5.2 Agriculture and foodIB Environmental Systems and Societies SL: Flashcards
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Why is land a limiting factor for food production?
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- Why is land a limiting factor for food production?
- It is a finite resource while the human population continues to increase.
- Why are marginalised groups vulnerable in land-use decisions?
- Their needs may not be taken into account.
- Does the world produce enough food for everyone?
- Yes, for about eight billion people, but it is unequally distributed and much is lost or wasted.
- Define food security.
- Physical and economic availability of food allowing all individuals to get the balanced diet they need for an active and healthy life.
- Why do agricultural systems differ around the world?
- Because of different soils and climates and the factors influencing farmers' choices.
- What is nomadic pastoralism?
- Moving livestock between grazing areas; a traditional technique supporting low-density populations.
- What is slash-and-burn agriculture?
- Cutting and burning vegetation to grow crops for a few years, then moving on to let land recover.
- What was the Green Revolution?
- 1950s–60s use of high-yielding crops with irrigation, synthetic fertiliser and pesticides to increase food security.
- Give criticisms of the Green Revolution.
- Sociocultural, economic and environmental consequences, e.g. debt, falling water tables, pollution.
- Why do intensive systems use synthetic fertilisers?
- To maintain high commercial productivity, at the expense of sustainability.
- Name sustainable ways to improve soil fertility.
- Other methods such as crop rotation, manure and compost.
- Give two soil conservation techniques.
- E.g. terracing and contour ploughing, cover crops, shelterbelts.
- Why are diets lower in trophic levels more sustainable?
- Energy is lost between trophic levels, so they need less land per unit of food energy.
- Name three global strategies for a sustainable food supply.
- Reduce demand and food waste; reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food production; increase productivity without more agricultural land.
Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).