KQ1
State 3 examples each of a LDC and a DC.
DC
singapore
australia
south korea
japan
USA
LDC
bangladesh
brazil
uganda
kenya
List the physical factors that affect intensity of food production?
Relief
Solid and Drainage
Climate
State all the agricultural methods that can help to address food shortage.
Multiple cropping and crop rotation
Water and soil conservation
Lease of farmland to other countries
Explain how eutrophication affects the ecosystem in a water body
Eutrophication sets off a chain reaction in the ecosystem, starting with an overabundance of algae and plants (aka algae bloom). The excess algae and plant matter eventually decompose and decay, producing large amounts of carbon dioxide.which leads to oxygen depletion. This lowers the ph of seawater, which directly affects the fishes in the water body.
Explain how salinisation reduces the profit of farmers.
If the level of salt in the soil is too high, the plant may not be able to absorb water easily. Over time, this results in dehydration of the plant, causing yield decline or even death of the plant. Crop yield losses may occur
How does inadequate food consumption affect individuals and countries? List 3 impacts.
Health:
Malnutrition
Starvation
Economic:
Lower productivity
Diversion of financial resources to health care
Long term debt due to food and financial aid
Political:
Social unrest
Social:
Scavenging
Provide a general answer to explain how the green revolution increased food production.
High yielding varieties
Fertilisers
Pesticides
Irrigation
Mechanising
Green revolution in India started in 1967 and lasted till 1978. Great success and changed the country’s status from a food-deficient economy to one of the world's leading agricultural nation
How does GM food tackle food shortage?
GM crops (HYV and resistant crops): shorter crop cycles and less prone to dying—> more climate resilient and can be grown on previously less arable land— produce food in higher efficiency and quantity in the long run
How are people’s food consumption patterns in LDCs and DCs affected by the increase in food prices?
LDC:
people are more affected due to lower disposable income
unable to afford food that are more expensive (meat,fish and dairy products)
May end up malnourished in the long run
DC:
people are less affected to the increase in food prices
look for other affordable food options instead
Why is organic food more expensive than non-organic food? State 2 reasons why this is so.
Organic food :
produced with natural organic fertilisers—> need not purchase cheaper chemical fertilisers
absence of chemical pesticides requires more labour in hand-weeding
Non-organic food:
produced with chemical fertilisers which are cheaper to buy in bulk
use of chemical herbicides allows the absence of additional manpower to remove weeds
What are the reasons for the difference in food consumptions between DCs and LDCs? List the factors and provide 2 examples.
economic factors
disposable income
pricing
socio-cultural
food preferences
stability of food supply
population growth
food safety
In 2020 sg population consumed 205.6 metric tons of chicken in a year. In ldcs grain is mostly consumed
Apart from the purpose of framing, describe 1 economic factor that intensifies food production.
Demand and Capital-> demand affects types and amount of crops produced-> capital refers to amount of disposable income a consumer has-> affects whether a demand can be met
Agribusiness-> large scale farming and commercial farming, processing, packaging, distributing and retailing-> large companies able to absorb impacts of change of environment due to higher capital-> also increased investment into research to produce higher yield varieties of crops
Describe how social policies can help to address food shortage in one’s country.
Support local farmers :
consumers purchase local produce
help to diversify sources of food supply
increase food security due to under reliance in food imports
Population control:
demand exceeds supply for food
government can educate people on family planning
provide access to reproductive health services
help to control population ii i a country —>ensure demand that supply meets
What can INDIVIDUALS do to help with food shortage?
Support local farmers: sustain local food production, continuous supply of food
Reduce food wastage: ensure food is not bought in excess and thrown away
Self-grown food: reduce stress on food supply , provide food for others
Education on food conservation: increase awareness and group of people who are contributing to preventing food shortage
Why is leasing farmland to other countries ineffective in addressing food shortage?
less land available for local farmers—>reduced crop production—>food insecurity
over-reliance on food aid—> country in debt, unable to pay it back, affecting their ability to develop farming sector and purchase food
Why do some countries eat more meat than others? Give an example to support your reasoning
The increase in consumption of meat is linked to the increase in income. In LDCs, the increase in income has allowed them to buy more livestock. However, even though the consumption of meat in DCs is still high, the people there are consuming less red meat as they are health conscious of the possible diseases or health problems they can get from over consumption of meat.
Also consider religious beliefs (e.g. Hindu societies tend to eat much less meat
With the use of examples, explain the physical factors that cause food shortage.
