Key Area 5: Food Production Flashcards
What does increasing human population require?
An increased food yield
What is a population explosion caused by?
Better healthcare
Why do we need to improve farming methods?
To produce food for bigger population
To produce food for a bigger population, farmers can do 3 things:
-Use fertilisers to boost nutrient levels
-Use herbicides to kill weeds
-Use pesticides to kill pestd which eat crops
What do plants need to be healthy?
Nutrients
Where do nutrients come from?
-Manure/compost
-Chemical fertilisers
-Decomposing plant matter
What is the cycle of nutrients?
waste and death
/ \
nutrients in nutrients in
living organisms dead bodies
| and waste
| |
absorption by decomposition
living things by bacteria and
| decomposers
\ /
nutrients in
environment
What can fertilisers be?
Natural - Compost
Artificial - chemicals
What is NPK
Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium
Type of fertiliser
What do pesticides reduce?
Crop yield
What can pesticides do?
Damage crops/spread disease
What is an example of issues with monoculture?
When growing spruce trees, a disadvantage is draining the nutrients from soil
What do plants and animals need
Nitrogen
Nitrogen -> ?? + ??
Nitrogen -> amino acids + protein
What are problems with fertislisers?
Using too much can be harmful
Can run off into waterways
