population and environment

why has population grown exponentially and when did this start?
name some of the factors that contributed to this

1800- industrial evolution (see image)
1950 - globalisation + development

these decreased global death rate but birth rate still high

describe global population distribution

• least in extreme places (hot + cold)
  eg. sub-Saharan rift + Greenland

• highest in favourable climates --> temperate regions
  (good soils, water resources eg. London based around river for freshwater + China has access to coastline for trading)

what is the difference between pop distribution + density?

distribution = where
density = how many people in a given area

define carrying capacity

the maximum number of people that can be supported indefinitely by the available resources in a given area/environment without environmental degradation

How is Greenland's carrying capacity changing?

used to be low due to bad soil for farming
(so they adapted by eating red meat + nomadic lifestyle)

increasing due to globalisation --> can import food
(but become more reliant on other countries)

Define optimum population

the size of a population that produces the best results according to chosen end targets

Define ecological footprint

the impact of human activities measured in terms of the area of biologically productive land and water required to produce the goods consumed and to assimilate the wastes generated

name 4 elements of the physical environment that impact the population

1. climate
2. soils
3. water supply
4. geology and other resources

name 4 things included in 'climate'

1. temp
2. wind velocity
3. solar insolation
4. rainfall

how is climate influencing the population by FARMING

determins…

• food productivity
• type of farming
• which species are best suited for cultivation

eg. TEMPS - crops need 5oC + to grow
if under 5oC, livestock need supplementary fodder crops
SOLAR - need light for photo

so pops settle in areas where farming will be successful

how is climate influencing the pop by DEATH RATES

warmer = incr diseases
tropical diseases eg. malaria, yellow fever + Ebola
incr death rates + decr life expectancy

tropical + sub tropical - so higher fertility rates as try to compensate for loss due to high infant + chilt mortality

how is cc impacting pop?

affects in diff ways

eg. Bangladesh = lowland + coastal --> flooding due to sea level rise --> migration or adaption
eg. floating gardens

what are 5 things soil fertility relies on? and what 2 things does this influence?

CONTROLLED BY…

1. texture
2. organic matter
3. nutrients
4. structure
5. pH (acidity)

INFLUENCES…

1. agricultural outputs
2. type of farming system employed

How can soil fertility be maintained but what are the negatives of this?

artificial chemical fertilisers in high pop density areas to maintain nutrients (NPK)

• water pollution
• eutrophication (also due to sewage discharge)
• CC + GHG emissions

So how does soil impact population distribution

incr density in areas of fertile soil
eg. rich volcanic or alluvial soils (but also hazard prone so may decr pop/deter)

What is a good water supply needed for?

• irrigation + food production
• hygiene + sanitation
• industrial processes

give an example of where water supply has influenced the population distribution

EGYPT
95% of its pop (80million people) live within 12 miles of River Nile

how does geology + resources influence population distribution?

ff + valued minerals --> industrialisation --> large pop density eg. in parts of Europe + USA
become depleted --> large dense pops turn to tertiary industries

what is the % of earth that is

• ocean
• land

habitable land
habitable land used for agri
habitable land used for urabn + built up

ocean = 71%
land = 29%

habitable land = 76%
habitable land used for agri = 45%
habitable land used for urabn + built up = 1%

so…agri = dominant land use

what are the 5 factors controlling food production and describe food production distribution globally

1. latitude

favourable climate

2. continentality (how far inland)
   coastal = moist as continent interiors = arid
3. income
   HICs/NEE's --> money for agri eg. machinery + irrigation systems
4. the greenhouse/agricultural revolution
   incr machinery, high yielding crop varieties eg. irrigation, pest + fert --> not necessarily sustainable)
5. globalisation

so mainly in Europe, N America + Asia

• many LIC's lack sufficient farmland, tech + too poor to import

• have enough farmland to provide food they need + have surplus to export

• so there is enough food production to feed everyone but unevenly distributed

why is nutrition important?

determines

• capacity to work
• QofL
• susceptibility to illness
• capacity to recover

how if food security changing? and how is food consumption changing?
(include malnourishment)

increasing global food production + incr calorie intake per capita
incr pop = incr food demand = incr food consumption

but…1/9th of world = malnourished
(esp in developing countries eg. 2/3rd in Asia + 1/4th in Sub-Saharan Africa)

malnutrition = lack of food + over nutrition (obesity)

how much food is wasted and what impact does this have?

