Food (AQA GCSE Geography)

• Food consumption around the world is increasing due to:
  • Population increase: the world population has now reached 8 billion
    • Much of this growth has been in LICs and NEEs where people are more likely to suffer food insecurity
  • As countries develop people have money to buy more food
  • Transport of food is easier and cheaper than in the past
• Sufficient food is produced to feed the world's population

Food security

• The distribution of food is uneven and this affects food security

Share of people who are undernourished

• Countries where a high percentage of the population are food insecure often have a food deficit
  
  • These tend to be LICs as they cannot produce or afford to import enough food to meet the population's needs
• Some countries have a food surplus, these tend to be HICs 
  • HICs and some NEEs can also afford to import food when they do not produce sufficient for the demand: the UK imports approximately 46% of the food supply required by the population

Calorie intake

• To live a healthy and active life people require about 2,500 calories  
  • In areas like the USA and Europe people consume more calories than needed
  • In areas such as Pakistan, Venezuela and sub-Saharan Africa people consume fewer calories than needed

Calorie intake per person 

Factors affecting food supply

• There are many factors which affect food supply either in terms of yields or transport into an area

Table Showing Impacts to Food Supply 

• The impact of food shortages ranges from undernutrition to wasting
  • Undernutrition: people do not consume enough calories, this is linked to 45% of all child deaths
  • Malnutrition: people's diet lacks the correct nutrients to keep them healthy
  • Wasting: when people have low weight in relation to their height: affects 45 million children under the age of 5
• Famine
• Rising food prices
  • When there is increased demand and reduced supply the prices increase
  • Those living in poverty often cannot afford a balanced diet this means people in LICs and NEEs are the most affected
• Underdevelopment - loss of productivity
  • If a country's workforce is suffering from food shortages, they will be less productive, and development will slow or even reverse
• Soil erosion and desertification
  • Farmers may over cultivate and overgraze the land in an attempt to increase the amount of food available
• Social unrest
  • Food shortage may lead people to riot and loot 
• Migration
  • People migrate to other countries or to urban areas where the food supply is better. This can impact those areas with the development of illegal settlements

• There are a number of possible methods to increase food supply

Table of Advantages and Disadvantages to Increase Food Supplies

Background

• Located in the south east of Spain

Location of 'Sea of Plastic' in Almeria, Spain

• Annual rainfall: 270mm 
• Average temperatures: 30^oC (July) 17^oC (January)

Agricultural development

• It is the world's largest concentration of plastic greenhouses
• The first greenhouse was erected in 1963
• In 2021 the greenhouses covered 40,000 hectares: it is now known as the 'sea of plastic'
• The area provides Europe with between 40-50% of its fruit and vegetables
• During the 1980s there was rapid expansion of agriculture in this area which led to;
  • Importing of soil from more fertile areas of Spain
  • Installation of hydroponic systems
• The greenhouses are unheated as the climate is warm enough 

Table of Advantages and Disadvantages to Agricultural Development in Almeria, Spain

• Sustainable food supply means producing food in a way which ensures soil quality, water resources and the natural environment are maintained for future generations
• Strategies which can be used include:

Table of Advantages and Disadvantages to Sustainable Food Supply

Background

• Approximately 80% of Mali's population work in agriculture
• Staple crops include maize, millet and sorghum
• Poor soil quality, changing weather patterns and pests reduce yields 
• Increasing population has led to overgrazing and over cultivation of the land which in turn leads to:
  • Soil erosion
  • Desertification

Agroforestry

• A land use system which combines agriculture with trees and shrubs
• The trees and plants provide shade which reduces evaporation from the soil 
• Interception is increased which means that soil is not as exposed to rain which would increase soil erosion
• The roots of the trees and the shrubs help to stabilise the soil
• Trees and shrubs are also used for:
  • Building infrastructure
  • Increasing habitats for wildlife
  • Providing food for livestock
  • Windbreaks to reduce wind erosion
• Fallows are areas of land which are ploughed but not seeded these areas are vulnerable to soil erosion
  • Improved fallows involves the planting of fast growing herbaceous plants to replenish soil fertility
  • These plants are chosen for their nitrogen fixing properties and rapid biomass production

Kelka Forest - local project

• The forest supports approximately 60,000 people in 15 communities
• Average temperatures are 28^oC and the rainy season is over 4-5 months
• People are reliant on the acacia trees as fuelwood for heating and cooking
• Deforestation has increased over the last 20 years 
• The population s vulnerable to food insecurity
• Over the last decade Community Forest Management has been used to introduce agroforestry
• Yields of crops grown using agroforestry principles increase on average by 34%