food strategies

• what is food insecurity?

  lack of access to adequate , safe and nutritious food
• how many people does the UN estimate die every year from food insecurity?

  9 million
• areas at risk of food insecurity

  • sub-saharan africa
  • nigeria
• how does soil erosion increase risk of food insecurity?

  90% at risk of soil erosion by 2050
• how does population growth increase the risk of food insecurity?

  increase in population = higher birth rates , more people need food

  • 1950 - global population was 2.5 billion
  • NOW - 8.1 billion
• how does climate change increase the risk of food insecurity?

  • desertification increases due to reduced precipitation levels from higher temps e.g in Sahel region
  • more tropical storms due to warmer ocean temperatures , higher sea levels , salt inundation
• how do flows of resources affect risk of food insecurity?

  • LICS export food to HICs e.g Kenya , substience farmers lose land - 2.1 million without food
• other factors that affect the risk of food insecurity?

  • war , colonism
  • cost of living crisis in UK
• what is the New Green Revolution?

  • biotechnology , new seeds can tolerate droughts and salinity , focus on GM crops
  • during 1960s , scientists developed strains of seeds e.g high-yielding varieties , more crop yields = Southern Asia , rice yields went up 40%
• evaluation of the New Green Revolution?

  • local farmers can't afford new seed types , may go into debt
  • local farmers may be outcompeted by TNCs and lose out on land
  • widespread concern about GM on people e.g cancer
• what is hydroponics and aeroponics?

  • the ability to grow plants without soil
  • benefits areas with infertile soil or areas with soil erosion
  • used in Almeria , Spain where much of EU plants and fruit are grown
• evaluation of hydro and aeroponics?

  • expensive , not accessible to small-scale farmers in LICS who lose out to TNCS
  • provides jobs to local people and increase variety in local diets
• what is irrigation?


  • improves food production in areas with unreliable water supply
  • increases crop yields by 400%
• evaluation of irrigation


  • increases crop yields and amount of land that can be cultivated
  • local rivers can be drained of useable water = local people use water supply
  • drip-fed irrigation is a viable solution
• reducing food waste


  2018 - UK produced 9.5 million tonnes of food waste

  schemes e.g Too Good To Go means more food is available for consumption
• evaluation of reducing food waste

  2019 - 2020 , FareShare managed 26,000 tonnes of food yet output represents 1% of 2.25million tonnes wasted
• social protection schemes


  free school meal programme in UK aims at reducing hunger and poor nutrition in poor families

  • 1.19million students in UK = free school meals in 2022