Food security

What is food security?

Having enough food to feed a population.

Why is food security incredibly important?

As more people live in cities and few people grow their own food.

How is the birth rate affecting food security?

• Birth rate is increasing in some countries.

• As population grows, the amount of food available will have to increase to feed the whole population.

How are changing tastes affecting food security?

• In developed countries, we now expect to eat a whole range of different foods throughout the year.

• Many of these foods cannot be grown in the UK. This means we must import a large amount of food from other countries, which can threaten their food security.

How do pests and pathogens threaten food security?

• Pests eat food crops e.g. caterpillars.

• Pathogens cause infectious diseases.

Both of these reduce the amount of food crops available to eat.

How does environmental change affect food security?

• Global warming can cause unpredictable weather.

• If rainfall patterns change, many countries may be unable to grow enough crops to feed their populations. This could lead to famine.

How does reliance on resources affect food security?

• Modern farming methods require lots of resources e.g. fertilisers and pesticides to increase crop yields.

• Farmers producing livestock need to buy food for their animals.

  As population increases, these resources become more expensive. For some countries, this may be more than they can afford.

How does conflict affect food security?

• During any period of war, farming can be disrupted, and imports of food may not be possible.

• War can also threaten the reliable supply of water.

What is important that we do as the worlds population increases?

It is essential that we find sustainable methods to feed everyone on Earth.

That way, our long term food security will be increased.