1/3rd of all food produced worldwide

so undernourishment will still persist until food not wasted + distributed evenly

name 6 physical/climate inputs into an agricultural system

1. precip
2. solar insolation
3. length of growing season
4. relief
5. soils + drainage
6. temp

name 6 human inputs into an agricultural system

1. animal feed
2. labour + rent
3. transport costs
4. machinery
5. fertilisers
6. market demand

define processes and name 5 processes in agricultural systems

activities carried out to turn inputs into outputs

1. ploughing
2. weeding
3. milking
4. slaughtering
5. harvesting

name 5 outputs of agricultural systems and how does the use of these outputs change with development?

1. meat/animals
2. crops
3. waste products
4. soil erosion
5. pollution

LIC's = often consumed by families (subsistence)
HIC's = profit (commercial)

How might an agricultural system change?

physical - floods + diseases
human - changes in demand, market prices + govern policy

describe and explain 4 reasons why food prices increased during the 2008 global financial crisis

1. oil price surge

incr fuel prices for production machinery + transport for food so food become more expensive

2. incr biofuel demand
   more crops diverted to biofuels --> less food eg. maize
3. trade restrictions
   imposed export bans
4. extreme weather
   droughts --> poor harvest in key food production regions

what was the UN 2015 millennium development goal

to half proportion of hungry people

was the UN 2015 millennium development goal successful and what hindered its success?

kinda - goal almost met

financial, economic + incr food prices in 2008 drove many people to hunger (esp women + children)

sudden incr in food prices prevented many people from escaping poverty as poor spend larger proportion of income on food and subsistence farmers consume their food + no surplus to sell

What is subsistence farming?

self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed themselves, their families and their workers (personal consumption)

may have a little surplus which is sold to buy other living requirements/investments into the farm

mainly in LIC's + some HIC's for urban horticulture/allotments

small capita inputs + large labour inputs

what is commercial farming?

Large-scale farming where the food is grown to be sold and make profit
can provide livelihood for farm workers + be reinvested back into farm

mainly HIC's

can also range in size from family run to TNC

cash crops mainly grown eg. coffee

describe intensive farming

incr inputs of labour, machinery, tech, capita + agro chemicals eg. Fertilisers + pesticides
smaller area of land used
high productivity with large outputs per area of land
eg. hydroponics

often has lower animal welfare

describe extensive farming

lower inputs of labour, capital, agrochemicals + machinery per unit of land
larger areas of land used
monocultures
lower yields than intensive per area

what is global food production measured in?

calories (Kcal)

what are GM farms? (+ example of GM Crop)

farms with genetically modified crop varieties to improve a quality/aspect eg. pest resistance or yield

eg. golden rice contains genes from daffodil flowers to give food more Vit A in deficient areas

inputs = biotechnology
high yields

what are organic farms?

foods are raised without chemical fertilizers and pesticides with environmental sustainability as a priority

inputs = natural fertilisers + pest control

outputs decline initially but yields may eventually incr improve +sale values are often higher

how does meat consumption vary around the world?

HIC's = high + stable consumption

US = highest but declining due to recent health + enviro concerns

NEE's = rapid growth so increasing + increasing income

cultural + religious factors --> dont eat meat
eg. Kenya + India

how does temperature influcence agri?

dictates length of growing season
mean annual temps above 6oC are required

how does precip influence agri?

precip depends on temp due so impacts rate of evapotranspiration

seasonal rainfall distribution is important as if rain doesn't fall at key growing times in year --> crop fails

affected by monsoons + extended droughts

how does wind affect agriculture?

• restrict cultivation of grain crops
• can be beneficial --> warm Chinook helps melt snow on the N American priaries --> lengthens growing season

What are Chinook winds?

a warm dry wind that blows down the east side of the Rocky Mountains at the end of winter.
They're often called "snow-eaters" because they can rapidly melt snow.

what soil factors are important for agriculture?

