Resource management - food Flashcards
Food security definition
When all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe and healthy food for an active life
How does population growth increase the global demand for food?
More people means more mouths to feed - therefore more food is needed
How does economic development increase the global demand for food?
If people have more money they will demand higher quality an more food for contempt and pleasure (range)
Sustainable food definition
Production of food that increases yields to meet demand for future generations
Food loss definition
Food that is lost due to its deterioration after harvest but before it reaches the consumer
Undernourishment definition
Lack of sufficient calories and nutrients in the diet
Food waste definition
Food that reaches the consumer but is thrown away, not used or goes off
Sustainability definition
Actions that meet the demands of the present without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
what can we do to contribute to more sustainable food practices
no waste
grow our own food
buy locally and in season
Factors affecting food supply (6)
CLIMATE - essential for crop growth (temperature and rainfall)
TECHNOLOGY - can make farming possible in places it wasn’t before (HICs)
POVERTY - cannot afford things to improve food supply (seeds, tools, fertilisers)
CONFLICT - farmers have to flee - land unattended, food stolen, crops destroyed in battle
PESTS AND DISEASE - reduces amount a farmer can eat/sell at the end of a harvest
WATER - crops cannot grow without water
Economic impacts of food insecurity
- shortage of food can lead to increased prices (can also be caused by a global event)
- people suffering from malnutrition + diseases associated with a poor diet - cannot work
Social impacts of food insecurity
- famine - widespread scarcity of food
- causes death and malnutrition - weak immunity
- competition for scarce food can lead to conflict
Environmental impacts of food insecurity
- in LICs the best land is used to grow crops for HICs - leaves less land for locals - land doesn’t have nutrients and becomes infertile
- overgrazing leaves soil exposed - soil erosion
- where crops are grown the increase in pesticides and fertilisers can cause water pollution, causing water shortages
strategies to increase food supply - irrigation
Artificially watering the land - most methods involve extracting water from rivers and underground water stores or building dams
+ supplies extra water to farming areas - increases production and reduces poverty
- large scale schemes can push people off land (reservoirs)
increased waterlogging
build up of salts/minerals in soil
costly
Case study for large scale agricultural development
Almeria, Spain
Greenhouses in Almeria are made of plastic…
Plastic goes into seas, rivers, ground, soil when it rains water washes out chemicals into the water streams - impacts locals
Almeria workers
Hard working conditions - extremely hot (many suffer)
Mostly immigrants or refugees
Paid very little for a hard labour job
However huge opportunities as they can learn skills to work elsewhere
Almeria climate benefits
Sunny and hot - large growing season and no pesticides are required
Almeria local people’s opinions
Extremely large scale owned by the rich - angered locals as the greenhouses ruin the view and the workers are poor people who can’t spend money so don’t help local businesses
Also uses a lot of water to grow crops - less available for locals - drought and water shortages
Almeria cost to run
Very cheap to run - don’t need much energy
Run by wealthy people so can buy technology
Moving towards a sustainable resource future: Increasing sustainable supply of food
Permaculture - developing agricultural systems that co-operate with nature rather than working against it - using organic farming
Urban farming - farming in urban areas (small scale), can be produced in gardens/rooftops - healthier, less food miles, saves money
Free range methods - e.g. stopping illegal fishing
Moving towards a sustainable resource future: Reducing food loss and waste
Food loss - better pest control, adequate farming, better storage facilities, better marketing
Food waste - plan weekly shop and reduce potion sizes
Case study for an NEE sustainably increasing food supply on a local scale
Jamalpur, Bangladesh
What is Jamalpur like?
Dense population, where over half work in agriculture.
Low literacy rate compared to other parts of Bangladesh
Less affluent
