Food Sufficiency and Deficiency IB Geography II

Objective By the end of this lesson students will be able to: Explain how changes in agricultural systems, scientific and technological innovations, the expansion of the area under agriculture and the growth of agribusiness have increased the availability of food in some areas, starting with the Green Revolution and continuing since. Examine the environmental, demographic, political, social and economic factors that have caused areas of food deficiency and food insecurity.

Opener: Mark Bittman: What’s Wrong with What We Eat what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html?utm _source= &source= &utm_medium= social&utm_campaign=ios-share ] what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html?utm _source= &source= &utm_medium= social&utm_campaign=ios-share What does Mark Bittman say is wrong with what we eat? Why are our eating habits putting the entire planet at risk? To what extent do you agree/disagree with Bittman?

The Green Revolution Review: Mini Activity The Green Revolution is the name given to the approach that was developed by Norman Borlaug and others to increase the productivity of agricultural land in key countries of the world by educating farmers and introducing new technologies. – Saw success in Mexico and India especially

Green Revolution Vocabulary High Yielding Varieties (HYVs): genetically engineered staple crops such as wheat, maize, and rice. Allowed for greater productivity with several harvests in one year. Artificial Fertilizers: nitrates and phosphates that were needed with HYVs in order to maintain the yield. Pesticides: destroy competitors such as insects, fungi, and weeds; they were needed because HYVs were more prone to disease and pests. Irrigation: Is essential for maximum yield in HYVs. Has allowed agriculture to develop in areas that are arid and semi-arid.

The Green Revolution: Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths – Use of technology – Using hybrid grain seeds (mainly rice, wheat and corn). Shorter stalks, so you grew more – These HYVs were produced by genetic engineering and allowed for multiple harvests. Weaknesses – Artificial fertilizers and pesticides were needed – Costs were higher as there were fees for these artificial additions to the farm system. – Farmers in these areas found it difficult to access loans and additional funding, and didn’t want to get into debt. – Some crops also needed improved irrigation. In areas of water scarcity this was not always easy to guarantee.

Main Notes: Food Sufficiency and Deficiency

Factors that Affect Food Sufficiency Changes in Agricultural Systems Scientific and Technological Innovations Expansion of the area under agriculture The growth of Agribusiness

Changes in Agricultural Systems Farming is about inputs, processes, and outputs. Agriculture needs investment. Many countries have put other areas as priority before agriculture. Only a small percentage of foreign aid is spent on agricultural projects.

Scientific and Technological Innovations Farmers have always looked to improve their practice in order to save time and work more efficiently. Early innovations included the seed drill which enabled a farmer to complete an important job in a faster time. What is there today?

Expansion of the Area Under Agriculture An easy way to increase food production would seem to be to allot more land for agriculture. There are several issues with doing this: – The most farmable land may be already being used for agriculture – Many areas that are urbanized cannot be used – There may be very little land available

The Growth of Agribusiness Agribusiness is the name given to the aggregation of farmland under the control of a single business. Increasing the scale of operations (by bringing together fragmented landholdings) forms more manageable and productive land areas with less cost.

Factors that Affect Food Deficiency There are a number of geographic factors that cause food shortages around the world. Some are: – Soaring Oil and Energy Prices – Rising Demand – Natural Hazards – Biofuels – Underinvestment in Agriculture – Climate Change

Soaring Oil and Energy Prices Can push up the cost of food production In 2007, rising oil prices cause fertilizer prices to increase by 70% and fuel for tractors and farm machinery by 30%

Rising Demand Results from global population growth and from people in emerging economies using their increasing affluence to buy more meat, eggs and dairy products Over 30% of the world’s grain now goes to feeding animals rather than people.

Natural Hazards Drought, floods, etc. Can severely disrupt agricultural production.

Biofuels Biofuels are competing with food for arable land, especially in the US and EU. Since 2008, about 30% of the US corn crop has been diverted to biofuels.

Underinvestment in Agriculture In 1986, 20% of foreign aid to developing countries was devoted to agriculture. By 2006, it was less than 3%. African governments, who are more influenced by their richer urban residents, now spend less than 5% of their budgets on agriculture, even through farming communities are where 2/3 of their residents live.

Climate Change With climate change, some areas will be drier and face water shortages, while others may experience extreme weather conditions. One estimate is that by 2050, half the arable land in the world might not be suitable for production. By then the global population will be over 9 billion.