Food Security and Farming

• There are more than 8 billion people on our planet and they all need feeding, so maintaining our food supply is important
• We need to make sure that we use sustainable methods of food production wherever we can
• Food security


  Having enough food to feed a population
• Factors that can threaten food security

  • Increasing world population, especially in developing countries
  • Changing diets in developed countries increasing demand for imported foods
  • New pests and pathogens affecting farming
  • Changes in environmental conditions affecting farming
  • High input costs of farming making it too expensive for some to produce food
  • Conflicts affecting food and water availability
• Sustainable methods of food production are needed so that enough food can be made to feed everyone now and in the future
• Sustainable production


  Making enough food without using resources faster than they renew
• Overfishing


  • Fish stocks are declining in the oceans
  • This affects the ocean's food chains and some species may disappear
• Maintaining fish stocks sustainably

  1. Fishing quotas

  2. Net size limits
• Fishing quotas


  • Limits on the number and size of fish that can be caught in certain areas
  • Prevents overfishing of certain species
• Net size


  • Different mesh size limits for different species
  • Allows 'unwanted' and younger fish to escape
  • Reduces discarded fish
• Efficient food production


  • Limiting livestock movement and keeping them in temperature-controlled environments
  • Reduces energy transfer to environment
  • More energy available for growth, so more food produced from same resources
• Factory farming


  • Raising livestock like calves and chickens in small pens
  • Farming fish in cages with restricted movement
• Some factory farming methods are controversial due to disease spread and ethical concerns about animal welfare