T7 - food production

Question 1

Define the phrase food security.

Answer 1

Food security is having enough food to feed a population.

Question 2

How can increasing birth rates affect food security?

Answer 2

Increasing birth rate threatens food security in some countries by increasing the population that needs to be fed.

Question 3

True or False? Changing diets in developed countries have no impact on global food security.

Answer 3

False. Changing diets in developed countries can threaten food security because changes in demand for certain foods can lead to scarce food resources being transported around the world rather than being used to feed people in their country of origin.

Question 4

How can pests and pathogens affect food security?

Answer 4

Pests and pathogens are organisms that can damage or destroy crops, threatening food production.

Question 5

How can environmental change affect food security?

Answer 5

Environmental change can affect food security by impacting food production, e.g. when: drought occurs due to changes in weather patterns, temperature changes increase the range of pests and pathogens.

Question 6

What are agricultural inputs?

Answer 6

Agricultural inputs are resources used in farm production, such as seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and labour.

Question 7

True or False? Conflicts only affect food availability, not water availability.

Answer 7

False. Conflicts can affect the availability of both food and water.

Question 8

What is the ultimate goal regarding feeding Earth’s population?

Answer 8

The ultimate goal is to find sustainable methods to feed all people on Earth.

Question 9

True or False? Allowing livestock to move freely increases food production efficiency.

Answer 9

False. Limiting livestock movement increases food production efficiency by reducing energy used for movement; this energy can instead be used to fuel growth.

Question 10

How does controlling temperature affect livestock energy use?

Answer 10

Controlling temperature keeps livestock at their optimum temperature, reducing the energy they use for body temperature regulation.

Question 11

Define the phrase intensive farming

Answer 11

Intensive farming is a method of farming that aims to maximise production within a limited land area. An example is the raising of livestock in confined spaces.

Question 12

What is a potential drawback of keeping livestock in confined spaces?

Answer 12

Drawbacks of keeping livestock in confined spaces include: disease can spread easily among the animals, animals may be distressed, resulting in poor welfare, animals may become aggressive and injure each other.

Question 13

What is a common ethical objection to intensive farming methods?

Answer 13

A common ethical objection to intensive farming methods is that it forces animals to live in conditions that are not humane.

Question 14

What is a sustainable fishery?

Answer 14

Sustainable fisheries are fisheries in which the overall population size of fish species does not decrease; this is because the number of fish caught does not exceed the number of new fish born.

Question 15

What is the main cause of declining fish stocks?

Answer 15

The main cause of declining fish stocks is overfishing.

Question 16

Why is it important to maintain fish stocks?

Answer 16

It is important to maintain fish stocks to keep them at a level where breeding continues; this ensures that fish populations do not collapse.

Question 17

True or False? Increasing the size of gaps in fishing nets leads to larger catches of fish.

Answer 17

False. Increasing the size of gaps in fishing nets will reduce the size of fish catches. Doing this helps to reduce the capture of unwanted species and allows young fish to escape.

Question 18

How do larger net gaps help maintain fish populations?

Answer 18

Larger net gaps allow juvenile fish to escape and survive to breeding age, ensuring the population can be replenished.

Question 19

How does the accidental capture of larger fish species affect marine ecosystems?

Answer 19

The accidental capture of larger fish species will reduce the populations of these species. This can remove top predators from food chains and disrupt marine food webs.

Question 20

What are fishing quotas?

Answer 20

Fishing quotas are limits on the number and size of particular fish species that can be caught in a given area.

Question 21

How can microorganisms be cultured for food on a large scale?

Answer 21

Microorganisms can be cultured for food on a large scale by being grown in fermenters. For example Fusarium is grown on glucose syrup in aerobic conditions, and the biomass is harvested and purified.

Question 22

What is mycoprotein?

Answer 22

Mycoprotein is a protein-rich food produced by a fungus. It is suitable for vegetarians and often used as a meat-substitute.

Question 23

Name the type of fungus used to produce mycoprotein.

Answer 23

The type of fungi used to produce mycoprotein is Fusarium.

Question 24

How can biotechnology be used to help treat people with diabetes?

Answer 24

A genetically modified bacterium produces human insulin. When harvested and purified this is used to treat people with diabetes.

Question 25

How can GM crops increase food security?

Answer 25

GM crops increase food security by providing more food, or providing food with an improved nutritional value, such as golden rice.