© Boardworks Ltd 2009 1 of 38 Food and Water Supply Energy and Resources

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Contents

Contents

Teacher’s notes included in the Notes Page

Flash activity (these activities are not editable) Web addresses Printable activity

Extension activity

Icons:

Agriculture

Food supply and demand

Sustainable agriculture

Managing water supply


Key questions: Agriculture

Agriculture

What different types of agriculture are there?

What are intensive and extensive farming?

Which agricultural systems are used in the UK and around the world?

By the end of this chapter you should have considered these key themes and questions:


Agriculture types


Intensive and extensive farming


Farming types in the UK

There are several different types of farming employed in the UK and they are located in certain areas for various reasons. The types include:

horticulture and market gardening: intensive commercial production of flowers, fruit and vegetables; this needs good soils.

livestock farming: this takes place in areas less favourable for crops due to climate, geography and soils

mixed farming: this reduces the reliance on one product but requires good land

arable farming: this happens on flatter, more extensive land with better soils


Global farming types

On a global scale, there are more types of farming, combining different types of provision and resources. These include:

In which parts of the world do you think each type of farming takes place?

intensive subsistence

nomadic hunting

extensive subsistence

nomadic herding.

commercial pastoral

intensive commercialcommercial grain

commercial plantationMediterranean agricultureirrigation


Key questions: Food supply and demand

Food supply and demand

What are the patterns of global food supply and demand?

What measures can be employed to increase global food supply and what are their advantages and disadvantages?

What is the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and how does it operate?



Global food supply and demand


Increasing food supply

Since the 1950s much of the increase in agricultural yields has been the result of intensification through fertilizer and pesticide use. However, their use has declined due to concerns over the implications and drawbacks of their use.

World food supply could be increased through various different measures, including:

integrated pest management (IPM)the Green Revolution

land colonization.

genetic modification (GM)land reform

use of fertilizers and pesticides

What are the drawbacks of fertilizers and pesticides?


Integrated pest management

Integrated pest management (IPM) refers to a pest-control strategy involving natural predators and parasites, pest-resistant varieties, cultural practices and biological controls.

Pheromone traps for insects were used in the 1990s in Pennsylvania, USA in order to decrease the pest problem on crops, especially maize. It resulted in a 50% reduction in pesticide application, saving over $20 million (US) per year.

natural predators

insect growth regulators

pheromones to disrupt mating.

trapping devicesFor example:


The Green Revolution

The Green Revolution refers to the development of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of crops, and the accompanying modernization of farming technologies. The crops have a higher growth rate, more usable parts or an increased resistance to disease.

In India, an HYV seed programme began in 1966. New hybrid varieties of wheat, rice, maize, sorghum and millet were introduced. By the end of the decade India was self-sufficient in wheat and rice crops.


Pros and cons of the Green Revolution


What types of genetic modification of crops are there?

GM crops

The genetic modification (GM) of crops involves taking genetic information (in the form of DNA) from one species and adding it to the genetic code of another. The new crop then takes on the desired characteristics of the donor plant.

adding the genes of resistant species to those of non-resistant species, e.g. to make them resistant to a pest or to a herbicide treatmentadding drought-resistant genes to another species to make them tolerant of drier conditions, e.g. rice.


The GM debate


Land strategies


The Common Agricultural Policy

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a strategy for managing food production in Europe. It was set up in 1960 by the European Economic Community (EEC), a predecessor of the European Union (EU). At the time, the six members were net importers of staple food products.

What are the aims of the CAP?

stabilize markets and decrease dependence on imports

ensure fair prices for farmers

ensure fair prices for consumers.

maintain agricultural employment

increase agricultural productivity


Operating the CAP


CAP issues


Key questions: Sustainable agricultureSustainable agriculture

What causes unsustainable agriculture and what can be done to combat it?

What Environmental Stewardship schemes exist?

How can food security be achieved in developing countries?