• depth
• structure
• mineral content
• texture
• pH
• aeration
• capacity to retain water
• susceptibility to leaching

what are 3 features of relief that impact agriculture?

altitude, angle of slope, slope aspect

UK upper limit for growing hay + potatoes = 300m + slopes more than 11o become impractical for ploughing

describe the characteristics of agricultural systems

• application of human inputs eg. labour, capital, and natural eg. precip + solar insolation
• processes convert inputs into outputs

cultivation, harvesting, animal husbandry

• outputs = food, raw materials, crop + animal products
• systems sensitive to enviro factors + prone to natural hazards --> results in losses from the system
• intensive vs extensive
• subsistence vs commercial
  subsistence particularly prone to natural hazard losses
• GM vs organic

name and describe an extensive agricultural system in the lake district

hill sheep farming

INPUTS
Natural: Rainfall, steep upland pastures, hardy sheep breeds (e.g. Herdwick)
Human: Labour (low), sheepdogs, dry stone walls, subsidies

CAPITAL- Minimal machinery, simple infrastructure

PROCESSES

• Breeding and rearing hardy sheep
• Seasonal grazing (transhumance in some areas)
• Lambing in spring
• Shearing (wool)
• Movement to lower pastures or markets

OUTPUTS
Lamb/mutton (main income)
Wool (secondary)
Manure
Conservation grazing (in some schemes)

CLIMATE
Cool, wet (over 2000 mm rain/year)
Short growing season
Harsh winters = low crop viability
SOIL - Thin, acidic, low fertility
Poor for arable farming

PHYSICAL FEATURES - Steep slopes, poor drainage, Remote, inaccessible areas
Rugged terrain → unsuitable for crops or intensive livestock

COMPARISION TO OTHER FARMING -

• Extensive farming: low input/output per hectare
• Low mechanisation vs. intensive lowland (e.g. dairy or arable)
• Suited to marginal land where other farming is unviable
• Often integrated into environmental stewardship schemes

describe rice farming distribution, conditions and proxys for growth

• closer to equator as needs incr precip as long time standing in water + temps of 16-27oC
• best in aluvial soils

proxy = methane emissions

what are aluvial soils?

fertile soils deposited when a river floods

why do lowland and uplands in England have different soil types?

GLACIATION
upland = bad due to erosion
lowland = good due to deposition

how do different climates effect pop + agri?

effects agricultural productivity + water availability
so pop size + lifestyles are different in each zones

what is a ternary diagram?

graphs with 3 sides
show composition of sand, silt + clay in soil to work out overall type

what is the FAO?

Food and Agriculture Organization (part of UN)
works to…

• eliminate hunger
• improve nutrition
• promote sustainable agriculture worldwide

How is CC negatively changing agriculture/food production? and which impacts are on HICs/LICs/both (8 ways)

1. have to change types of crops being grown

• heat or pest resistant/ switch from colder crops as die
• eg. more melons (can be grown in UK) + less potatoes (as need cool climate)
• both LIC + HIC (mainly HIC)

1. need to adapt farms
   eg. Bangladesh --> rising sea levels --> floating farms + ducks

• mainly LIC

1. incr pests, diseases + invasive species

• spread out from normal areas as temps incr --> incr area of tolerance
• insects repro faster with higher temps + CO2 (same as weeds --> can incr resistance to herbicides)
  (both LIC + HIC)

1. change harvest time as warmer for longer + growing season starts earlier

• eg. Strawberries in UK ripening faster/earlier in year
  (mainly HIC)

1. incr temps speeds up growing season without proper time for crops to grow

• decr yield

1. desertification + desert encroachment due to incr temps

• LICs

1. decr food = incr food prices --> incr global hunger
2. decr productivity - limited rainfall in Africa --> poor harvest

• mainly LICs

How is CC positively changing agriculture/food production in 2 ways?

