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5.2 Terrestrial food production systems and food choices - Coggle Diagram
5.2 Terrestrial food production systems and food choices
Definitions:
LEDC – Less economically developed country
MEDC – More economically developed country
Agribusiness – All business associated with agriculture
Commercial agriculture – large scale production of crops and livestock for sale
Subsistence agriculture – farming for self-sufficiency to grow enough for a family
What is the problem?
Excessive: Overnourishment (obesity)
Lacking: 870 million people (1 in 8) suffer from chronic undernourishment (deficiency of calories and protein) worldwide
Unbalanced: wrong proportion of nutrients
Poverty, harmful economic systems, conflict, and climate change all contribute to the problem
The world produces enough food to feed every person on earth (actually in excess) however it is lack of transportation, access to land, water, and money to distribute this food that creates the shortages
Inequalities
Some MEDCs have import tariffs which make the import of food more expensive.
LEDC food production is often used as a way to generate foreign income from cash crops leading to an emphasis on export, rather than feeding the local populations
¾ of the world is inadequately fed with about 1 billion going hungry.
Too much food is being produced in MEDCs leading to surplus and lowered price of food.
MEDC farms are very technocentric, whereas LEDC farms are very labor intensive (usually from within the family.)
Farming systems:
Subsistence Farming
Production food for family
No surplus
Human and animal labor
Mixed crops
Low inputs of energy
Cash cropping
Commercial Farming
Production for profit
Production for profit
Maximazing yield
High level of technology
Monocultures
High inputs of energy
Extensive- more land with lower planting
Intensive – use land more intensively
Pastoral Farming: Raising animals on grass and land that is not suitable for crops.
Arable Farming: Growing crops on good soil to eat directly or feed to animals
Mixed Farming: Farming animals and crops, where animal waste is used to fertilize the crops, and crops are used to feed animals.
Some cultures prefer to harvest food from higher trophic levels:
Western culture – generally primary consumers
Some eastern cultures – dog (secondary consumer)
Other cultures – seals, other aquatic organisms of higher trophic level
MEDC’s:
Cost of food relatively
Surplus of food stores
Food choice based on preference not nutritional need
Technology and transportation systems allow imports and food produced year round
Average energy intake 3314 calories per day
12.9% from meat
1.4% from fish
37.3% from cereals
LEDC’s:
Struggle to produce enough food for population
Political, economic and environmental limits on food
Food choice determined availability Seasonal
Cash cropping
Average energy intake 2666 calories per day
7.3% from meat
0.9% from fish
56.1% from cereals
What determines food choices
Climate: Irrigation and greenhouse
Cultural and Religious influences: Hindu – no beef, Islam – no pork, Buddhism - vegetarian
Socio-economics: Supply and demand, affordability
Politics: subsidies and tariffs (governments can subsidize or put tariffs on some food to incourage or disencorage their production
Aquatic vs Terrestrial:
Terrestrial is a more efficient use of solar energy (1st/2nd trophic level)
Less solar energy reaches aquatic systems (reflection and absorption by water)
Aquatic often higher trophic level (4+)
Aquatic systems more efficient in terms of passing energy along food chain
More skeletal waste in terrestrial (terrestrial animals need more substantial bones to support themselves on land)
Predictions for future food supplies
Population will increase to 8 billion in 2030
Humans will increase calorie consumption.
Number of hungry people will decrease.
More people will eat more meat.
LECD will have to import cereals.
More land is needed.
Genetically modified crops and improved pest control will increase productivity.
Aquaculture will increase.