Global Resources Flashcards
What foods are becoming higher in demand in HICs?
- High-value foods (e.g. exotic fruit, spices)
- Seasonal products (food out of season is imported from elsewhere)
- Organic produce (people are becoming more concerned about environment and chemicals in food)
What is agribusiness?
Large-scale, industrial farming, where all processes are controlled by large firms.
What is food’s carbon footprint, and how significant is it in the UK?
The total amount of greenhouse gasses produced in total by creating a food product is its carbon footprint. In 2017, 10% of the UK’s total greenhouse emissions came from agriculture.
What are the issues involving the supply and demand of food in the UK?
- 46% of our food is imported - this is not self-sufficient
- This also is bad for the environment - food from abroad results in food miles and emissions
- Since 2002, the amount of food flown by plane has risen by 140%
- Food loses freshness the further it travels
- 30% of goods transported by lorry around the UK are food products
- To meet global food demands by 2050, agricultural production must increase by 60%
What is the UK doing to respond to issues in food?
- Agribusiness - intensive farming looks to maximise the amount of food produced to meet demand
- Locally sourced food is gaining popularity - this increases
- The demand for organic food has increased, which improves environmental problems
- Growing your own food has also increased in popularity - nearly a third of British adults grow their own food, and this number’s increasing
What new technologies are increasing food supply?
- Irrigation systems
- Hydroponics and Aeroponics
- Biotechnology
How is irrigation increasing food supply?
- Irrigation involves artificially watering the land.
- There are three main types:
- Gravity flow – digging ditches and channels to transport ground or surface water to fields.
- Sprinklers – spraying water across fields.
- Drip systems– dripping water from small holes in pipes directly onto soil around the roots of crop plants.
- In Burkina Faso, a LIC in West Africa, the climate is hot and dry with a very short rainy season.
- Dams and reservoirs were built to provide a reliable water supply for irrigation.
- In 1993, the the Bagrè Dam was built, and canals were then soon built to carry the water from the reservoir for irrigation.
- Although the project only irrigated 10% of its 30,000 hectare goal, 3,300 hectares were well irrigated, producing 12,500 tonnes of rice in 2012.
- Hydropower now supplies 10% of the country’s electricity, and the project created more than 1500 jobs.
- Unfortunately, the canals have not been well maintained, leading to water loss and decreased productivity, and the dam is sometimes opened to manage water levels, which can lead to severe flooding, once in 2018 killing 15 people.
- Water charges are expensive so farmers struggle to make a living.
What are hydroponics and aeroponics?
- These are methods of growing plants without soil.
- In hydroponics, plants grow in a nutrient solution, supported by materials like rockwool, gravel or clay balls.
- In aeroponics, plants are suspended in the air, and nutrient-rich water is sprayed onto the plants.
- These methods are very expensive, but less water is required and disease is less common.
How does biotechnology increase food production?
- Genetically engineered crops have higher nutritional value, are more resistant to disease, and have a higher yield.
- There are ethical and environmental concerns – GM crops reduce biodiversity, and organisms may interbreed and spread GM genes.
What are some examples of low impact farming?
- Low impact farming supplies sustainable foods which don’t damage the environment, as industrial agriculture uses damaging chemicals, removes nutrients from the soil and uses 70% of the world’s fresh water supply.
- Organic farming uses natural processes, such as natural fertiliser (manure), rotating animals around grazing areas, and products are sold close to production.
- Permaculture produces food in a way that recreates natural ecosystems.
- It uses mixed cropping – plants of different heights and types are grown together to use the light and space better. There are fewer pests, and less watering is requried.
- Biological control is introducing natural predators, such as frogs to control slugs, reduces need for pesticides.
- Urban farming initiatives use empty land on roof tops and balconies to grow food and raise animals in towns, and allotments are used to grow food.
- This makes food local, fresher and cheaper, and adds greenery to cities.
What physical factors affect water availability?
- Climate – heavy rainfall is relied upon to feed lakes and rivers; water evaporates quickly in hotter areas.
- Geology –when rain falls on impermeable rock, it runs off into rivers and lakes, which are easy to get water from. Permeable rock lets rain infiltrate, forming underground aquifers which are harder to get water from.
What economic and social factors affect water availability?
- Over-abstraction is when water is taken from natural resources faster than it is replaced
- Pollution of water sources
- Limited infrastructure
- Poverty – water providers will charge a fee
What are the ways of increasing water supply?
- Dams and reservoirs – building a storage dam to store water to be released in water deficit.
- Water diversion – a dam is built to raise water level, then water is redirected instead of stored.
- Water transfer – large-scale engineering projects move water from surplus to deficit.
- Desalination – making seawater potable
Give an example of a solution to water insecurity.
The UK’s water crisis:
- The north-west of the UK is in water surplus, and the south-east is in water deficit.
- It is being considered to build a huge pipeline from Kielder Water Reservoir in the north of England over 500 miles to London.
Negatives:
- The dam will flood an area of natural beauty.
- The project will cost millions of pounds to build.
- 2,700 acres of farmland will be lost due to the scheme, as well as 8 sites of special scientific interest.
- A dam is disruptive to the environment.
Positives:
- The project will improve water stress in the south-east.
- £6 million is raised through tourism at Kielder every year – increasing the size of the reservoir would increase potential for water sports and tourism.
- The dam produces 6MW of power, enough to power 200,000 homes.
How can we conserve water?
- Install water-efficient appliances, such as dual-flush toilets, water-saving shower heads and more efficient dishwashers and washing machines.
- Use water less, such as stopping unnecessary flushing of toilets, taking excessively long showers, or leaving a tap running.
- Install a water meter so you can be conscious of how much water you use.
- Use ‘grey’ water for things like flushing toilets or watering crops; although this water is unsafe for drinking, it is clean enough to recycle for these kinds of tasks.
- Irrigating farmland with drip pipes that direct water to exactly where its needed stops wasted water that is lost by evaporation or into the soil without being taken in by crops.
