what are the causes of inequality in global food security Flashcards
physical factors affecting food insecurity
temperature - each crop requires a min growing temp, frost free days are also required, within the tropics there is a continuous growing season
sunlight - photosynthesis requires sunlight
precipitation - avg rainfall influences what crops are suitable, effectiveness of precipitation should be considered eg warm climates, rainfall may quickly evaporate
altitude - as height increases, temp decreases, snow + precipitation increases + growing season decreases. at the same time soils take longer to develop, nutrient recycling is slower + leaching becomes prevalent
aspect - determines microclimate: south-facing slopes receive more sunlight than north facing slopes + thus warmer with drier soils. crops on south facing can grow at higher altitudes than north facing
slope - affects rate of erosion, use of machinery + soil formation. on steep slopes soils are often thin, poorly developed + excessively drained. soils at base of slope can become waterlogged. on gentler slopes there is less erosion + leaching
economic factors affecting food security
CCTTF
competition - in food markets; growing dominance of agribusinesses + TNCs in global food supply has reduced comp.
for scarce resources; increasing comp across the globe for essential agricultural resources eg land, water
farm size - the growth of agribusinesses + use of farm machinery has led to increasing farm size for economies of scale.
transport - developments in transport, food can now travel long distance over short time spaces
capital - farmers in developing countries who lack finance struggle to achieve capital intensive farming systems
technology - can range from new strains of seeds to advances in mechanisation in which capital reserves are need to take advantage thus leaving poor farmers + LIDCs at a disadvantage
political factors affecting food security
LLG
land ownership systems - refers to the rights that farmers have of their land eg owner occupiers, tenants, landless labourers with no rights. this can affect productivity + decision making + also distribution of harvest will be determined by the land owner
land grabbing - process whereby rich countries acquire land in poor countries (investor + target countries). investor country may have land or water constraint but they have capital eg saudi arabia
government policy - intervention in the farming system, can be high level of intervention in a centrally planned economy or where govts struggle to intervene bc of powerful agribusinesses + TNCs
social factors affecting food security
inheritance laws - cultural factors in some countries mean that farms are divided amongst siblings or dowry customs -> this may subdivide farms
example of land grabbing
target country: Ethiopia, investor country: India -> 54 bill invested for growing of flowers + sugar
what is India a case study of?
physical and human threats to food production
what are physical challenges experienced by India?
- climate is semi arid, annual temp avg 21 degrees
- unreliable monsoons have caused frequent droughts = farmers have to draw more groundwater to irrigate crops = decline in water table (80% of groundwater sources are over exploited), expensive equipment has to be purchased to drill such depths -> financial stress -> high suicide rates of farmers
how does increased temperature affect India?
wheat crops have reached their max heat tolerance, vulnerability to short term heat greatly reduces crop yields
what is the affect of soil erosion?
- little infiltration + high levels of overland flow = erosion of fertile soils
what are human challenges?
in india
- urbanisation reduces availability of agricultural land
- Green Revolution widened gap between rich + poor
- govt assistance needed in water management + mechanisation
- inefficient infrastructure leads to problems of food distribution + waste
- small - scale farmers disadvantaged by globalisation
what impacts did the green revolution have?
HYVs dependent on chemical fertilisers + pesticides -> favoured larger + wealthier farmers -> widened gap between rural rich + rural poor
how has globalisation affected India?
- small scale farmers unable to compete w agribusinesses
- agricultural products being imported to India from Acs
- GM crops are being sold by multinationals for unreasonably high prices
what were the problems of the national food security bill in 2013 (India)?
- inefficient transport + storage infrastructure created high levels of food waste
- high food prices + limited quality + quantity of food staples
