Food (Resource Management)

• What is the energy gained from food measured in?

  Calories
• How many calories does a man need per day?

  2500
• What is self-sufficiency?


  The ability of a nation to provide it's own food through agricultural production
• Why has the amount and variety of food imported into the UK increased over time?

  > An increase in the population

  > Multi-cultural population

  > Demand for exotic produce

  > Cheaper food from abroad due to lower production costs

  
  

  An increasing amount of food is coming from LICs
• What are food miles?


  Distance travelled by foods from source to destination
• What is carbon footprint?


  Amount of greenhouse gases generated by the things people do
• Why do higher food miles lead to climate change?

  Transportation (usually air travel) gives off carbon emissions which leads to climate change
• How can we reduce food miles?

  By buying seasonal produce and avoiding buying foods off-season (e.g. strawberries may be from UK in summer but from Spain in winter)
• Why might food transported from Africa have a low carbon footprint despite having high food miles?

  > Manual labor and lack of mechanisation

  > Cow dung used as fertiliser

  > Few tractors, no harmful emissions

  > Low tech irrigation systems

  Another advantage which doesn't affect carbon footprint is that it provides employment and wealth in LICs
• What types of meat has the highest carbon footprint?

  Red meat (e.g. beef) has the highest carbon footprint, followed by dairy produce (e.g. cheese), the poultry (e.g. chicken)
• What sources of protein have a low carbon footprint?

  Legumes (e.g. soya)
• Why is locally produced food better?

  Reduce food miles, support British agriculture, rural companies and culture
• What are ways of encouraging a reduction in food miles?

  > Buying locally produced food (e.g. local farmers markets)

  > Labelling food in supermarkets
• What is a food surplus?

  Producing more food than the population demands
• What is a food deficit?

  Producing less food than the population demands
• What is food insecurity?


  When an area doesn't have sufficient supply of good quality food
• What are impacts of food insecurity?

  Famine, malnutrition, soil erosion, rising food prices and social unrest
• What is famine?


  Widespread shortage of food causing malnutrition, starvation and death. Some causes of famine have been droughts and political unrest. In Somalia from 2010-2012, 18% of the child population died due to famine
• What is malnutrition?


  A lack of a balanced diet and deficiency in minerals and vitamins. There is a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa
• What is soil erosion?


  The removal of the top organic rich layer of soil by wind and water. This can be caused by overgrazing, growing crops on marginal land and deforestation. This happens in desert and semi-desert regions
• How are rising food prices caused?

  > Due to increasing cost of animal feed, food storage etc

  > Increased demand due to population growth

  > A fall in productivity along with the increasing need for fertilisers

  > The use of biofuels which reduces agricultural land

  > Increased meat consumption which takes up more land

  LICs suffer the most. The cost of rice has doubled since 2007
• What is the correlation between social unrest and rising food prices?

  Food riots have happened recently in North Africa and the Middle East, sometimes caused by rising food prices. Most incidents occur in LICs and NEEs. In Algeria the price of flour doubled and a riot killed 4 people over 5 days
• What are reasons for increased food consumption?

  > Increased population

  > Inactive lifestyles

  > Increased wealth

  > Easy access to fast foods and advertising

  > Access to cheaper food via supermarkets and improved transport

  
  

  Compared to previous generations, we now eat more processed food and ready meals, often containing high levels of salt, sugar and fat
• What are factors affecting food supply?

  > Climate

  > Climate change

  > Irrigation

  > Water availability

  > Conflict

  > Poverty

  > Pests and diseases

  > Mechanisation

  > Biotechnology
• How does climate affect food supply?

  Extreme temperatures and extreme rain and reduce productivity. Desert soils are unproductive
• How does climate change affect food supply ?

  Weeds and pests increase in warmer conditions. Disease can spread north and south from the tropics
• How does irrigation affect food supply?

  Poor irrigation can decrease food yields. Waterlogging can lead to salinisation in deserts
• How does water availability affect food supply?

  Lack of water contributes to desertification in Thar desert, which makes crops harder to grow
• How does conflict affect food supply?

  Damage to irrigation and infrastructure during war. Syria used to export excess wheat but now has to import it
• How does poverty affect food supply?

  Lack of irrigation and fertilisers, making crops more likely to fail in LICs
• How do pests and disease affect food supply?

  A pest harms agriculture through feeding on crops (e.g. locusts) or parasitising livestock. Diseases destroy plants (e.g. clubroot)
• How does mechanisation affect food supply?

  Tractors increase yields but reduce employment
• How does biotechnology affect food supply?

  Modifying living organisms, e.g. Selective breeding to increase crop yields; GM (Genetically Modified crops). There are some health concerns over GM crops
• What is an agribusiness?


  A business that earns money from agriculture. Agribusiness denotes the collective business activities that are performed from 'farm to fork
• What does an agribusiness tend to be?

  A large scale business operation that is involved in all or some of growing, packaging and distributing crops. One of the main generators of employment and income worldwide. Advanced technology is utilised
• What is an agribusiness characterised by?

  > The sector is subject to strict regulatory controls on consumer safety, production quality and environmental protection

  > Traditional production and distribution methods are being replaced by more efficient supply chains and the heavy use of the technology
• What is The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN?

  Through its Agribusiness Development Program the UN advises how to improve agribusiness to increase food production, employment and economic development
• What is organic farming?

  > Ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, sewage sludge or GM organisms

  > Animals do not take routine use of antibiotics or growth hormones, which may affect meat, eggs and dairy products
• What are cons of organic farming?

  > Goes off quickly

  > More expensive as it will take longer to grow/raise, without chemicals keeping it fresh for longer (additives) it will have a shorter shelf life and would go off quicker
• What are pros of local organic farming?

  > More variety

  > Higher quality

  > Fresher due to lower travel miles