1. incr productivity - incr rainfall in Europe + warming in marginal/high latitude regions --> thawing permafrost --> incr water
   (so higher latitudes are benefiting whilst nearer equator = suffering)
2. melons can be grown in UK

which regions are most impacted by CC agriculturally?

developing countries around equator
semi-arid + arid regions expanding due to incr temps --> desertification + desert encroachment
eg. Africa

What are 2 ways Sub-Saharan countries are battling desert encroachment that decreasing yields?

• add manure to fields --> acts as fertiliser (added by cattle farming)

incr soil fertility

• plant trees as barriers at designated areas to decr wind velocity that carries sand + draw up deep groundwater --> adds moisture to surface --> incr soil cohesion + water for plants to grow
  (+ sequester carbon --> decr temps as a GHG)

Why does planting trees in Sub-Saharan African countries have limited effectiveness to stop desert encroachment?

1. residents cut down trees to use as fuel as too poor to use other fuel resources
2. cant afford to thing about long term sustainability

(link between development + enviro-sustainability)

define agricultural productivity and explain what it shows

The ratio of agricultural outputs to agricultural inputs

• shows how efficiently the agri industry uses the resources that are available to turn inputs into outputs
• measure of economic performance on a farm
• measure that enables annual comparisons to see if improvements are made
• best = max output with min input

measured in yield
eg. Kg of grain per Hectare or Kg of meat per animal

name 4 short term controls on agricultural productivity that are out of the farmers control

• weather
• animal disease
• policy interventions
• general economic conditions

What is TFP?

Total factor productivity
the ratio of outputs to all inputs

if use inputs more effectively, improve cultivation + livestock rearing practices with a fixed/decr input = TFP grows

it is increasing globally

how are agricultural productivity and TFP different?

Agricultural productivity = output per individual input
TFP = output per all combined inputs (shows true efficiency gains)

name 3 ways farmers increase crop TFP

1. use specialised crop varieties

higher yielding + disease/drought/flood resistant

2. use incr efficient, timely cultivation and harvesting practices
3. use beneficial tech
   eg. indicates when + how much water/fertiliser to use

Name 3 ways farmers can increase livestock TFP

1. breed animals with favourable genetic qualities/behaviour
2. better animal care + diseases management practices
3. use higher quality feeds

how are LIC's + HIC's increasing their TFP?

LIC's

• support for…

special needs of small farmers
women producers
co-operative owned associations

HIC's

• extensions of productive tech + innovations

BOTH

• investment in agricultural R&D
• infrastructure development

how is the Asian-Pacific region being impacted by CC agriculturally? and why is it particularly susceptible

climate + weather changes

impacts agri sector massively --> massively affects pop as 60% of pop live in countryside/mainly agrarian pop

changes to livelihoods + ways of life

increasing pop adds strain on food production

1. warmer eg. northern cooler regions warming

rising temp can incr or decr yield + changes growing season

2. rising sea levels --> soil salinization + decr living in lowland + coastal regions + islands
3. precip changes --> incr causing floods + decr = water shortages

what is CSA and what does it stand for?

Climate Smart Agriculture

integrative approach to address challenges linked to food security + global CC

what does the CSA do?

introduced by FAO and linked with world bank

1. economics - incr agri productivity to support food security + development
   2, social - adapting + building resilience of agri
2. enviro - decr GHG emissions fro agri

what does IARI stand for and what do they do?

Indian agriculture research institute

carries out cc adaptation projects such as testing tech + giving strategies for sustainable livelihoods in rural communities more at risk because of cc

give an example of when globalisation facilitated cc impacts

banana wars/history

whole species whipped out due to being a monoculture --> monocultures easier to be whiped out by cc
doesn't favour diversity, favours profit

what 3 changes in crops mitigates cc impacts?

1. store seeds in seed banks
2. use cc resistant crop varieties of the main crops
   eg. heat resilient --> incr yeild
3. have greater crop diversification

what are 4 more expensive ways HIC's can help mitigate cc on their farms?

