Resource management Flashcards
(47 cards)
1
Q
Why are food resources important?
A
- a poorly balanced diet can cause illness and diseases
- people need to be well fed to be productive
- obesity is an increasing problem
2
Q
What are the global inequalities in food?
A
- over 1 billion people do not get enough calories
- undernutrition affects a further 2 billion
- countries in sub saharan Africa suffer most from undernutrition
3
Q
How is the demand for food changing in the UK?
A
- availability of cheaper food from abroad
- demand for more exotic foods and seasonal produce all year round
- UK climate is unsuitable for production of some foods
4
Q
What is the impact of importing food?
A
Foods can travel long distances (food miles)
- importing food also adds to our carbon footprint
- this energy comes from producing the energy for commercial cultivation and from transport
5
Q
How is the UK responding to the challenges of importing food?
A
People are being encouraged to eat locally produced foods according to season
6
Q
Tell me about Lynford House Farm in East Anglia
A
- land is intensively farmed, maximising the amount of food produced
- pesticides and fertilisers are widely used
- machinery costs are high but increase efficiency
- a small number of workers are employed
7
Q
Tell me about Riverford Organic farms
A
- began as an organic farm in Devon
- now delivers organic vegetables from farms in Devon, Yorkshire, Peterborough and Hampshire
- reduces food miles and provides local employment
8
Q
What are the demands for water in the UK?
A
- 50% of the UK’s water supply is used domestically
- demand for water in the UK, is estimated to rise by 5% between 2015 and 2020 because of rapidly growing population
9
Q
What is water surplus?
A
Where supply exceeds demand
north and west
10
Q
What is water deficit?
A
where demand exceeds supply
south and east
11
Q
How is the water quality managed?
A
Environment Agency
- filtering water to remove sediment
- purifying water by adding chlorine
- imposing strict regulations
12
Q
How may have some groundwater sources been polluted?
A
- industrial sites discharge
- agricultural chemical fertilisers
- leaching from old underground mines
13
Q
What is water transfer?
A
- growing need to increase water transfer to meet demand
there is opposition because of:
- the effect on land and wildlife
- high costs
- greenhouse gases released by pumping water over long distances
14
Q
How has the UK’s energy mix changed?
A
- energy consumption has fallen in the UK in recent years, mainly due to the decline of heavy industry and energy conservation
- by 2020, the UK aims to meet 15% of its energy requirement from renewable sources
15
Q
Why has the UK’s energy mix changed?
A
- 75% of the UK’s known oil and natural as reserves have been used up
- coal consumption has declined because of concerns about greenhouse gas emissions
16
Q
Why are fossil fuels likely to remain important in the future?
A
- UK’s remaining reserves will provide energy for several decades
- coal imports are cheap
- shale gas deposits may be exploited in the future
17
Q
What are the economical impacts of nuclear?
A
- nuclear power plants are expensive to build
- decommissioning old plants is expensive
- new plants provide job opportunities
18
Q
What are the environmental impacts of nuclear?
A
- problem of safe processing and storage of radioactive waste
- warm waste water can harm local ecosystems
19
Q
What are the economic impacts of wind farms?
A
- high construction costs
- local homeowners can have lower energy bills
20
Q
What are the environmental impacts of wind farms?
A
- visual impact on the landscape
- help reduce carbon footprints
- noise from wind turbines
21
Q
What are the global patterns of food consumption?
A
- Canada, USA and Europe consume the most calories
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, daily calorie intake per head is below the recommended daily intake of 2000-4000 calories
22
Q
Why is global food consumption increasing?
A
- there are growing population
- increasing levels of development mean people can afford to buy more food
- improved transport and storage means there is more food available
23
Q
What is meant by food security?
A
having access to enough affordable, nutritious food to maintain a healthy life
24
Q
What is food surplus?
A
when countries which produce more food than is needed by their population
25
What is food insecurity?
countries which do not produce enough food to feed their population and have to rely on imported food have a food deficit
26
What are the global patterns of food supply?
- USA, Brazil and U have high outputs due to intensive farming and investment
- China and India have large populations and high agricultural outputs
- Sub-Saharan African countries produce less food. They have unreliable rainfall, low investment and a lack of training
27
What factors affect food supply?
