The Challenge Of Resource Management - Food Water Energy Flashcards
Benefits for importing food from abroad
Saves money - supports the government
Provides jobs globally
Good quality from specific countries
Builds trade market
Issues of importing food from abroad
Local farmers aren’t supported
Longer journey = more chance of damage = increased food waste
Transportation is bad for the environment
Case study on Food
Kenyan Food Imports
The demand for non-seasonal and high value products in the UK impact….
Poorer countries
What happened in 2009 when Kenya government announced a natural disaster of food shortages and drought
Large quantities of food were still being sent to the UK to fill supermarket shelvess
3 Kenyan food facts
Prepares 350 tonnes of vegetables for the UK
Uk reject 25% of food - wasted
Peas, beans, mange tut contribute to the largest proportion of imports to the UK
Food Miles
Show how far food travels to get a certain location
Why does importing food increase the UK’s carbon footprint
Transport burns fossil fuels which releases CO2 emissions
Food miles increase so more transport
Larger Carbon Footprint
Carbon Footprint
the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere from a given activity
Organic
Removing the use of chemicals in the production of food to benefit the environment and consumer health
Positives of Organic food
Does not use chemicals or pesticides
- Cleaner produce
- Doesn’t harm animals
Uses 30% less energy
- reduces carbon footprint
- more sustainable
Negatives of Organic food
Higher chance of bacteria on meat
Costs are higher
Production is expensive - more workers
Positives of Local Produce
Creates Jobs and supports the local economy
Better for the environment; less food miles
Better nutritional value - less damage from transport
Negatives of Local Produce
Production cost is higher
Local food is only seasonal - less variety
Job opportunities reduced - less people in transport industry
What is Agribusiness
Agriculture conducted on strictly commercial principle to reduce cost of food
Agribusiness positives
No need for transport - reduces food miles
More range in products
More profit for large scale businesses
Cheaper food
Agribusiness Negatives
High uses of chemicals
Impacts family businesses
Machinery instead of farmers
overseas countries effected
Water surplus
Water supply is greater than demand
What are the two Qs of water supply
Quality and Quantity
Methods to increase water supply
Save water
Water Tranfer
Building reservoirs
Pros and cons to saving water
+ Cheap and easy to save water
- People may not follow the advise
Pros and cons to saving water
+ Cheap and easy to save water
- People may not follow the advise
Pros and Cons of water transfer
Pros
Surplus of water is moved to a place of deficit
Cons
Very expensive and can affect wildlife
Pros and cons of building resovoirs
Pros
Stores water for times in less rainfall
Cons
Areas can be flooded - move homes
8 sources of water pollution to UK freshwater
Farming Chemicals
Hot water
Rubbish
Polllution
Untreated waste
Road runoff
Wasted resources
Sewage
Issues caused by poor water quality
Toxic waste can poison water
Increase water temp = death of wildlife and disruption to habitats
Sewage can spread diseases
Fertilisers can speed the growth of algae - eukaryotic = deaths of wildlife from insufficient oxygen
Management strategies to water quality
Pollution traps - filter/catch pollution
Green roofs and walls - filter pollutants naturally in rainwater, reduce runoff = reduce flooding
Waste water treatment - prevent spills and accidents
Education Campaigns - inform the public about putting inappropriate items in the sewage
Local Water treatment - remove suspended solids to produce clean water
Legislation - laws to limit amount of discharge put into rivers
Energy Mix
The range of energy sources of a region or country, both renewable and non-renewable
Why is the rate of growth in UK’s energy consumption slowing over time
Industries are becoming more efficient
Households are trying to reduce carbon footprint by becoming more eco conscious
Domestic Energy
Energy generated within the borders of your own country
Why is the UK’s gas and oil production decreasing
Coal is harder to extract because it is deeper in the ground - difficult and expensive
Uk is reliant on overseas imports - energy supply is vulnerable
Economic and Environmental Challenges with Fossil Fuels
Costs of production
Miners suffer diseases related to their jobs
Greenhouses gases - global warming
Waste = visual pollution
Economic and Environmental challenges with Renewables
Visual pollution - impacts tourism
Noise pollution - wildlife and people
Weather dependent
What is fracking
An extraction method used to release fossil fuels deep within the earths surface
Opportunities of Fracking
Jobs in rural areas
Uk has large enough reserves to meet national energy consumption in years to come
