Food Production
Contents
Key Stage 4
Meaning
Food production is a number of processes that humans use to feed the human population.
About Food Production and the Environment
- Many methods of food production can have damaging effects on the environment.
- At the time of writing this the population of Earth is increasing which means more food must be produced. Where food production is inefficient more land is being used to produce food.
- When more land is used for food production it must be taken from natural habitats so involves habitat destruction such as deforestation.
- During food production in many locations fertilisers are used which may be harmful to nearby habitats. When nitrate fertilisers are used they can be washed, by the rain, into local streams and rivers causing eutrophication.
- Food production may also use pesticides which include herbicides which kill unwanted plants and insecticides which kill unwanted insects. This further damages the local ecosystems.
Food Security
- There are a number of challenges to ensure enough food can be produced to feed the human population:
- Changing diets - As countries increase in wealth the population can often afford more meat products. This means more land is needed for farming of sheep, goats, pigs and cows.
- Pests - As the transport of crops and animals across the world has increased, undesired species of animals and plants have also accidentally been introduced. These pests can destroy native crops or may be parasites which harm domestic animals.
- Pathogens - As the transport of crops and animals across the world has increased pathogens have also been spread damaging crops and domestic animals.
- Environmental Change - As climates change due to global warming or due to other factors plants may no longer be able to survive under the new environmental conditions.
Improving Food Production
- Genetic Modification - As genetic engineering improves it has allowed new genetic variants of plants which may be pest resistant, grow faster or bigger increasing yields.
- New agricultural techniques - Methods of farming are constantly improving, including new fertilisers, better land use and improved irrigation.