Flashcards in Food Security Deck (6)
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1
Q
What is food security?
A
Food security is the ability of human population to access affordable food of sufficient quality and quantity.
2
Q
What factors affect food security?
A
- increasing human population
- changing diets - as people become wealthier, the variation in diets increase. This often includes more meat which is more energy intensive to produce than plant products.
- climate change - global warming will cause droughts and deserts will expand.
- new pests and pathogens may evolve making them immune to treatments that should kill them
3
Q
Why are some foods unaffordable for some people?
A
Agricultural costs are increasing, and recent high oil prices have increased the costs of storing and distributing food.
4
Q
How do farmers increase efficiency?
A
- maximising photosynthesis - industrial glasshouses that control light levels, temperature and water.
- using fertilisers - fertilisers help the soil remain fertile as a plant removes the minerals from the soil as it grows
- removing competition and pests - herbicides used to kill weed, insecticide used to kill insects, fungicide to destroy disease causing fungi
- planting variety of crops that are pest resistant, or that produce a higher yield
5
Q
What is intensive farming?
A
Intensive farming techniques aim to produce the maximum food product yield from the minimum area of land. They use:
- fertilisers and pesticide to aid plant growth
- maximising animal growth rates
- minimising labour inputs through using machinery
6
Q
What is organic farming?
A
Organic farming uses natural methods of producing crops and raising animals.
It avoids use of artificial chemicals.
Yields are smaller so products are more expensive.
