food

• Resource


  A product that is valuable to living
• Essential global resources


  • Food
  • Water
  • Energy
• Food production


  Cannot be easily measured as not all foods have the same nutritional value

  
• Food poverty


  How much of a population suffers from malnutrition (eating less food than needed to sufficiently survive)
• Malnourishment


  Can lead to mineral and vitamin deficiencies, increased risk to organ failure and infections, and for children, stunted brain development
• Countries with high rates of malnourishment


  • Chad
  • Zambia
  • Afghanistan
  • Cambodia
• Countries with low rates of malnourishment


  • Brazil
  • Uruguay
  • Egypt
  • Algeria
  • Morocco
• In the UK, 53% of food is grown in the country and 47% is imported from other countries

  
• The UK is not self-sufficient for food
• Food miles


  The distance food travels, which contributes to climate change
• Strategies to tackle issues with importing food


  • Agribusiness
  • Farm shops
  • Organic crops
  • Fairtrade
• There is large inequality in the amount of food consumed in different parts of the world
• Some undernourished countries produce a large amount of food, but export it to other countries
• Factors that affect food supply


  • Climate
  • Technology and development
  • Diseases and pests
  • Water stress
  • Conflict

  
• Problems caused by food insecurity


  • Social impacts
  • Economic impacts
  • Environmental impacts

  
• Crops such as mangoes and olives


  • Demand a lot of water to grow
  • Shouldn't be grown in unsuitable dry climates or areas that experience many droughts
• Conflict


  Civil unrest where locals may migrate regularly to avoid fatalities
• Conflict or civil unrest


  Locals may lose their land or it becomes too dangerous to stay in one village and grow their crops
• Crops and cattle cannot be raised by migrating locals

  This will greatly impact the amount of food available
• Conflicts


  High levels of malnourishment and poverty
• Food insecurity


  Shortage of food which can result in malnutrition illnesses and starvation
• Famine


  • Shortage of food resulting in malnutrition and starvation, such as the Potato Famine in Ireland in 1845
• Undernutrition


  • Eating an unbalanced diet resulting in vitamin deficiencies, which can cause exhaustion, weakness and be fatal in children and pregnant women
• Population becomes hungrier


  Anger towards the government and those who can afford to eat will increase, causing social unrest and protests
• Protests


  • The tortilla riots in Mexico in 2007 where people protested the rising cost of bread
• Increased pressure to grow more crops


  Farmers use more intensive methods of farming which can destroy the soil
• Intensive farming methods


  • Overgrazing
  • Shorter fallow periods and not changing crop types
  • Deforestation and slash-and-burn
• Limited food available


  Price of food will increase
• Rising food prices


  Poorest families are worst affected and cannot afford to feed their families, causing inequality
• Crop yield


  The amount of crops produced per unit of land
• Irrigation


  • Digging water channels and extracting water from aquifers to water crops
  • Reduces water shortages and risk of crop failures
  • Some schemes don't teach water conservation, so water is wasted
  • Dams and expensive transfer schemes don't help small-scale farmers

  
• Aeroponics and Hydroponics


  • Growing crops in water or air rather than soil, increases growth rate and reduces chemicals/fertilisers
  • Maximum growth for limited land
  • Seasonal produce can be grown year-round
  • No pesticides and little fertilisers used
  • Costly to run, less developed countries may not have access
• Green Revolution


  • Increased food production using machinery, including water harvesting and soil conservation
  • Sustainable small changes that increase crop yield without taking more land or using harmful chemicals
  • Reduces labour, but machinery burns fuel and contributes to climate change
• Biotechnology


  • Genetically modifying crops to improve growth, reduce need for fertilisers, and become disease resistant
  • Very effective in improving crop yield
  • Can engineer crops to release fewer greenhouse gases and repel pests
  • Faced criticism and opposition due to concerns about health and environmental impacts
• Sustainable food production


  Increasing crop yield/food production to feed growing population, protecting the environment, and conserving resources for the future

  
• Organic farming


  • Farmers don't use chemicals like pesticides and non-organic fertilisers
  • Protects the environment, especially wildlife and bees needed for pollination
  • Chemicals can infiltrate water cycle and remain in soil
  • Organic produce costs more due to higher labour costs
• Permaculture


  • Adapting farming approaches to the natural ecosystem, including crop rotation, growing a mixed array of produce, and designing crops to promote wildlife habitats
  • Good local approach to reduce food miles, farming is harmonious with environment
  • Little profit to be earned
• Urban farming


  • Converting wasted urban land into community allotments to grow crops
  • Great use of wasted space, urban residents can experience growing food
  • Not a large-scale solution as not enough free land to feed a city
  • Cannot rear cattle in an urban farm
• Sustainable fish and meat sources


  • Fishing sustainably to not over-exploit waters, and reducing scale and damage of cattle rearing
  • Reduces impact on natural environment and soil erosion
  • Sustainable fish is widely campaigned, but sustainable meat is less known
  • Not all countries adopt sustainable practices
• Seasonal and local produce


  • Consumers buying local produce that is seasonable, reduces food miles and benefits farmers directly
  • Markets are only open certain days and not everyone has access