Geography: Resource Management (Food)

Global Demand for Food
1. Global Food Consumption is Increasing
  1. Rising Population
    1. Population expected to reach 9billion by 2040 - more people require more food.
  2. Economic Development
    1. Countries are getting wealthier. Wealthier people normally buy a greater variety of food and more than they need and can afford to import food all year round.
Food Insecurity
1. Affected by Physical Factors
  1. Climate
    1. Climates that are unsuitable for farming (too hot/cold) can't grow much food of their own.
  2. Water Stress
    1. Crops need water to survive - areas that have low rainfall/water for irrigation is scarce struggle to grow enough food.
  3. Pests & Diseases
    1. Pests reduce yields by consuming crops. Diseases can causes a lot of damage if they spread through crops/herds.
2. Affected by Human Factors
  1. Poverty
    1. Homeless can't have their own land to grow food. It usually means that countries that can't grow enough can't afford to import food from countries with a surplus.
  2. Technology
    1. New technologies can help protect plants from disease, increase their yields and help them grow better in harsh climates.
  3. Conflict
    1. May damage agricultural land/make it unsafe, making it difficult to grow enough food.
Increasing Food Production
1. New Technologies Increases Food Supply
  1. Irrigation
    1. Artificially watering the land so crops can grow.Can be used to make dry areas more productive.
  2. Hydroponics & Aeroponics
    1. Are methods of growing plants without soil. In hydroponics, plants are grown in a nutrient solution, and aeroponics plants are suspended in air and a mist of water, containing nutrients, is sprayed onto the roots.
  3. Biotechnology
    1. Involves genetically engineering crops to improve production, which allows them to grow more food in smaller areas with less resources.
  4. New Green Revolution
    1. Involved using mechanisation, chemicals and new strains of plants to increase the yield of crops.
Appropriate Technology
1. Involves choosing ways of increasing food production that are suited to local environments and the needs, skills, knowledge and wealth of the people in those areas.
2. E.G, in LICs
  1. Individual wells with easy to maintain, mechanical pumps, which are more suitable than larger, diesel powered pumps.
  2. A drip irrigation system constructed from local materials is more appropriate than an imported, high-tech sprinkler system.
  3. Planting a variety of local species that can cope with local environmental conditions.
Sustainable Food Supply
1. Low Impact Farming Makes Food Supplies More Sustainable
  1. Organic Farming
    1. Uses natural processes to return nutrients to the soil, so that crops can continue to be griwn.
  2. Permaculture
    1. Trying to produce food in a way that recreates natural ecosystems in an effort to protect the soil, insects and other wildlife.
  3. Urban Farming Initiatives
    1. Use empty land, roof tops and balconies to grow food and raise animals in town and cities. Makes food locally available, reducing the need to transport food long distances.
Eating Seasonally and Reducing Waste is More Sustainable
1. Fish and Meat from Sustainable Sources
  1. Many fish species are at risk from over-fishing, due to increased consumption. Sustainable fishing includes catch quotas that limit the amount of fish taken and fishing methods that are less harmful to the environment. The raising of cattle is bad for the environment - forests are often cleared to make space for them but they produce a lot of methane (greenhouse gas).
2. Seasonal Food Consumption
  1. In a lot of wealthy countries, people expect to be able to get the foods they like to eat all year round, but that means all these foods have to be imported during the part of the year that are not locally available. Importing lots of food is not sustainable because transport pollutes the environment.
3. Reduced Waste and Losses
  1. One third of food that is produced is lost/wasted - reducing this will make more food available, so less needs to be grown to feed the world's population.

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Geography: Resource Management (Food)

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