The challenge of resource management

Importance of the resources

food: malnourishment and diseases, water: drinking, polluted water, diseases, energy: industry and transport, wealth, domestic use

Types of food that are becoming more popular in the UK

high-value foods, seasonal products and organic produce

carbon footprint

from agriculture and transporting food. more food miles more co2 produced.

Agribusiness

increased farm sizes, increased amount of chemicals used in food production(fertilisers and pesticides), more use of machinery

Demand of water

Highest in southeast and midlands, increasing demand, people have more appliances, population growth

Causes of water pollution

crop fertilisers, chemical and oil spills pollute local water sources and groundwater

Strategies to manage water quality

Improving drainage systems and imposing regulations on the use of fertilisers and pesticides

Water transfer

Transfer water from areas of surplus to areas of deficit. However dams are expensive to build, there might also be political issues, affect wildlife.

Change of energy mix

reliance on fossil fuels, growing significance of renewables

Economic issues associated with exploitation of energy sources

expensive to extract FF, money needed for research into alternative energy sources, pay to import energy

Environmental issues associated with exploitation of energy sources

Releases CO2 and other ghgs, fracking pollute groundwater, leak toxic chemicals

Pattern for food production

Highest in north america and east asia. Lowest in central america and africa

Food security

When people are able to eat enough nutritious food to stay healthy and active

Reasons why global food consumption is increasing

Rising population, economic development

Physical factors affecting food supply

Climate, water stress, pests and diseases

Human factors affecting food supply

Poverty, technology, conflict

Impacts of food insecurity

Famine, undernutrition, soil erosion, rising prices, social unrest

Ways to increase food production

Irrigation, hydroponics and aeroponics, the new green revolution, biotechnology, appropriate technology

Irrigation

use of sprinklers - spray water across fields

drip systems - dripping water from small holes in pipes directly onto the soil around the roots of plants

Hydroponics and aeropnics

growing plants without soil.

hydroponics - plants grow in a nutrient solution

aeroponics - plants are suspended in air

less water needed, reduced risk of diseases, expensive

Biotechnology

involves genetically engineering crops

gm crops can grow in smaller areas.

-higher yields, drought, pest and disease resistant, high nutritional values, reduce biodiversity

The New Green evolution

Sustainable methods

-GM crops

-soil nutrient recycling, crop rotation

Appropriate techonlogy

Methods that are suited to local environments (needs, skills, knowledge, wealth)

-individual wells with mechanical pumps

-drip irrigation system made from local materials

-planting a variety of local species

A case study of a Large-scale Agricultural Development

The Indus Basin Irrigation System in Pakistan (IBIS) - includes three large dams and more than 100 smaller dams

Advantages of The Indus Basin Irrigation System

increased food production, improve farming income, employment opportunities, improved water supply, improved diet

Disadvantages of The Indus Basin Irrigation System

Water logging (poor drainage), high maintenance costs, disrupt natural flow of rivers which impacts aquatic ecosystems

Alternative sustainable farming methods

Organic farming, permaculture, urban farming initiatives

Organic farming

artificial herbicides and pesticides are restricted. farmers sell their produce close to there it’s produced.

Permaculture

recreate natural ecosystems.

-natural predators

-mixed cropping. plants of different heights/types are grown in one area

Urban farming intiatives

-use empty land and rooftops to grow food

-makes food locally available, fresher and cheaper

-adds greenery. more attractive place to live

Sustainable ways to consume food

Fish and meat from sustainable sources, seasonal food consumption, reduced waste and losses

Fish and meat from sustainable sources

-catch quotas

-labelling

-feed animals on locally sourced food

Seasonal food consumption

transport adds food miles and increases the food’s carbon footprint

only eating the food that grow locally at the time of year reducing the amount of import food

Reduced waste and losses

schemes such as ‘think.eat.save’ encourage people to waste less food, help people to plan their meals better