Unit 3.1: Food Supply, Plant Growth and Productivity Flashcards
What is food security?
The ability of human populations to access food of sufficient quality and quantity to maintain a healthy population
Why is food security and increasing issue in the human population?
Increase in human population without change in land available
What is meant by sustainable food production?
Food is produced and can continue to be produced without degrading the natural resources on which agriculture depends
Factors affecting food production?
Pests - decrease yield, either by feeding on crops or by making the plant less healthy
Competition - weeds or too dense planting will slow growth
Disease - Decrease yield as the plant is less healthy. May also produce food that is unsuitable for eating
Soil profile - The depth of soil drainage will determine what type of crop you can grow
Soil nutrients - Plants need specific nutrient profiles. Some may need to be added using fertilisers. Can also use crop rotations
Breeding higher yield cultivars - will increase yield, but some require more intensive farming methods and are more dependent on particular soil profiles and nutrients
Why do livestock produce less food per unit area than plant crops?
Each trophic level in a food chain brings a loss of fixed energy mass
Explain the statement: energy is lost from the food chain as waste, but not from the food web
It decomposes and other organisms can still feed on the waste so the energy is still available
