Sustainable Food Supply Flashcards
What are the 2 challenges associated with maintaining a sustainable food supply?
1)Growing enough food to feed the rising population
2)Making sure the environment isn’t damaged in the process so that we can continue to use the environment efficiently to produce food for future generations
What are the negative impacts of is using industrial agriculture to produce food quickly ?
•it uses 70% of the world’s fresh water supply
•it relies on pesticides and artificial fertilisers which can make the soil less productive in the long term by permanently removing nutrients
•this affects the ability to produce food in the future for new generations
What are some examples of low impact farming and why is it used?
•Organic farming, permaculture and urban farming initiatives
•these are used to make food supplies sustainable as alternative methods are needed which don’t damage the environment
What is organic farming?
•Farming that uses natural processes to return nutrients to the soil so that crops can continue to be grown
•for example crops, animals and fallow areas and rotated and natural fertilisers are used
How is organic farming more sustainable?
•Artificial herbicides and pesticides are restricted and animals aren’t given extra supplements or vaccinations. This reduces reliance on unsustainable resources and can protect biodiversity
•organic farmers are encouraged to sell their produce close to where it is produced reducing the amount of road and air transport required
What is permaculture?
•aims to produce food in a way that recreates natural ecosystems in an effort to protect soil and wildlife
•food production is designed to be low maintenance and to keep soils healthy so that crops can continue to be grown
How is permaculture sustainable?
•mixed cropping is used where plants of different heights and different types are grown in one areas. This means the available space and light are used better, there are fewer pests and diseases and less watering is required
•natural predators are introduced reducing the need for pesticides e.g. frogs can be used to control slugs
What are urban farming initiatives?
uses empty land, roof tops and balconies to grow food and vegetables to raise animals in towns
How are urban farming initiatives sustainable?
•it makes food locally available reducing the need to transport long distances. •This means it is often fresher, more nutritious and can often be cheaper improving the food security of poorer residents
What are some individual actions that can be taken that we can use to be more sustainable in terms of food ?
•fish and meat from sustainable sources
•seasonal food consumption
•reduced waste and losses
What is meant by eating fish and meat from sustainable sources?
•Many fish species are at risk from over-fishing, due to increased consumption. •Sustainable fishing includes catch quotas that limit the amount of fish taken and fishing methods that are less harmful to the environment.
•Labelling allows consumers to choose fish that have been fished sustainably
How is eating fish and meat from sustainable sources sustainable?
•Raising animals for meat is bad for the environment e.g. forests are often cleared to make space for cattle, and animals produce methane (a greenhouse gas)
•meat production can be made more sustainable e.g. by feeding animals on locally sourced rather than imported food, and by ensuring that all edible parts of the animal are eaten.
•Research suggests that adding a small amount of seaweed to normal cattle feed can decrease their methane emissions.
What is meant by seasonal food consumption?
•In many HICs people expect to be able to get foods they like all year round. These foods have to be imported when they are not available locally, e.g. peaches are harvested in the UK from July to September, but are imported all year round from warmer countries, such as Spain and Greece.
• Eating seasonally means only eating the foods that grow locally at that time of year, reducing the amount of food that is imported.
How is seasonal food consumption sustainable?
•Importing food is not sustainable as transport adds food miles and increases the food’s carbon footprint adding to global warming.
•seasonal food consumption reduced the need for importation of food reducing food miles and carbon emissions
What is meant by reduced waste and losses?
•Globally, one third of food that is produced is lost or wasted — reducing this will mean that less needs to be grown.
•Schemes such as ‘Think. Eat.Save’ and ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ encourage individuals, businesses and governments to waste less food