Climate Change-> change in climate patterns over long term-> cause existing farmland to become unsuitable for farming-> may lengthen growing seasons. Eg.: food production reduce by 50% in Brazil/ India/ Pakistan/ Turkey/ parts of USA
More frequent extreme weather events-> droughts, cold waves, heat waves, tropical cyclones-> cause loss of life and damage of property-> cause crop damage and make it difficult to grow crops. E.g. Cyclone Yasi in Queensland Australia
Elaborate on the successes and limitations of farming technology.
Farming technology refers to certain advancements in technology like HYV, irrigation technology, chemical fertilisers and others that aim to increase crop yield .
Successes:
modified crops are able to grow in once non-arable land
crop yield has increased for farmers
sufficient food to feed the growing population
Limitations :
expensive to maintain machinery /infrastructure
environmental issues (eg excessive irrigation)
Describe multiple cropping and crop rotation.
Multiple cropping: growing two or more crops on a single piece of land at the same time
Crop rotation: For countries where multiple cropping cannot be done due to changing seasons, growing several crops on the same land area in a specific order following the changes in seasons.
Why are DCs more prone to using technological methods to tackle food shortage?
Explain with relevance to one method used.
DCs generally have a higher financial capability as compared to DC. They have the finances to further develop and find other effective methods to produce food. Thus they turn to technological developments to increase crop yield. An example would be:
Technological factors
HYV
Irrigation technology
Chemical fertilisers and produce
Machinery
Biotechnology (GMO)
Explain the economic factors of the impacts of excessive food consumption on individuals and countries.
Lower productivity: Because of obesity-> fall ill more easily ( with illnesses such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease etc.) -> more workers absent from work -> lower productivity -> companies lose money -> lower income for workers
Diversion of financial resources to health care:
Public health expenditure increases as a result of treating obesity-related health conditions -> govt. channels more funds to the health care system -> reduced amount of funds for economic development -> other sectors of economy receive less monetary support from the govt. -> overall progress of a country is hindered/not as quick
Explain, with the use of examples, how political factors cause food shortage
Political Factor 1: Civil Strife and Poor governance
Civil strife-> major internal conflict-> riots, unrest, civil war->lead to disputes over control of resources-> slow down food production. Eg.: landmines planted on farmlands may blow up and stop food production
Poor Governance-> corruption, policy errors and inability to implement policies-> governments may prioritise development of other needs over food production-> commit less resources-> lesser food production. Eg.: Madhya Pradesh, India in 2010
Explain the limitations in food security measures made by Singapore.
Agrotechnology parks: use machinery for farming—> require capital to maintain and service equipment—> higher expenses—> increased cost price of food produced—> higher cost of living
High-tech farms—> requires workers who are trained in high tech equipment—> shortage in these workers results in shortage of manpower in this sector—> inadequate food production
‘The health impacts of inadequate food consumption outweigh the social impacts of inadequate food consumption.’ How far do you agree with this statement?
1 health impact: Malnutrition occurs when there is not enough nutrients - poor organ health - weak immune system- fall sick more frequently/more susceptible to viruses
1 social impact: Scavenging- searching for food in highly unsanitary areas such as rubbish dumps which contain bacteria—> food might be contaminated > ighly possible to fall ill —> unable to continue working—> loss of food source for them
scavenging may occur illegally →tresspassing private property and is seemed as a nuisance to others —>suffer from verbal/physical abuse
Conclusion perspective: interdependence— social and health impacts of inadequate food consumption are equally detrimental for people, destroying livelihoods and causing death in some people, both are equally bad
scale— health impacts of inadequate food consumption are more harmful to people s it limits their ability to work and survive , when people are sick, harder to work for themselves
‘Biotechnology is the best factor in overcoming food shortage?’ Explain why this statement is true/untrue.
economic factors
disposable income
pricing
socio-cultural
food preferences
stability of food supply
population growth
food safety
Economic: GM crops have a higher yield than non-GM crops -> allows farmers to earn higher income -> countries can be independent min food production -> less dependent on food imports
Socio-cultural : Allows food to be grown in places previously not suited for agriculture -> helps stabilise crop yield because GM crops are more resistant to extreme weather conditions
Food safety: GM crops might not be consumed due to potential health risks associated with them -> demand for them is low -> lower income earned
Food preferences: biotechnology limits the production of many crops in other countries which are important to them. It mainly increases the yield of cereals such as corn, soya bean and canola which might not benefit other countries