FOOD PRODUCTION

food security

having enough food to feed a population

6 factors threatening food security

1. increasing birth rates

2. environmental change (drought, flooding, wild fire)

3. changing diets (HIC, scarce resources taken from countries that need them)

4. new pest + pathogens (destroy crops/kill livestock)

5. costs of agricultural inputs (seeed, fertilisers, irrigation)

6. conflicts (destroy crops, infrastructure)

why do sustainable methods need to be found?

to feed all people on earth for generations to come

how is food production made more efficient, 2 examples

restricting energy transfer from food animals to the environment

1. limiting movement (less respiration needed to release energy for muscle contraction to move = more energy for growth)

2. controlling the temperature of their surroundings (less respiration needed to maintain body temp = more energy for growth)
   

keep them inside

some are fed high protein diet

5 benefits of intensive farming

1. more efficient = more food production

2. fastER growth

3. less land needed for animals

4. protected from weather (+predators)

5. cheapER per serving

5 costs of intensive farming

1. highER risk of spread of disease

2. more consumer resistance (animal welfare)

3. costs of heating, lighting building etc are higher

4. stress of animals reducing productivity

5. increased use of fossil fuels to heat/light = GHG

what is happening to fish stocks, what needs to continue

stocks are declining, breeding must continue or species will disappear

what 3 things can be done to promote fish conservation/sustainable fisheries

1. control of net size - large enough holes so young fish escape, can go on to breed

2. fishing quotas - limit amount/size of fish caught

3. limiting fishing during breeding season

why/how is mycoprotein made?

1. fungus fusarium is useful for mycoprotein, protein rich food for vegetarians

2. fungus is grown on glucose syrup in aerobic conditions (so fungus can respire aerobically)

3. biomass is harvested and purified

why is there a water-cooled jacket when making mycoprotein?

important so temp doesn’t increase too high, respiration = exothermic reaction

why is there a sterile air supply when making mycoprotein?

avoid contamination which may kill/compete with fusarium

oxygen for aerobic respiration

stirs the solution

benefits of quorn

fewer environmental impacts than meat (still high in protein)

• less space needed

• less methane produced

• more efficient food production (less stages of food chain)

how is golden rice made?

rice

• two genes inserted into the rice DNA (genetically modifying original rice

Golden rice

• contains beta-carotene - can make vitamin A which can help people that are deficient in this vitamin