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Soil degradation and conservation
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Revision notes for ESS Topic 5.3, detailed, everything you need to know for this topic
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5.2 Terrestrial food production systems and food choices Types of farming systems Food factsSubsistence farming- is the provision of food by Malnutrition – unbalanced diet. Nutrients may be:
The choice of food that we grow and eat is determined by many factors: farmers for their own families or the local 1. Lacking- undernourishment, usually lack of calories.
1. Climate and local ecological condition. We adapt this through community- there is no surplus. Mixed crops are 2. Excessive- over nourishment, too many calories
irrigation and use greenhouses to artificially alter the climate, planted and human labour is used. Low inputs of leading to obesity.
but most crops are grown without this. energy in the form of fossil fuels or chemicals. With 3. Unbalanced- the wrong proportion of micro-
2. Cultural and religious- some religions proscribe certain foods low capital input and low levels of technology nutrients.
e.g.: Islam and Judaism proscribe eating pork, Hindus do not farmers are unlikely to produce more than they The Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that
eat beef. Our traditions determine what foodstuffs we prefer. need. They are vulnerable to food shortages as little 925 million people in the world do not get enough
3. Political- governments can subsidies or put tariffs on some is stored. Cash cropping is growing crops for the energy from their food- they suffer from
foods to encourage or discourage their production e.g. the EU market, not to eat yourself. undernourishment. 985 are in Asia, Africa and
manipulates production in this way. Commercial farming- large profit making scale, Oceana.
4. Socio- economic- market forces determine supply and maximizing yields per hectare. This is often by a Many people suffer from an unbalanced diet- their
demand in a free- market economy, e.g. iif there is a short monoculture of one crop or one type of animal. food contains enough energy, but lacks essential
supply of almonds or beans and prices rise, farmer may go High levels of technology, energy and chemical nutrients like vitamins, proteins and certain minerals.
into this crop, supply increases, prices fall and then they may input are usually used with corresponding high Food production is one of the most important
stop growing it. outputs. resource issues facing global society today. As
Key terms populations expand, as global trade expands, and as
Agribusiness: the business of agricultural production including farming, Farming might be described as intensive or market choice develops, greater and greater
seed supply, breeding, chemicals for agriculture, machinery, food extensive. Extensive farming uses more land with a demands are ebing made of food supplies and food
harvesting, distribution, processing and storage. lower density of stocking or planting and lower production systems. Technology advanced but so did
Commercial agriculture: large scale production of crops and livestock inputs and corresponding outputs. Intensive human population.
for sale. farming uses land more intensively with high levels In MEDCs the cost of food is relatively cheap. People
Subsistence agriculture: farming for self-sufficiency to grow enough for of input and output per unit area. Animal feedlots have a choice. Seasonality of produce has
a family. are intensive. disappeared in MEDCs. Exotic foods are available all
year round.
Recent Doubts
In LEDCs. Many populations struggle to produce
So far in history of the human pop, food supply has kept pace with Pastoral farming is usually raising animals, usually
enough food to sustain their population. Politician
population growth, confounding the Malthusians amongst us. Very on grass and on land that is not suitable for crops.
and economic agendas as well as simple
recently, some are doubting that technology efficiency and innovation Arable farming is growing crops on good soils to eat
environmental limitations on food production.
will allow us to feed a world of 9 billion. directly or to feed animals. Mixed farming has both
Cereals are grown for export rather than to feed
As we adapt more and more of the NPP on Earth to human needs, use crops and animals and is a system in itself where
indigenous populations- cash cropping: coffee, hemp,
and degrade more land, demand more meat, we must be reaching the animal waste is used to fertilize the crops and
flax and biofuels. Occupy land that can be used for
limits of growth. improve soil structure and some crops are fed to
food supply.
The 1.1 billion living in poverty appear to be increasing and they are the animals.
getting hungrier. Livestock farming
Global harvest of grain may still be increasing but annual yields per -Animal domestication came before crop farming. Dogs were used as hunting companions and herding animals.
hectare have showed their rate of increase since the Green Revolution Sheep, pigs and goats were hunted as wild prey and then domesticated to provide a more convenient and reliable
as benefits have been releases so we may be near limit of productivity. source of food.
As human pop increases there is a fall in grain produced per capita. -Livestock are a useful means of converting plant material unsuitable for human digestion systems (grass) into
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