Resources management - Food inc. optional element Flashcards
Why is there an increasing demand for food in the UK?
UK population growth
(Despite a productive farming industry, we important 40% of our food)
Demand for seasonal products all year round
Wider food tastes- growing demand for high value food imports such as avocados and spices
Why does the UK import food?
Demand for greater choice and more exotic foods
UK food production can be expensive
Cheaper food from abroad
UK climate is unsuitable for some food production
Demand for seasonal produce all year round
What are the advantages of large food miles?
Helps transform people’s standard of living in LICs
Greater variety of food
Farming in LICs doesn’t contribute to global warming as it is more labour intensive rather than relying on machinery
Growing food in the UK in greenhouses is very expensive and energy intensive
What are the disadvantages of large food miles?
Carbon footprint (carbon emissions and climate change)
Food needs lots of chemicals like preservatives to stay fresh (bad for health)
Doesn’t support UK farmers
What is agribusiness?
Intensive farming aimed at maximising amount of UK food production
Farms are run as commercial business
High levels of investment and use modern tech and chemicals
What is organic farming?
Food grown without chemicals
Increasing demand for organic produce
Local and seasonal produce
What are some advantages of agribusiness?
Produces large amounts of food quickly and cheaply
Satisfies demand from UK population
Profitable (small amount of workers due to mostly machinery)
What are some advantages for organic farming?
Health benefits
Better for environment (no chemicals)
Encourages wildlife with more hedges and wild field margins (supports biodiversirty)
Better flavour
What are some disadvantages of agribusiness?
Chemicals get into the food supply and water supply
Hedgerows removed
What are some disadvantages of organic farming?
Can’t mass produce
Expensive
Definition of food security
Having access to enough safe, affordable, nutritious food to maintain a healthy, active life
Definition of food insecurity
Being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food
Why is the global demand for food increasing?
Population growth
Economic development
Why is the global demand for food growing? 6 marker
The world’s population is predicted to grow from 6.1 billon in 2000 to 9.2 billion in 2050. This means that there are more mouths to feed. However, it will grow much faster in poor areas such as Africa where population is growing at 2.51% per year and slower in rich continents such as Europe where population is growing at 0.1%
There is a clear correlation between the areas with greatest population growth and the areas with the highest levels of undernourishment
As countries develop and become NEEs such as India and China people become rich and their diets change. They eat more meat and less rice.
The grain is fed to animals to produce the meat people eat rather than being eaten by people. The grain is fed to animals to produce the meat people eat rather than being eaten by people.
This means more resources are needed to feed the people of the country. People also eat more convenience food which increases calorie intake
How many hectares is the Lynford House Farm in East Anglia?
570 hectares
What foods does Lynford House Farm grow?
Wheat, sugar beet and potatoes
What are some features of of Lynford House Farm?
Flat fertile land which is intensively farmed to maximise productivity and profitability
Machinery costs are high but make the farm efficient as they only employ a small amount of workers
What does the Riverford Organic Farm in Devon do?
Delivers boxes of vegetables around the UK
What are some of the features of Riverford Organic Farm?
Reduce food miles
Supports local farmers
Provides local employment
Builds strong link between grower and consumer
What is irrigation?
Applying water to land in order to supply crops and other plants with necessary water
There are various types of irrigation that can be used such as drip irrigation (water dripped from holes in pipes directly onto the soil)
How can irrigation increase food supply?
Irrigation can increase crop yields when water supply is low or unreliable.
This is especially important in arid climates
The problem is that irrigation can cause further water stress in a region
What are aeroponics?
Growing plants are suspended in a mist environment without the use of soil
What are hydroponics?
A method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water, without the use of soil. Plant roots are dangled into the solution
How do aeroponics and hydroponics increase food supply?
These methods use less water than traditional soil-growing methods
Conditions can be optimized for plant growth
Plants can also be stacked on top of one another
The problem is that these methods are expensive and require expert knowledge
What is the new Green revolution?
A combination of modern technology and traditional farming to boost food production is poorer countries
How does the new Green Revolution increase food supply?
It aims to improve crop yields in LICs in a more sustainable way by educating people about
- Drought-resistant plants
- Pest-resistant plants
- Pest and disease control
- Appropriate farming methods
- Crop rotation
What is Biotechnology?
Genetically modified crops have been manipulated for a variety of benefits including:
- Improved nutritional value of crops (eg rice with added vitamins )
- Improved shelf life
- Improved resistance to drought, pests and diseases
How does Biotechnology increase food supply?
Genetic engineering is used to improve food supply
May not lead to an increase in food supply
There are also ethical and environmental concerns