U3 Feeding the World

Question 1

What leads to the demand for increased food production?

Answer 1

Increase in human population

concern for food security

Question 2

What is food security?

Answer 2

The ability of human populations to access food of sufficient quality and quantity

It is massively important for the future of the human race

Question 3

What are the requirements of food production?

Answer 3

must be sustainable

not degrade the natural resources on which agriculture depends

Question 4

(improving yield) As the area of land suitable for growing crops is limited, agriculture can:

Answer 4

1-reduce limiting factors by adding minerals (fertiliser) or water (irrigation systems) to remove factors which may be limiting plant growth

2-Protect crops from pests (eg insects), diseases (eg fungi), and competition (from weeds) by using pesticides, fungicides and herbicides

3-replace existing strains of crops with a higher yielding cultivar (CULTured VARiety)

4-develop pest-resistant crop plants

Question 5

Which produce less food per unit area and why + impact?

Livestock or plants

Answer 5

Livestock due to loss of energy between tropic levels

Therefore, arable land planted with crops produces far more food per unit area than the same land planted with grass to feedstock

Question 6

When is it more efficient to use land for livestock?

Answer 6

When the land cannot be planted with crops