OCR Cambridge Technical in

ScienceLevel 2

UNIT 7:FOOD PRODUCTION

What’s so important about food production?

Learning about how food is produced is important.

With the world’s

population rising and land being stretched

to breaking point,

…it is more important than ever to think about how we feed ourselves.

Farming methodsSome have been around since farming began,

some are modern, innovative ways to maximise profit and yield.

Different farmers use different methods to produce food.

rare breedsorganichydroponicintensive

Harnessing the SunPlants grow by using the

Sun’s energy to make food from water and

carbon dioxide.

This knowledge of how plants grow enables commercial food growers to manipulate the

growing conditions of plants to maximise growth.

This process is called

photosynthesis.

Manipulating growing conditions is an

application of science within food production

and re-capping photosynthesis will

enable you to understand how this

works.

Harnessing the Sun

How do plants grow?Limiting factors are something that, if missing or

inadequate can prevent or stall a plant’s growth.

Limiting factors are:

Light

Carbon dioxide

Temperature

What affects food production?

The use of commercial fertilisers ensures there is enough food, without them people would starve.

What affects food production?

Pesticides prevent crops being lost to insects or diseases.

Both have an environmental cost, but not to use them has a human cost.

Can the two balance?

What affects food production?

From field to supermarket shelf

Once your food has been harvested, how is it prepared for sale?

How does it stay edible in the time it takes to get to your plate?

You will need to look at how food spoils and how this can be prevented using both traditional and

innovative methods of food preservation.

Not all food is grown locally. To ensure a year round supply of our favourite foods they are imported

from other countries.

Is your food better travelled than you?

You will find out the consequences of this

transportation and what it means for

consumers, farmers and the

environment.

Is your food better travelled than you?

Can you give up strawberries for ten months of the year?

How about tomatoes?

Are there ways to make all crops viable in all countries?

Not all food is grown locally. To ensure a year round supply of our favourite foods they are imported

from other countries.

The role of science in food production

Science is no stranger to food production, having been used since agriculture began.

Are GM crops the future?

In recent years scientific research into food has been much more urgent with the increasing world

population to feed. How far can selective

breeding go?

What role can microorganism

s play in feeding the

world?

What will you learn?

How and why different practices

are used in commercial

farming.

About the role of innovative science in

addressing food production.

How food gets from the field to the supermarket.

The key factors that affect crop

production.

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OCR acknowledges the use of the following content: Slide 4 Combine harvester: Makaule/Shutterstock.com Slide 5 Cow: TonyV3112/Shutterstock.com, Hydroponics: Defpicture/Shutterstock.com, Organic farming: Yuris/Shutterstock.com, Intensive farming: federicofoto/Shutterstock.com Slides 6 and 7 Seedling: Triff/Shutterstock.com Slide 8 Four seedlings: Teerasak/Shutterstock.com Slides 9 and 11 Fertiliser: Kletr/Shutterstock.com Slides 10 and 11 Pesticide: Ra3rn/Shutterstock.com Slide 12 Mouldy bread: Marilyn Barbone/Shutterstock.com, Jars: Tomas Jasinskis/Shutterstock.com Slide 13 Apples: Alaettin Yildirim/Shutterstock.com Slide 14 Strawberries: Ninell/Shutterstock.com Slide 15 Pig: Panbazil/Shutterstock.com Slide 16 Man with seedling: CoraMax/Shutterstock.com

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