Geography

• Hong kong people do not produce enough food for oursleves
• most of our food is imported
• Farming

  The growing of crops and the rearing of livestock (agriculture)
• Farm produce

  • Crops
  • Livestock
• Farm produce

  Used as food for people or raw material for industries
• Farming system

  1. Input

  2. Process

  3. Output
• Input (things needed for farming)


  • Physical input (sunlight, rainfall, seed)
  • Human input (labour, technology, capital)
• Process (types of farmwork that turn input to output)


  • Ploughing
  • Fertilizing
  • Irrigating
• Output (things produced by the farm)


  • Crop residue
  • Farm produce (cash crop)
  • Pollutants
• Crop residue are useful output that can be sold for money
• Farmer sells crops

  To obtain money to reinvest in the farm
• This is the feedback loop of the farming system
• Grains

  • rice
  • corn
  • wheat
• Farming region

  An area where farmers grow the same major type of crop or raise the same major types of livestock, using similar method
• Major farming regions in China

  • Xibei region
  • Huabei region
  • Dongbei region
  • Huanan region
• Climate

  The average weather condition of a place over many years
• Relief

  The shape of land, e.g. height and steepness
• Growing season


  The period of a year when crops can be grown
• In China, rainfall generally decreases from south-east to north-west
• Huanan region


  Usually grows paddy because it has high rainfall
• Huabei region


  Usually grows crops that require less rainfall (e.g. wheat)
• In places with low rainfall, only grass can grow (pastoral farming is practised)
• In desert areas, crops are grown only in oases where water is available
• Huanan region


  The air temperature is generally high, so it has a long growing season
• A place where the air temperature is low


  Growing crops are not favourable
• Climate and air temperature


  • They affect the length of the growing season
• In China, the height of land decreases from west to east
• Western China


  Mountainous, steep slopes and rugged relief, soil is thin and infertile, only suitable for growing grass (pastoral farming is practised)
• Eastern China


  Plains and hills, soil is fertile, good for arable farming
• Plain


  A flat land with gentle relief
• Farmland in China

  • The best farmland is found in eastern China along valleys or along the coast
  • In places where arable farming is less favourable, pastoral farming is practised
• Food

  • Provides us with energy and nutrition
  • Important for the security and development of a country
• With enough food supply

  People have energy to work, enhancing economic growth
• When a country does not have enough food to feed its people

  People will suffer from hunger and poor nutrition, food shortages may occur, slowing down the country's economic development or even resulting in social unrest
• Factors affecting food demand

  • Population (the total number of people living in a place)
  • Income level
• Population

  The larger the population size, the larger the food demand
• Income level

  With higher income, people tend to consume more meat and dairy products but fewer staple foods
• Factors affecting food supply

  • Import
  • Local production from farming
• If the food supply cannot meet the food demand


  Food shortage occurs
• What is population

  refer to the total number of people living in a place