1. 1
   A farmer is increasing the amount of food produced on his farm using several different methods: using a large combine harvester to cultivate more land, applying chemical fertiliser and insecticide to his crops, and growing a selectively bred variety of wheat that produces a higher yield than older varieties.

   (a)

   A farmer uses a large combine harvester to replace many hours of manual labour, allowing him to cultivate a much larger area of land. What is this an example of?

   [1 mark]

   • ASelective breeding
   • BUse of agricultural machinery to increase food production
   • CGenetic modification
   • DNitrogen fixation

   (b)

   The farmer also applies a chemical fertiliser to his crops. What is the main purpose of applying fertiliser?

   [1 mark]

   • ATo kill insect pests that damage the crop
   • BTo increase the genetic variation of the crop
   • CTo kill weeds competing with the crop
   • DTo provide additional mineral ions (nutrients) to increase plant growth and yield

   (c)

   State two other methods, besides machinery and fertiliser, that farmers use to increase food production, and briefly explain the purpose of each.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 1: 4 marks

2. 2
   A large agricultural company grows only a single variety of wheat across thousands of hectares of farmland every year, a practice known as monoculture. In a separate part of the same company's operations, livestock are farmed intensively in large, densely stocked indoor sheds to maximise meat and milk production.

   (a)

   A large area of land is used to grow only a single variety of wheat year after year, with no other crop species planted in the same field. What is this farming practice called?

   [1 mark]

   • ACrop rotation
   • BPolyculture
   • CMonoculture
   • DCompanion planting

   (b)

   Which of the following is a disadvantage of large-scale monoculture farming, as practised by this company?

   [1 mark]

   • AIt reduces biodiversity and makes the crop more vulnerable to the rapid spread of pests and disease
   • BIt requires very little machinery or fertiliser
   • CIt increases the genetic variation within the crop population
   • DIt always increases soil fertility with no additional input needed

   (c)

   Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of the intensive livestock production used by this company, in which animals are kept in large, densely stocked indoor sheds.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 2: 4 marks

3. 3
   A government agricultural report is comparing methods used to increase national food production, including selective breeding of new high-yielding rice varieties, continued use of chemical fertiliser and insecticide, and a proposal to convert a large area of monoculture farmland into a mixed livestock and crop system with rotational grazing.

   (a)

   A government agricultural report recommends that farmers use selective breeding to develop new varieties of rice with higher yield, alongside continued use of chemical fertiliser and insecticide. Explain how selective breeding of crop plants such as rice can be used to increase food production, and describe the process by which this is achieved over several generations.

   [3 marks]

   (b)

   Explain the advantages and disadvantages of continuing to rely heavily on chemical fertiliser and insecticide to increase food production, as recommended in the report.

   [4 marks]

   Total for question 3: 7 marks

4. 4
   An international development agency is reviewing the methods used to increase food production worldwide over the past century, including agricultural machinery, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and selective breeding of crops and livestock, and is also assessing the sustainability of large-scale monoculture and intensive livestock systems used to meet growing global demand for food.

   (a)

   Explain fully how modern agricultural methods, including the use of machinery, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and selective breeding, have together increased global food production over the past century, and evaluate the ways in which these methods have contributed to this increase.

   [6 marks]

   (b)

   The same agency is evaluating whether continuing to rely on large-scale monoculture crop production and intensive livestock production is a sustainable way to meet future increases in global food demand. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of both large-scale monocultures and intensive livestock production, and evaluate whether these methods represent a sustainable long-term solution to increasing food supply.

   [6 marks]

   Total for question 4: 12 marks

End of questions