Food & People
What is the problem many people in developed countries face due too much food?
Obesity
What is malnourishment?
A deficiency in essential nutrients because they do not consume enough of the right kinds of food.
What is a famine?
A severe shortage of food.
What is desertification?
-accidentally turning land into desert
True or False: When crops fail in a poor country, the government buys food elsewhere to feed its people.
False
What happens to people who do not have enough food to eat?
They lose weight and become thinner and weaker every day. Eventually, they die of starvation or disease.
How can we avoid famines?
We should share the food more fairly and not waste it.
What is a drought?
A period of abnormally dry weather. Plants begin to shrivel and die. Rivers and reservoirs dry up too.
What is the problem with desertification?
When land becomes desert, it can't be farmed and it can't produce enough food for the people living there.
According to your textbook, about how many children under the age of five die each minute due to hunger?
24
How many people in the world are overweight, especially in comparison to 1980?
Today there are 1 billion overweight people in the world. This is about 4 times as many overweight people as there were in 1980.
How do international aid organizations help poorer countries?
They distribute food to starving people by dropping off sacks either through aircrafts or special trucks.
What problem does a drought cause?
If it does not rain, crops do not grow and farm animals die.
How does war cause famine?
Farmers in a war zone cannot plant their seeds, harvest their crops or feed and look after their animals.
Which country has has largest percentage of overweight adults?
United States (U.S.A.)
What are the health risks associated with obesity? Name at least 3.
-tooth decay
-heart attacks
-strokes
-diabetes
-appendicitis
-cancer
What are some famine myths? List 2.
-There are too many people in the world.
What are some associated problems with floods?
Floods destroy crops by covering them with water or burying them in mud. Severe floods may drown farm animals.
What are the causes of desertification? List and explain.
Overgrazing: When farmers allow too many animals to eat the grass and trample on it, the ground is left bare and grass and other crops will not grow there.
Deforestation: When people cut down all the trees, the soil is no longer held together by the trees' roots and the land turns to desert.
What caused the famine in Madagascar in 2013?
Locusts
What factors made it possible for developed countries to have access to a large variety of food choices? List 4 factors.
-Refrigeration
-Canning
-Freeze-drying
-World-wide trade
-Fast transport
What kind of illnesses and problems are malnourished children more likely to develop? List 2 illnesses and 1 problem.
-diarrhea, measles, and tuberclosis
Problems:
Permanent mental and physical problems.
What are some natural causes of famines? List at least 4.
-floods
-earthquakes
-volcanoes
-plagues of insect pests
-plant diseases
What are the human causes of famine? List 3 causes.
-Wars, sieges, civil disturbances
-Desertification
-Governments failing to provide a cheap and efficient means of getting food from one part of a country to another.
-Using large areas of the best land to grow cash crops, such as coffee, tea, cocoa, and bananas, instead of growing for local people.
How much food is wasted by North American supermarkets?
Up to one quarter (1/4)