Challenges of Fracking
Time consuming - years of drilling before production can start
Increase in risk of earthquakes
Food Security
Everyone has access to safe food to keep them healthy
Food insecurity
Not everyone has consistent access, food is unsafe and in short supply
Global patterns of calorie intake and food supply
Higher population and wealth = more consumption
Reasons for Global patterns in calorie intake and food supply
Wealth
Population
Agriculture - resources
Culture - Richer foods and produce
How does population growth increase the global demand for food
Increase calorie consumption
More food in demand
How does economic growth increase the global demand for food
Increase in wealth
Wider rand of food becomes affordable
Afford more amounts of food
Factors affecting Food supply
Poverty - cant afford nutritional food
Climate - crop growth is affected which reduces food supply
Conflict - food can be destroyed or stolen, farmers have to flee
Technology - limits productivity
Peats and diseases - reduce harvest and carry diseases
Water supply - food production
Social impacts of Food insecurity
Famine - widespread scarcity of food = death, malnutrition, weakens immunity
Increased competition can lead to conflict
Social unrest is related to rising prices in staple foods
Economic impacts of Food insecurity
Food shortage = increase in prices - unaffordable
Limited access to food = diseases and under nutrition
Environmental impacts of Food insecurity
Infertile land is used for local communities = crop growth is not supported
Overgrazing leaves soil exposed - soil erosion
Strategies to increase food supply
Irrigation - artificially watering the land
Aeroponics - grown in air and sprayed with mists containing fine nutrients - speeds up growth
Hydroponics - Plants grown in water
The green revolution - focus on sustainability and community
Bio technology - modify products to create higher yield
Technology - speeds up production of crops
Large scale agricultural development - Case Study
Algeria, Spain
What is happening in Almeria, Spain
Large scale agricultural development
Out of season crops grown all year round
South-East of Spain
Largest concentration of greenhouses in the world
Reasons for plant Growth in Almeria
Average temp is 20degrees - crops are grown all year round
Plastic have developed overtime to become suitable to build greenhouses
Almost all crops are growth with hydroponics - no soil
Economic advantages and disadvantage of Almeria
Large amounts of cheap temporary labour keeps costs low
Contributes 1.5 billion to Spain’s economy annually
Social advantages and disadvantages to Almeria
Immigrant labour is paid very low wages - work in poor conditions
Temperatures are very high - workers struggle in theses conditions
Environmental advantages and disadvantages of Almeria
Water efficiency has improved
greenhouses have white surface = cooling effect
Litter and large amounts of plastic at sea
Production requires more rainfall than available
Increasing sustainable supply of food
Permanent Agriculture - uses natural predators to control, instead of chemical pesticides
Urban farming - Gardens are created on unused land in urban areas
Sustainable meat and fish - traditional method of grazing animals and fishing in areas were propulation is maintained
Difference between food loss and food waste
Food loss - deterioration after harvest
Food Waste - reaches consumer and is thrown away or gone off
Reducing food loss
Invest money in poorer areas
- better access to pest control
- better facilities
Reducing food waste
Reduce portion sizes
Plan shopping
Store food correctly
follow expiration date
Compost waste
An example of a local scheme to increase sustainability of food
Jamalpur, Bangladesh
Background Knowledge of Jamalpur
Physical geography - low lying land, lots of rivers, 1500-4000mm rainfall a year
Human geography - Densely populated, a large section working in agriculture
Aim of Jamalpur
To improve food and nutritional security of resources for poor farmers
Practical action taken in Jamalpur
Increase agriculture production
Increase income and nutritional and live hood security
Increase farming productivity
Previous struggles of Jamalpur
Each farmers own small areas of land
Struggle to support family - hungry for days
evaluation of Jamalpur
Not suitable for all countries - only rice farming areas with similar climates and needs
Solves nutritional poverty
Family can invest in better technology and education
Provides a steady income - social activities
What is fish-rice culture
Small fish are introduced into the rice paddy fields
They provide a source of protein but also aerate the water and fertilise the soil
How is rice-fish culture sustainable
does not involve artificial chemicals or expensive equipment or external expertise
does not harm the naturla enviroment