- climate - regions experiencing extreme temperature and rainfall struggle to produce food
- technology - in HICs, mechanisation and agribusiness give high levels of productivity
- Pests and diseases spread from the Tropics with rising temperatures
- Water stress - lack of water affects many areas that suffer food scarcity
- Conflict - can lead to the destruction of crops and livestock
- Poverty - the poorest people cannot afford technology, irrigation or fertilisers
28
What are the impacts of food insecurity?
- Famine (Somalia: 258 000 people died)
- rising prices
- social erosion
- undernutrition (300 000 deaths per year)
- social unrest (2011, the price of cooking oil and flour doubled. In Algeria, this led to five days of rioting with 4 people killed)
29
What was the cause of the famine in Somalia?
- 2 successive seasons of low rainfall, poor harvests and the death of livestock
- in southern and central Somalia, the al Shahab militant group blocked aid, making the crisis worse
30
How can soil erosion lead to famine?
soil erosion involves the removal of fertile top soil layers by wind and water
overgrazing by animals reduces the amount of vegetation, leaving soil exposed.
deforestation
growing too many crops can use up valuable nutrients, reducing soil fertility
31
How can food supply be increased?
- irrigation
- aeroponics and hydroponics
- the 'new' green revolution
- appropriate technology
- biotechnology
32
How does irrigation increase food supply?
artificial watering of land
can involve the construction of expensive dams and reservoirs, such as in the Indus Valley of Pakistan
33
What is the 'new' green revolution?
focuses on sustainability and community. It uses techniques such as:
- water harvesting and irrigation
- soil conservation
- improving seed and livestock quality using science and technology
34
What are aeroponics and hydroponics?
aeroponics - plants are sprayed with fine water mist containing plant nutrients. Excess water is re-used which enables small scale farmers to increase yields and lower production costs
hydroponics - dipping the roots in the water and light during winter months
35
What is biotechnology?
- uses living organisms to make or modify products or processes
- includes the development of genetically modified crops, which produce higher yields and use fewer chemicals
- in the UK, there is opposition to GM crops because of the possible effects on the environment and human health
36
What is the Indus Basin Irrigation System?
- the IBIS is the largest continuous irrigation scheme in the world
- 3 large dams and over a hundred smaller dams regulate water flow
- link canals enable water to be transferred between rivers
- smaller canals distribute the water across the country
- over 1.6 million km of ditches and streams provide irrigation for Pakistan's agricultural land
37
What are the advantages of IBIS?
- improves food security for Pakistan, making 40% more land available for cultivation
- irrigation has increased crop yields
- diets have improved as a greater range of food products is available
- HEP is generated by the large dams
38
What are the disadvantages of IBIS?
- some farmers take an unfair share of water
- poor irrigation techniques mean water is wasted. Salinisation (increased saltiness) can damage the soil
- population growth will increase the demand for water
- high costs to maintain reservoir capacity
39
What is sustainable food supply?
ensures that fertile soil, water and environmental resources are available for future generations
40
What are the methods of sustainable food supply?
- Organic farming
- permaculture
- urban farming
- fish from sustainable sources (setting catch limits so quotas and monitoring fish breeding and fishing practices)
- meat from sustainable sources (small-scale livestock farms, using free range or organic methods)
41
What is permaculture?
system of food production which follows the patterns and features of natural ecosystems
includes:
- harvesting rainwater
- crop rotation
- managing woodland
42
What is urban farming?
it is the cultivation, processing and distribution of food in and around settlements
Michigan Urban Farming Initiative
- the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative in the USA aims to address problems of urban decay, poor diet and food insecurity in Detroit
- urban communities are encouraged to work together to turn wasteland into productive farmland, providing jobs and easier access to healthy food
43
How much of all the food produced is lost or waste each year?
32%
44
How can food waste be reduced?
- improved food storage and distribution using refrigerated containers
- clearer food labelling such as 'Best before' or 'Use by'
- using sealed plastic bags to make fresh food last longer
- more sensible approach to using food that its past its 'Sell by' date
45
What did the Makueni Food and Water Security Programme include?
direct help to two small villages and Kanyenoni Primary School in Makueni County, Kenya
- improving water supply by building sand dams for each village
- providing a reliable source of water for crops and livestock
- training programme to support local farmers
- growing trees to reduce soil erosion
46
What do sand dams do?
store water in the ground, filtering and cleaning the rainwater as it soaks into the soil. They are cost effective and sustainable
47
Was the Makueni project sustainable?
- crop yields and food security have increased
- water borne diseases have been reduced
- less time is wasted fetching water
