeroponics?

Answer 7

•plants can be monitored closely and nutrients adjusted to maximise crop yield
•less water is required than plants grown in soil. This means there is less risk for disease and pests meaning less need for pesticides (pesticides can impact non target organisms such as beneficial insects so minimising use helps maintain a healthier balance in ecosystems)

Question 8

What are the disadvantages of hydroponics and aeroponics?

Answer 8

•expensive to set up and operate meaning so these methods are usually only used to make high value crops like tomatoes or lettuce
•many consumers are hesitant to buy produce that has not been grown traditionally and many say plants grown by aeroponics and hydroponics do not taste as good

Question 9

What is biotechnology?

Answer 9

Involves genetically engineering crops to improve production

Question 10

What are the advantages of biotechnology?

Answer 10

•higher yields e.g. a C4 breed of rice is being developed which could increase yields by 50%
•resistance to drought, diseases or pests (so less crop is killed or eaten before it is harvested)
•higher nutritional values e.g. potatoes with more protein

Question 11

What are the disadvantages of biotechnology?

Answer 11

•may cause genetic pollution as genetically modified crops could interbreed with wild plants and pass on their genes. This could lead to unintended outcomes impacting crop yields and quality
•may reduce biodiversity as fewer hair of crops are planted

Question 12

What is meant by appropriate technology?

Answer 12

•using appropriate technology involves choosing ways of increasing food production that are suited to local environments and the needs, skills and wealth of the people in those areas
•for example in LICs these could be wells with easy to maintain mechanical pumps

Question 13

What are the advantages of using appropriate technology?

Answer 13

•approriate technology adapts to local environmental conditions, making farming systems more resilient to challenges like climate variations and changing weather.
•Appropriate technology often involves the transfer of knowledge and skills with local communities, building their capacity and creating a more resilient and self-reliant agricultural sector.This helps increase the quality of life for farmers as they allocate their time and resources more effectively

Question 14

What is the new green revolution?

Answer 14

This aims to increase yields using sustainable methods such as soil nutrient recycling and crop rotation

Question 15

What are the advantages of the new green revolution?

Answer 15

•can involve growing genetically modified crops with less need for pesticides so can be grown more cheaply with less environmental damage
•promotes conservation of natural resources such as soil contributing to long-term environmental health

Question 16

What are the disadvantages of the new green revolution?

Answer 16

Using too many fertilizers and pesticides can harm the environment. It may damage the soil, contaminate water, and harm beneficial insects like pollinators.

Question 17

What is a large scale agricultural development case study you have studied?

Answer 17

•Almería, Spain has the world’s largest concentration of greenhouses, spanning 31,000 hectares over 35 years.
•These structures, primarily made of polythene and plastic, utilise hydroponics for growing crops.
•Owned by individual farmers and large agribusinesses, they annually yield $1.5 billion and supply over half of Europe’s fruit, including key out-of-season crops for the UK.

Question 18

What are the advantages of the Almeria, Spain project?

Answer 18

•strict Uk regulations on quality have reduced the levels of chemicals used and raised production standards
•relatively cheap fruit and vegetables provided all year
Less water used due to drip irrigation and hydroponics

Question 19

What are the disadvantages of the Almeria, Spain project?

Answer 19

•many immigrants are working illegally so have little control over their working conditions
•large areas of land have been covered with plastic destroying the natural ecosystems
•the increased use of pesticides in the area had led to increased health risks for those who work or live near the green houses

Question 20

Why had large scale agriculture development devolved in Almeria, Spain?

Answer 20

•Dietary changes (people eat more veg)
•Improved transport (easy and cheap to transport to Europe) Climate (temperatures of 20°C with high volumes of sunlight so crops con be grown in winter without artificial heat)
• Low labour costs from immigrants
•funding from Eu/Spain