Managing Food Production

Question 1

How can the efficiency of food production be improved?

Answer 1

1. Reducing number of stages in food chain
2. Restricting energy lost by farm animals
3. Developing new food sources

Question 2

Why does growing crops provide more energy?

Answer 2

The number of stages in the food chain is reduced.

Question 3

Why can’t we just grow crops?

Answer 3

1. People need a varied diet.

2. Some places aren’t arable

Question 4

How does intensive farming increase efficiency?

Answer 4

1. Less wasted energy in movement

2. Less wasted heat energy

Question 5

What is mycoprotein?

Answer 5

Protein from fungi.

Question 6

What is the main source of mycoprotein?

Answer 6

Fusarium, a fungus.

Question 7

How is glucose syrup obtained?

Answer 7

Digesting maize syrup with enzymes.

Question 8

What is provided to the fungus in the fermenter?

Answer 8

1. Glucose syrup (food)
2. Oxygen (aerobic)
3. Ammonia (nitrogen)

Question 9

How are other microorganisms prevented from growing inside?

Answer 9

1. Initial steam sterilisation
2. Filtered air
3. Heat sterilised nutrients

Question 10

What are the advantages of mycoprotein?

Answer 10

1. Developing countries are scarce in meat
2. Efficient way of providing protein
3. Grows quickly, little space
4. Feed on waste material

Question 11

What are the problems with intensive farming?

Answer 11

1. Cruel
2. Spread of disease
3. Fossil fuels to keep them warm
4. They’re fed fish but fish stocks are getting low

Question 12

What is the problem with spread of disease in intensive farming?

Answer 12

Animals are given antibiotics, and humans eat them. This means microbes that infect humans develop immunity to those antibiotics and they become less effective as human medicine.

Question 13

What are food miles?

Answer 13

The distance that the food travels from the production to the retail.

Question 14

What is bad about having lots of food miles?

Answer 14

1. Expensive

2. Transport burns fossil fuels

Question 15

What is the problem with overfishing?

Answer 15

1. Less fish to eat
2. Ocean food chains affected
3. Some fish go extinct

Question 16

How can fish stocks be conserved?

Answer 16

1. Fishing quotas

2. Net size

Question 17

How do fishing quotas work?

Answer 17

There are limits on the number and size of fish that can be caught in certain areas.

Question 18

How does limiting net size work?

Answer 18

There are different limits on the mesh size of the net, depending on what’s being fished.

Question 19

How does limiting net size help to preserve fish stocks?

Answer 19

1. Unwanted species can escape

2. Younger fish can slip through and reach breeding age