Sustainability and Interdependence - Food Supply Flashcards
1
Q
food security
A
the ability of human populations to access food of sufficient quality and sufficient quantity
2
Q
factors which impact food production
A
- photosynthesis
- competition
- breeding higher yielding cultivars
- disease
- pests
- soil nutrients and profile
3
Q
ways to improve crop yeild
since arable land is not increasing, yeild must increase
A
- reducing competition - adding nutrients and water to the soil to reduce factors which may limit plant growth
- using higher yeilding cultivars - selectively bred or GM
- protecting crops from pests, diseases and competition - use agrochemicals
- developing pest resistant crop plants
4
Q
how much energy is lost between trophic levels in a food chain
why?
A
90% due to undigested waste, maintaining body temperature, and movement
5
Q
what is the most productive land use for producing food?
A
plants produce more food per unit area of land than livestock since energy is lost bewteen trophic levels
