Causes + Consequences of Food Shortages

Question 1

What are the envi. causes of food shortages?

Answer 1

• natural disasters: floods, droughts, tropical storms + wildfires dec. crop yield
• extreme climates so food can’t grow
• disease + pests (e.g. locusts in Kenya) destroy crops + livestock
• deforestation + pollution

Question 2

What are the eco. causes of food shortages?

Answer 2

• LICs lack funding for agri. tech. + innovation so less productive
• poor farming practices: overgrazing/overcultivation causes soil exhaustion + excessive focus on producing food for export
• poor distribution/transport difficulties
  
  • e.g. poor transport of milk in Kenya leading to spills, leaks + loss

Question 3

What are the political causes of food shortages?

Answer 3

• war/conflict disrupts food supplies
  
  • high DR, displacement + disruption to society makes it hard to grow + import food
• severe political instability (corruption)
• no global links (e.g. trade agreements)

Question 4

Why are impacts of food shortages more intense in LICs?

Answer 4

• no food stocks for emergencies affecting food supply
• HICs have human resources to cope w problems so food shortages don’t generally occur
• (e.g. Australia suffers droughts but has financial capacity to cope)

Question 5

What are the ST effects of food shortages?

Answer 5

• food prices dramatically inc. due to failing agri. yields, so ppl can’t afford variety of food + nutritional standards dec.
• lack of variety causes malnutrition: effects many, esp. children, in short period
• causes ppl to b less resistant to disease + more likely to fall ill
• e.g. diseases: beri-beri (vitamin B1 deficiency), rickets (vitamin D deficiency) + kwashiorkor (protein deficiency)

Question 6

What are the LT consequences of food shortages?

Answer 6

• prolonged malnutrition: ppl never fulfil their physical/intellectual potential
• reduced capacity to work: land not tended properly
• endless cycle of ill-health, low productivity + underdevelopment