Managing Food Production

Question 1

What three ways can the efficiency of food production be improved?

Answer 1

1) reducing number of stages in the food chain
2) restricting energy lost by farm animals
3) developing new food sources by mycoprotein

Question 2

How does reducing the number of stages in the food chain mean the efficiency of food production is improved?

Answer 2

There is less energy and biomass at every stage, so less stages means there is more energy and biomass at the end of the food chain as there is less stages for it to be lost.

Question 3

How does restricting the energy lost by farm animals improve the efficiency of food production?

Answer 3

Keeping animals close together means they are warm and can’t move, so they don’t waste energy on movement and stops them giving out energy as heat, so the animals grow faster on less food. This makes it cheaper for the farmer and the buyer.

Question 4

How does developing new food sources improve the efficiency of food production?

Answer 4

Mycoprotein = protein from fungi, used for meat substitutes. If it is grown in an efficient way, then it can feed many people as they grow quickly, don’t need much room and can feed on waste that can’t be given to other animals.