The Challenge of Resource Management

why do people need resources?

food, water and energy are needed for basic human development; needed to survive and stay healthy (energy for basic standard of living)

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how does food affect the economic and social well-being of people and countries?

no nutritious food = malnutrition = more likely to get diseases / won't perform well at school, lack skills, reduce economic development, no working = poor economy

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how does water affect the economic and social well-being of people and countries?

clean, safe water is needed for drinking, cooking and washing. without sanitation = diseases like cholera, walking long distance for water = economic impact, less time working, no school for children. water = food, clothes etc = impact lifestyle

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how does energy affect the economic and social well-being of people and countries?

energy needed for industry, transport, in homes = allows development, create jobs, increase wealth. No energy = burn wood (cooking+light/heat) = deforestation. Electricity = pump wells = safe water

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how are resources distributed around the globe?

very uneven. some countries don't have their own energy reserves. or climates doesn't support food production

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how can a country increase their supply of resources?

have to import them or find technological solutions to produce more. requires a country's wealth and availability

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where is resource consumption the greatest?

in HICs because they can afford it and expect a higher standard of living

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where is resource consumption rapidly increasing?

in NEEs. industry is developing fast and population + wealth are increasing rapidly

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where is resource consumption the lowest?

in LICs because they can't afford to exploit the resources they have or import them

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what was food demand like in the 1960s?

most fruit and veg were locally produced and seasonal

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how has seasonal food demand changed since 1960s?

growing demand for seasonal products all year round. so fruit + veg are being imported

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how has high-value food demand changed since 1960s?

there is an increasing demand for high-value foods like exotic fruit and veg, coffee, spices.

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why are high-value foods in higher demand now?

because people's incomes are increasing

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how is organic food demand changed since 1960s?

more popular, foods grown following strict regulations

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why are organic foods more popular now?

people are becoming more concerned about the environmental impacts of food production and the effect of chemicals on their health

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how has food demand changes since 1960s?

seasonal food all year round; more high-value foods; more organic produce

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what causes the carbon foot print of our food?

the growing, processing and packaging food produces CO2 and greenhouse gases

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what percentage of UK's total greenhouse emissions came from directly growing food?

9%

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how do food miles add to the carbon footprint?

transporting food from where it was grown to where it is sold = CO2. Food Miles is the distance travelled by food to the market. Higher the food miles = more CO2

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what is the carbon footprint?

the amount of greenhouse gas produced during growing, packing and trasnporting

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when is there the largest carbon footprint?

when importing foods = higher food miles = large carbon footprint

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how are farmers trying to reduce the carbon footprint?

by encouraging locally grown food, farmer's markets, farm shops and locally-produced vegetables boxes are more popular now

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how has farming changed since 1960s?

there has been a growth in agribusiness

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what is agribusiness?

large-scale, industrial farming where processes from the production of seeds and fertilisers, to the processing and packaging of the food are controlled by large firms

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how have the farms in the UK changed due to agribusiness?

farm size have increased (food produced more cheaply); increased use of chemicals (to encourage growth); number of workers is declining (greater use of machinery)

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what are the environmental impacts of industrial farming?

hedgerows have been removed = loss in biodiversity, heavy machinery = soil erosion

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what is water demand and water supply like in the UK?

north + west = high rainfall, water surplus, good supply of water / south east + midlands= high population density, water deficit, high demand

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how has demand for water changed in the UK?

since 1975, amount of water used in households has gone up by 70% - due to more appliances

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why is population causing an increase in water demand?

UK population meant to increase by 10 million by 2040. population density changing, more houses to be built in south east (already a water deficit)

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what has caused a reduced amount of available water?

polluted or low quality water. it puts pressure on water resources

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what are the problems with the river water in the UK?

nitrates/ phosphates from fertilisers are washed into rivers/ groundwater ; pollutants from vehicles are going into rivers when it rains; chemical and oil spills at factories pollute local water sources and groundwater supplies

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how much water in Southern England comes from groundwater?

80% - pollutants are affecting water quality of 50% of groundwater

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what stategies could be used to manage water quality?

improving drainage systems and imposing regulations on the amount and types of fetilisers and pesticides used

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how can you deal with the supply and demand problem with water?

transfer water from areas of surplus to areas of deficit

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what are issues with water transfer strategies?

the dams and aqueducts are expensive to build; it can affect wildlife; there might be political issues (don't want their water given to others)

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what type of energy has the UK traditionally relied on?

fossil fuels (1970 - 91% of energy came from oil and coal) / 1980s - large gas reserves under North Sea = 22% of energy supplied by gas / 1990 - nuclear energy

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how can the type of energy used in the UK changed?

shift away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources (2014 19% of energy from renewable sources)

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what are the biggest and increasing types of renewable energy to use?

