T3. Environment and Population

Question 1

What are the main agricultural systems?

Answer 1

• Arable farming = crops on flatland e.g. Potato’s in the UK
• Pastoral farming = involves livestock, can be both subsistence + commercial
• Mixed farming = both arable and pastoral
• Intensive farming = high investment in either labour or capital, e.g. irrigation + greenhouses like seen in Cornwall with Polytunnels
• Extensive farming = carried out across a large area with less labour + capital
• Commercial farming = maximising profit and focusing on one crop (monoculture) + with help of agrochemicals
• Subsistence - enough for small consumption

Question 2

What are the key causes for gains in agriculture?

Answer 2

• Green Revolution 1980s = irrigation, fertiliser, pesticides, decrease in biodiversity
• Globalisation = trade allowing those who can afford it to get food from wherever whenever e.g. Banana’s
• FDI = HICs to LICs due to access to resources

Question 3

State and describe the 2 major climate types?

Answer 3

Type 1 – Polar Climate:
- Located at the poles, Low temperatures of –40 and is permanently covered in ice and snow, land is frozen (permafrost),
- 13million people live in these regions across 8 countries, population increased in late 20th century due to access to natural resources
- Agriculture – artificial environments made for arable farming e.g. polytubes in Alaska, main form of pastoral farming is reindeer hunting
- Changes – CC mean higher yields + lower labour costs + melting permafrost, the changing population of Caribou affects indigenous population

Type 2 – Tropical Monsoon:
- 30degrees north + south of equator, warm and humid with variation in seasonality + wind direction
- More than 60% of earth’s population are affected by the monsoon season
- Monsoon is beneficial for agriculture and flooding has created plains ideal for paddy fields + rice – good food security
- Prolonged wet + dry spells affecting farming, 2014 monsoon killed 300 in Palestine

Question 4

Describe the characteristics of 2 zonal soils?

Answer 4

Podsol:
- Found in cool temperatures in the northern hemisphere, high humas content (layer of pine needles)
- Depth rarely exceeds 1m and topsoil is acidic
- Acidity means lack of nutrients so little vegetation, its hard pan means its susceptible to waterlogging
- For arable farming extensive treatment is needed to reduce acidity + lots of artificial fertilisation needed

Tropical Red Latosol:
- Found 5degrees either side of the equator, hot and wet with constant supply of leaf litter
- Up to 30m deep, infertile due to demand of nutrients from vegetation + roots
- Shifting cultivation used by indigenous people is used as the ash provided nutrients for infertile soil + slash and burn – land is then farmed for 2-3yrs then move on

Question 5

Explain the main soil problems + their management?

Answer 5

Problem 1: Soil erosion:
- Water erosion = rill erosion, gully erosion = larger rills that form a hazard for machinery,
- Wind erosion = most fertile topsoil can blow away and crops can become buried underneath soil affected sunlight they receive
- Responses = maintaining field drains + protect soil in winter with cover crops + contour ploughing reducing overland flow

Problem 2: Waterlogging:
- Caused when precipitation exceeds volume of evapotranspiration + percolation
- Crops die as they can’t respire, minerals leach away

Problem 3: Salinisation:
- Groundwater rising through soil + irrigation with salt in it
- Salts are toxic to plants reducing yields and breaks soil structure
- Managed by ‘flushing’ soil with lots of water

Problem 4: Structural deterioration:
- Livestock trampling land + machinery making soil more compact reducing infiltration

Question 6

What is food security?

Answer 6

when people have enough affordable and nutritious food to eat – every 5 seconds a child dies of hunger

Question 7

Explain the strategies for food security?

Answer 7

Strategy 1: Increasing food production:
- The world needs to increase food production by 56% by 2050 to feed everyone, the GAFSP provide efforts to this by:
- Increasing pastoral farming productivity with rotational grazing
- gm crops
- Increase fish supplies – develop the aquaculture through selective breeding + rotation

Strategy 2: Reducing post-production losses:
- 25% of food produced for human consumption goes uneaten
- Improve harvest practises including contamination
- Solutions = advise against stockpiles, improve low humidity storage
- Redistribute food – e.g. too foodbanks
- Reduce waste close to the fork – improve labelling, use use by dates instead of best before dates

Strategy 3: Reducing growth in demand:
- Shift to healthier and more sustainable diets – consumption in LDEs of meat is set to double by 2050 – meat has an extensive production process
- Shift to more vegetarian diets to free up more space for production