Can you explain how each of these causes, or contributes to, unsustainable agriculture?

Towards sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture requires the production of food indefinitely without damage to the environment. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has identified five causes of unsustainable agriculture.

rural inequalities

unsuitable technologies

trade relations.

resource imbalance

policy failure

These causes are:


Sustainable strategies


CAP changes for sustainability

In 1992, 1999 and 2005 radical CAP reforms introduced new regulations to address some of the issues with overproduction and environmental impacts. Crop-specific subsidies have been withdrawn and the emphasis has shifted to Environmental Stewardship and consumers rather than production.

Environmental Stewardship pays £30 per hectare each year to carry out stewardship schemes. There are over 50 options to choose from.

Set-aside was a scheme introduced in 1988 to pay farmers to reduce the cultivated area and set areas aside for nature reserves or leave them fallow.


Environmental Stewardship


Towards food security

In developing countries efforts are being made to bring food security to the population. This is being done through a sustainable livelihoods approach to raise people from poverty.

adopting a range of sustainable farming practices

better healthcare provision.access to credit at a fair price

prioritizing domestic food production

more agricultural education, especially for women

better rural infrastructureeffective storage to reduce loss of harvestsoff-farm employment opportunities to increase income

Measures employed include:


Key questions: Managing water

supplyManaging water supply

How are agriculture and water linked?

What is salinization and what impacts does it have?

What is desalination and what impacts does it have?

How can water supply be managed to overcome shortages, demand, conflict and environmental concerns?



Water and agriculture


Poor irrigation practices add water too fast for drainage to keep pace, so the ground becomes waterlogged. As the water evaporates, salts are drawn up into the topsoil, making it inhospitable to most plants. Land degradation occurs.

Salinization

Salinization is the deposition of excess salts on the ground surface. It occurs in arid and semi-arid areas where potential evapotranspiration is greater than precipitation and the water table is high. Evaporation draws salts up through the soil to the surface by capillary action.


The $69 million Khushab project was completed between 1989–1994. Under-field drainage pipes, surface water drains and irrigation channel lining were installed to tackle waterlogging and salinization.

Salinization in Pakistan

Over-irrigation caused severe waterlogging and salinization of soil in the semi-arid region of northern Pakistan during the 1980s. It resulted in reductions in yields, land abandonment, unemployment and acute poverty for 800,000 farming families.

At the same time, local farmers were educated about sustainable water management practices.


Desalination

Extensive desalination projects in the Middle East aim to increase water security in the region. The world's largest desalination plant is the Jebel Ali plant in the UAE.

Desalination is the removal of salt from water to create freshwater. It is simple but expensive and energy-intensive so it is generally used by energy-rich and water-poor countries.

Australia is planning to build a $3.1 billion (AUS) desalination plant at Wonthaggi, on the Bass Coast of Victoria, for completion in 2011 in order to help tackle the country’s water supply problems.


Desalination pros and cons


Water shortage in Australia


Rural–urban conflict in Australia


Managing Australia’s water supply

The water shortage in Australia is being tackled through various methods, including:

$10 billion (AUS) water management plan: modernization of irrigation, sustainable management of resources

$2 billion (AUS) government water fund for three projects: Water Smart Australia, raising national water standards, community water grants

urban water management.

adoption of new technologies and practices

improving farming techniques: drought-tolerant crops, sustainable methods, use of GPS for planting crops


The Colorado River

The entire annual flow of the Colorado River in the USA is diverted and used by seven states in its drainage basin. About 90% of this is for agricultural irrigation in this arid part of south-west America, making it the most dammed river in the USA.

What problems has this caused?

Demand: massively increased demand due to population growthConflict: tensions between the upper and lower states and different parties over allocationsEnvironment: 90% of the delta has dried out; habitats have been lost; there are concerns over dam impacts.


Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell


Summary quiz


Glossary

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© Boardworks Ltd 2009 1 of 38 Food and Water Supply Energy and Resources