wind, bio-energy, solar and hydroelectric

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why has there been a decline in the use of coal reserves?

from the effect to reduce CO2 emissions and the cost of mining the remaining reserves is increasing

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what type of gas is being considered to be used in UK? How is it obtained?

shale gas, from fracking: liquid pumped into shale rock at high pressure = cracking = gas trapped in rock is collected

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how can the extraction of fossil fuels and production of electricity cause economic issues?

extraction is expensive (North Sea oil especially expensive), cost of producing electricity from nuclear/ renewable sources is high, money needed to research alternative energy sources, renewable sources don't provide a reliable supply of energy

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how can the extraction of fossil fuels and production of electricity cause environmental issues?

burning fossil fuels = CO2 emissions + greenhouse gases; fracking pollutes groundwater and causes mini-earthquakes; nuclear accidents leak toxic chemicals into water supply, soil, atmosphere; power stations/ wind farms are a eyesore

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what does the map of food production show?

east asia and north america = produce a lot of food / central america and africa produce small amounts of food

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what does the map of food consumption show?

developed countries - eat at lot, can afford to import a large variety of food, people have high income to buy food / less developed - consume less, can't afford, less food available / NEEs - consuming more as wealth increases

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what is food security?

when people are able to eat enough nutritious food to stay healthy and active. Countries than can produce a lot of food or are rich enough to import the food they need have food security?

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what is food insecurity?

when people aren't able to get enough food to stay healthy or lead an active life. Countries that don't grow enough to feed their population and can't afford to import the food they need have food insecurity

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why is food consumption around the world increasing?

rising populations and economic development

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how is rising populations causing food consumption to increase?

global population increasing (9 billion by 2040) = more people require more food

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how is economic development causing food consumption to increase?

countries are getting wealthier. NEEs = increase population getting richer. HICs = more disposable income for food, buy variety and more than they need, can import all year round, Industrialised agriculture = produce cheaper food at lower costs

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why does food insecurity occur?

not enough food is being produced OR people are unable to access food supplies

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what are physical factors that affect food production and accessibility?

climate, water stress, pests and disease

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how does climate affect food production and accessibility?

climates may be unsuitable for farming = can't grown much food. extreme weather can affect food supply

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how does water stress affect food production and accessibility?

crops and livestock need water to survive. low rainfall/ poor irrigation = can't grown enough food

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how do pests and diseases affect food production and accessibility?

pests reduce yields by consuming crops. diseases affect most crops and livestock = cause damage

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what are human factors that affect food production and accessibility?

poverty, technology, conflict

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how does poverty affect food production and accessibility?

living in poverty = don't have own land to grow food, people may farm land ineffectively. globally - poverty = can't grown enough = can't afford to import food

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how does technology affect food production and accessibility?

the mechanisation of farm equipment increases amount of food produced by making it more efficient. New technologies help protect plants from disease, increase yields and help grow better in harsh climates

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how does conflict affect food production and accessibility?

fighting = damage agricultural land, make it unsafe, difficult to grow enough food. Access to food is difficult if fleeing homes. Importing food is difficult because trade routes are disrupted and political relationships break down

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what problems are caused by food insecurity?

famine, under-nutrition, soil erosion, rising prices, social unrest

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what is famine as a problem caused by food insecurity?

serious lack of food across large areas = famine. unable to get enough food = starvation + death

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what is under-nutrition as a problem caused by food insecurity?

to stay healthy you need a balanced diet. you don't get the nutrients to keep your body health

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what is soil erosion as a problem caused by food insecurity?

struggling to get enough food = not use the best agricultural practices = over-cultivation of land, overgrazing from pressure to get food. these lead to soil erosion

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what is rising prices as a problem caused by food insecurity?

not enough food available = food prices increase. people will pay anything to get food. Poor countries won't be able to afford high prices

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what is social unrest as a problem caused by food insecurity?

people expect governments to help them during food insecurity. if not seen to be doing enough = cause rioting or civil war

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what are new technological ways to increase food supply?

irrigation, hydroponics and aeroponics, biotechnology, the New Green Revolution, appropriate technology

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what is irrigation as a way to increase food supply?

artificially watering the land. make dry areas more productive, increase yields/ harvests

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what are the 3 types of irrigation?

gravity flow, sprinklers, drip systems

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what are gravity flow irrigation systems?

digging ditches and channels to transport ground or surface water to field

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what are sprinkler irrigation systems?

spraying water across field

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what are drip irrigation systems?

dripping water from small holes in pipes directly onto the soil around the roots of crop plants

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what is hydroponics and aeroponics as a way to increase food supply?

growing plants with soil. plants are monitored closely and nutrients adjusted to maximise yields

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what is hydroponics?

