6a: Food geography

explain the spatial analysis on the following, in regards to food geography

1. different land uses

2. globalization

3. impacts of food production

4. sustainable food

1. different land uses

   • rich vs poor countries use land differently

2. globalization

   • food moves across countries

   • we eat stuff thats not grown in canada

3. impacts of food production

   • food systems can harm the environment

4. sustainable food

   • trying to grow and eat food in better, greener ways

list the 3 types of food systems

1. global agribusiness systems

   • big, industrial farmers

   • use machines, tech to sell food worldwide

2. farmer owned business systems

   • run by local/small scale farmers

   • sell to local markets or small business

3. traditional, local subsistence systems

   • people that grow food just for themselves or their families

define food miles and food deserts

Food miles → the distance food travels from where it’s grown to where it’s eaten 

• More miles = more pollution from transportation 

Food deserts → areas where people have little to no access for fresh health food 

• Available food is expensive and not healthy

what is the linear relationship for food miles

the farther you transport food = the higher the gas emissions

list the 5 key rules of global agribusiness

→ all about efficiency + profit 

1. Big farms = better 

• More land = more crops = more money 

2. Specialization 

• Focusing on producing 1 or 2 crops is faster and easier to mass produce 

3. Crop choice = monoculture

• Pick the crops that sell for the most $ 

4. Less human labour 

• Use machines instead of humans 

• Cheaper and more profit

5. Global transport 

• Sell food all over the world and offer fast shipping = more money

define mechanization. are they all negative environmentally

mechanization → using machines instead of people to do farm work

• faster cheaper = more profit

not all negative

• old school subsistence farming uses a small, cheap, tractor that requires more manual work + no pollution

• robots minimize labour

• vertical farming; uses less land

• drones = for more precise pestic

location + culture affects what foods are grown and valued. explain this using quinoa

• quinoa used to be a low status food

• global demand + marketing turned it into a trendy, healthy, high value crop

• makes more profit than wheat

which food system is the most common poor countries

traditional, subsistence food systems

List the 4 key traits of subsistence farming

1. Low-tech 

• Use basic tools, rely on rain, no machines 

2. Isolated from world markets (not for sale)

3. No value added 

• Food isn’t packaged, processed, or sold for profit

4. Leads to poverty and food insecurity 

• Vulnerable to climate change 

• No rain = no crops 

• If anything goes wrong, they have no safety net

how does subsistence farming lead to poverty + food insecurity

1. no income: no money made from farming

2. low productivity: crops grow slowly in small amounts

3. climate risk: if drought hits, their food source is gone

if anything goes wrong, they have no safety net to fall back on

which food system is the most dominated?

subsistence

T/F People willingly choose subsistence food system

F

never by choice

• due to lack of food availability adn poverty

what are sub-sahara nomads

• farmers, families that move around to find food or water

• they follow seasonal rain

compare intensive subsistence w traditional subsistence

traditional

• small land

• little inputs (no fertilizer or machines)

intensive

• small land

• more inputs:

  • fertilizer

  • water systems

  • pesticides

  • LOTS Of human labour

T/F Countries with small land area commonly use subsistence food systems

F

japan

• small land area but huge economic output (lots of profit)

• they use global agribusiness and high tech food systems

  • eg. mechanization, vertical farming, precise agriculture

areas that face famine usually rely on what type of food systems? explain

subsistence food systems

• don’t have backup food supplies

• no trade or market access

• rely on rain. w/o it, they lose everything

• can’t easily import in food when crops fail

list 4 impacts food production has on the environment

1. Habitat loss 

• Animals lose homes 

• Extinction? 

2. Soil erosion 

• Soil gets washed or flown away due to farming 

3. Water problems 

• Overuse (too much irrigation) 

• Contamination 

  • Fertilizers and pesticides run off into rivers 

4. CO2 impacts 

• Clearing forests = remove carbon sources 

• Machines and transportation = release CO2 

• Methane from rotting food waste 

Australia is filled with greenlife + areas for farming, but how come only a small area is used for farming (less than 10% of land)

• environmental limits as to where we can plant food

• majority of australia is a grey zone bc they have a lot of wildlife + can’t destroy habitat

what are the 2 forms of food production. what are the cons of both

food production → how food is produced and how it affects the environment

1. extensification

   → making new farmland by clearing nature

   • deforestation

   • turning wetlands into farms

     • river water quality declines \

   • cons: kils ecosystems (soil damage, polluted rivers)

2. intensification

   → squeezing more food onto the same space

   • use pesticides and fertilizers

   • high yield varieties (produce more food per area of land)

   • building greenhouses

   • squeezing more farm animals into the same plot of land

   • cons: increases pollution and stress on land

     • pollution and greenhouse gas emissions

     • runoff into rivers

     • overfertilization

how do greenhouses impact the environment

greenhouses

• grow food all year long = good for business

cons

• require heaters, light, and tech. lots of energy

• turning a natural, low carbon system (growing outside) into a carbon heavy system, just to grow food faster and make money

greenhouse = less sustainable

define carbon footprinting food. list some examples of food with high and low

→ measuring how much CO2 is released to grow, process, and transport that food

high

• beef

• pork

• turkey

low

• lentils

• milk

• tofu

T/F Since beef has high carbon footprint, people should not eat beef anymore to be more sustainable

F

alright to eat beef but also eat foods that are more lower impact

• choose lower carbon foods to make your diet sustainable

• making better choices rather than 100% quitting can make a difference