1. level farmland using lasers

incr water efficiency

2. lay underground pipelines for drip irrigation + micro sprinklers
   saves water + less labour intensive
3. raised bed planting + seed nursery's
4. access of info + comms about weather forecasts to advise about planting + irrigation

Name 2 zonal soils

Gelisols
latosols

where are Gelisol soils located?

cold, wet climates
tundra

1. high-latitude regions
   eg. Alaska, Greenland, Iceland + N Scandinavia

2. high altitude regions
   eg. Himalayas + Tibetan plateau

describe features of Gelisol soils

• waterlogging in summer due to melting permafrost

Blue-grey profile due to gleying
anaerobic conditions

• poor drainage
• acidic + nutrient poor (cold = low decomp)
• infertile
• thin active, fertile, surface organic layer so short growing season

How do gelisol impact agriculture and population distribution?

low pop densities

supports small pops + nomadic
rely more on meat than veg
unsuitable for agri + no large scale farming

• not suitable for arable but fine for pastoral

Where are latosols located?

near equator between tropics of cancer + Capricorn

tropical climates
(Hot and wet)
eg. Brazil + DRC

S America, central Africa + Australasia

Describe features of latosol soils

• deep, red soils (iron + aluminium oxides)
• high temps --> rapid decomp
• nutrient leaching due to high precip
• well drained
• vulnerable to degradation if forest cover removed

How do latosols impact agriculture and population distribution?

• higher pop density than Gelosols
• limited crop growth so limited pop density
• slash + burn agriculture

ash from burning fertilises topsoil
small scale = sustained pop
large scale = unsustainable --> decr nutrients

• increasingly being exploited for cattle ranching + cash crops eg. coffee
  soil compaction + erosion
• deforestation
• subsidence farming + TNC income

name 7 functions of the soil

1. medium for plant growth
2. act as a buffer for pollution

filter so not straight into water sources

3. allow nutrient cycling, decomp + store of C
4. store of water
5. fuel eg. peat eg. in Scotland
6. habitat for soil biota eg. worms
7. physical stability + support

name the different soil horizons

1. O (organic)
2. A (surface)
3. B (subsoil)
4. C (substratum)
5. R (bedrock)

how does parent material/bedrock influence soil type?

determines size of soil particles due to how easily weathered
eg. granite --> sandy, coarse soil
eg. Basalt --> fine, clay soil

What are the 2 types of soil erosion?

1. WATER (most serious)
2. WIND

What are the 4 types of water erosion

1. sheet erosion
2. rill erosion
3. gully erosion
4. river bank erosion

Define sheet erosion

the uniform removal of soil in thin layers by the forces of raindrops and overland flow

Define rill erosion

when rain doesn't soak into the soil so gathers on the surface and runs downhill forming small channels of water called rills that transport soil

short lived + well defined streams

Define gully erosion and describe a disadvantage

Erosion that occurs when rills are left unattended so grow into gullies that transport more water and more soil

The land affected is not usable for growing crops and big ditches create hazards for machinery

Define river bank erosion

when soil is washed away by unmanaged rivers as they meander across floodplains

Define wind erosion

the soil erosion when forces exerted by wind overcome the gravitational + cohesive forces of soil particles on the surface of the ground

Name the 5 categories of wind erosion

1. Saltation
2. Abrasion
3. Attrition
4. Creep/traction
5. Suspension

Describe saltation

when larger heavier soil particles are bounced along the floor
(lifted up by the wind the fall back down)
particles 0.1 - 0.5mm

Define abrasion

particles rub against the surface of rocks and wear away

Define attrition

Process by which rocks are broken down into smaller and more rounded particles after the wind causes them to collide

Define creep/traction

when the heaviest and largest particles are too heavy to be lifted by the wind so roll along the surface

greater than 0.5 mm in diameter

Define suspension

when the smallest particles are lifted into the air and remain as dust and are transported away from erosion site

smaller tan 0.1 mm

What is loess?

suspended particles that settle from dust within 100Km from erosion site

greater than 0.02 mm

is the soil and open or closed system?

open

can loose mass

What is capillary action?

The ability of a liquid to flow against gravity up a narrow tube

the upward movement of water through the pores of soil from wetter to drier areas due to surface tension and the adhesion of water molecules to soil particles.

define eluvation

downward movement of water in soils (infiltration)

define illuviation

downward movement of soilds

deposition of materials in lower soil processes