plants are grown in a nutrient solution, supported by a material such as rockwool

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what is aeroponics?

plants are suspended in air and a fine mist is sprayed onto the roots. the water drips off the roots and is used again

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benefits of using hydroponics and aeroponics?

less water is required than plants grown in soil and reduced risk of disease and pests means less use of pesticides

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issues of using hydroponics and areoponics?

they are very expensive, only used for high value crops

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what is biotechnology as a way to increase food supply?

involves genetically engineering crops to improve productio. allows more food to be grown in a smaller area with fewer resources

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what can GM designed crops to have?

higher yields / resistant to drought, disease or pests / higher nutirtional values

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what are ethical and environmental concerns about GM?

they reduce biodiversity because fewer varieties of crops are planted / GM plants may interbred with wild plants and pass on their genes or disrupt ecosystems

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what is the New Green Revolution as a way to increase food supply?

Improve Green Revolution: aims to improve yields in a more sustainable way using: GM varieties traditional and organic farming methods (soil nutrient recycling, crop rotation, natural predators to control pests)

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what is the Green Revolution (before the New one)?

The Green Revolution 1960-70s - using mechanisation, chemicals and new strains of plants to increase the yield of crops. Caused environmental problems, only benefitted large-scale producers and richer farmers

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what is appropriate technology as a way to increase food supply?

involved choosing ways of increasing food production that are suited to local environments and the needs, skills, knowledge and wealth of the people

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examples of appropriate technologies?

individual wells with easy to maintain, mechanical pumps / drip irrigation systems constructed from local materials / planting a variety of local species that can cope with local environmental conditions, seeds collected and replanted

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what is an example of a large scale agricultural development?

Thanet Earth in Kent, south-east England

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what does Thanet Earth include?

4 greenhouses (size of 10 footfall pitches) - used to grow salad vegetables using hydroponics nearly all year round

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what are the aims of Thanet Earth's development?

to be sustainable. each greenhouse have its own power station to provide heat and lighting, rainwater is collected from roofs. Hot air and CO2 is pumped back into greenhouse

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what are advantages to the Thanet Earth scheme?

> 500 jobs created in an areas of high unemployment / British salad veg grown all year round, reduce reliance on foreign import, better food security, reduced air miles / bees are pollinators, natural predators used, reduced artificial pesticides

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what are disadvantages to the Thanet Earth scheme?

large area of farmland has been built on / natural habitats lost and ecosystems disrupted /money generated goes to large companies not local communities / built on high land and artificially light = visual+light pollution / lots of energy required

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what are the 2 challenges in making sure that food supplies are available?

growing enough food now to feed a rising population / making sure that the environment isn't damaged in the process

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why is industrial agriculture bad for the environment?

has large negative impacts on the environment, relies on chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers = pollute waterways and disrupt ecosystems, permanently remove nutrients from soil / transporting food = release greenhouse gases

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what are different approaches to low impact farming to make food supplies more sustainable?

organic farming, permaculture, urban farming initiatives

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how does organic farming make food supplies more sustainable?

uses natural processes to return nutrients to soil, crop rotation, natural fertilisers, less damaging to environment

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how does permaculture make food supplies more sustainable?

a way of producing food that recreates natural ecosystems to protect soil, insects and wildlife / encouraged to grow own food, change eating habits (fewer animals products, more fruit + veg), buy local, organic, fair trade / low maintenance of food

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how does urban farming initiatives make food supplies more sustainable?

use empty land, roof tops and balconies to grow food and raise animals in towns and cities / food locaaly available, reducing need to transport long distances, fresher + more nutritious + cheaper / adds greenery to cities, healthier, more attractive

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how can we make eating food more sustainable?

fish and meat from sustainable sources / seasonal food consumption / reduced waste and losses

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how does eating fish and meat from sustainable sources make eating food more sustainable?

fish specied at rick from over-fishing. sustainable fishing included catch quotas, labelling to show sustainability / raising cattle from cleared space = lots of methane. eating gress-fed meat is sustainable - natural grassland, give natural manure

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how does seasonal food consumption make eating food more sustainable?

wealthy countries import food all year round = polluted the environment. eating seasonally - eating foods grown locally, reducing food miles and imported food

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how does reduced waste and losses make eating food more sustainable?

1/3 of food produced is lost/wasted. schemes like 'Love Food Hate Waste' encourage people to not waste food (by sharing leftover recipes, plan meals better, compost waste rather than putting in a bin = methane)

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example of a a schemes that produced sustainable food supply

Agroforesty in Mali - dry climate, farming causes desertification, farmers shown to plant staple crops amount trees/nitrogen-fixing plants = plants add nitrogen to soil, so no use of artificial fertilisers. Trees = no soil erosion, more nutrients

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The Challenge of Resource Management

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