Humanities Year 9 Biomes and Food Security

What are biomes?

An area that is classified according to the plants and animals that live in it

What is the biomass?

The weight of all the parts of the biome that are living

What are the divisions of biomes?

Terrestrial and Aqautic

What are terrestrial biomes?

Relating to land/earth

What are aquatic biomes?

Relating to water

What are the six broad classifications of terrestrial and aquatic biomes?

Forest, Grassland, Desert, Tundra, Freshwater, Marine

What is primary productivity?

Refers to the amount of biomass or living plant material produced through photosynthesis

What are the 4 things that make up the climate?

Latitude, Altitude, Topography, Atmospheric Processes

What are the 2 things that the climate affects?

Temperature (affects how long the growing season is)

Precipitation (availability of water for plant growth)

What is Nomadic Herding?

Communities move throughout the year to find food and water for their animals

What are Commercial Farmers?

They grow food and fibre to supply the needs of other people

What are Subsistence farmers?

They grow just enough food to feed themselves and their families

What is aquaculture?

The farming of fish and seafood

What is the difference between Polyculture and Monoculture?

Polyculture means multiples crops grow on a field at the same time.

Monoculture means only one crop is planted on a plot of land at a time.

What is the difference between low-input farming and high-input farming?

Low Input Farming means humans don’t do a lot, nature sustains the farm itself.

High Input Farming requires a lot of human input (developed seeds, synthetic fertilizers, herbicides etc.)

What is irrigation?

A system used to bring water to crops when there isn’t enough rain using channels, pipes, sprinklers, or pumps

What are some natural factors affecting farming?

Climate
Soil Fertility
Natural Water Supply
Disease and Pests
Topography

What are some human factors affecting farming?

Labour Supply
Financial Resources
Expertise
Technology
Government Policies
Global Markets

What is a simple definition of food security?

Means that all people, at all times, has economic, physical and social access to safe and healthy food that supports their preferences and dietary needs.

What are the factors that impact food security?

1. Population Growth

2. Poverty, Economic Policies

3. War & Conflict

4. Land Competition

5. Water Security

6. Climate Change, Land Degradation

What is sustainability (in food security terms)?

Farming that is considerate of overusing, over farming, and farms with consciousness of future generations.