6.2 - Feeding the Human Race

Give 3 reasons why food security is currently a problem in the world

Increasing in Human population
Climate Change
Disruption to food chains.

How is increasing population affecting food production?

The more people there are, the more food is needed.

How is climate change affecting food production?

The constant changing whether makes growing crops more difficult

How is disruption to food chains affecting food production?

Pests are affecting farming and eating crops

Give 3 things we can do to make food production easier

Use greenhouses to grow crops
Eating a diet which consists of less meats
Use pesticides to kill pests

How can we counter to the problems of the fast growing human population? Give 5 agricultural solutions

Hydroponics
Biological control
Gene technology
Herbicides
Insecticides and pesticides

Explain what Hydroponics is and how it can offer an agricultural solution to growing human population

growing crops in glasshouses by replacing soil with a mineral solution. It could allow for faster production of crops

What is the main downside of hydroponics?

It is very expensive

Explain what biological control is and how it can offer an agricultural solution to growing human population

When a natural predator is released into an area where crops are being grown. This would allow the predator to kill pests without pesticides which may increase quality of crops

What is the main downside of Biological control?

It may affect other organisms in the food web and the predator may be difficult to control

Explain what gene technology is and how it can offer an agricultural solution to growing human population

Modifying crops or animals to have a better yield which would supply more food

What is yield?

The amount of useful product obtained from a process

What is the downside of gene technology?

Some could argue that it is immoral

Explain what herbicides are and how they can offer an agricultural solution to growing human population

Used to get rid of competing plants to help focus all of their energy on growth

What is the main downside of herbicides?

Reduces biodiversity and it may add chemicals to crops

Explain what pesticides are and how it can offer an agricultural solution to growing human population

They get rid of animals that eat crops so that the highest possible amount of yield is created.

What is the main downside of pessticides?

Reduces biodiversity and it may add chemicals to crops

What is artificial selection?

When humans breed certain plants or animals which have desirable characteristics

Give the three steps of selective breeding

Select individuals with desirable characteristics and breed
Choose the best offspring and breed them together
Repeat process over many generations until all offspring have desirable characteristics

What are some characteristics that we might selectively breed for

More meat, eggs, milk etc

Give an advantage of selective breeding

Can produce varieties that can produce more and better quality food to meet demand

Give two disadvantages of selective breeding

Some people consider it immoral
Unforeseen physical problems, we don’t yet know what affect it could have in the future

What is genetic engineering? Give example

A process where the genome of an organism is modified by introducing desirable characteristics. For example, crops have more resistant alleles to they are less likely to die in winter.

What are the four steps of genetic engineering?

Genes from chromosomes are cut out using restriction enzymes which leaves sticky ends