Food Production

Question 1

Why is more food required?

Answer 1

The world population is increasing therefore more food (increased yield) is needed.

Question 2

What does intensive farming use?

Answer 2

Intensive farming includes growing high-yield crops (often monocultures), using fertilisers and pesticides.

Question 3

How is plant production designed to be optimal?

Answer 3

Plant production is designed to be optimal . Farmers sow seeds at the optimal density to ensure limited competition (for water,light, nutrients) between the plants that grow.

Question 4

What is a problem which can occur when planting just one species?

Answer 4

Planting just one species leads to increased pest problems (requiring pest control) and exhaustion of nutrients from soil.

Question 5

What are the current chemical solutions that the farming industry are using to increase food production?

Answer 5

Current chemical solution that farming is using to increase food production include:
Fertilisers and Pesticides.

Question 6

What is an essential chemical for plant growth?

Answer 6

Nitrates (NO3) are essential for plant growth.

Question 7

How do nitrates enter the plant?

Answer 7

Nitrates dissolve in soil water and are absorbed into plants by plant roots.

Question 8

How are nitrates used by plants?

Answer 8

Nitrates are used by plants to make amino acids which are synthesised (joined together) into protein in the plants.

Question 9

Why do animals consume plants or other animals?

Answer 9

Animals consume plants and other animals to obtain amino acids to synthesise their own protein.

Question 10

What is the most commonly applied chemical in world farming?

Answer 10

Fertiliser is the most commonly applied chemical in world farming to increase plant growth and food production.

Question 11

Can nitrates naturally occur in soil?

Answer 11

Nitrates occur naturally in the soil, however sometimes they are at a low concentration.

Question 12

describe the negative impact fertilisers have on the environment.

Answer 12

Fertilisers can leach into fresh water, adding extra, unwanted nitrates.
This will increase algal populations which can cause algal blooms (excessively large numbers of algae).
Algal blooms reduce light levels, killing aquatic plants below them in the water.
These dead plants, as well as dead algae, become food for bacteria which increase greatly in number.
The bacteria use up a large quantities of oxygen, reducing the oxygen availability for other organisms.
Other organisms die.

Question 13

What is an alternative to using fertilisers?

Answer 13

Genetically modified (GM) crops can be used to reduce the use of fertilisers.

Question 14

What are genetically modified (GM) crops?

Answer 14

Genetically modified (GM) crops are crops which have had their genetic material altered to enhance their characteristics.

Question 15

What are pesticides?

Answer 15

Pesticides are chemicals that are used to kill pests that would decrease plant growth.

Question 16

Give examples of pesticides.

Answer 16

Examples of pesticides include:
Insecticides kill insect pests
Herbicides kill plant pests (weeds)
Fungicides kill fungal pests

Question 17

What are the negative effects of the excessive use of pesticides?

Answer 17

Pesticides sprayed onto crops can accumulate in the bodies of organisms over time (they are not broken down in the body and therefore are not excreted). As they are passed along food chains, toxicity (the concentration of these chemicals) increases and can reach lethal levels.

Question 18

What is bioaccumulation?

Answer 18

The build-up of toxic substances in living organisms is known as bioaccumulation.

Question 19

What is an alternative to the use of pesticide’s?

Answer 19

Use biological control i.e. a predator or parasite is introduced into the crop to eat the insect pests e.g. ladybirds to eat aphids.

Use Genetically modified (GM) crops.