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Geography of Food - Coggle Diagram

- - - - extreme poverty has significantly declined since 1990, when 2b people (>37% of global population) were extremely poor
      - poverty still affects >700m worldwide, there are more extremely poor people than before in Sub-Saharan Africa
      - the livelihoods of 2.5b worldwide depend on agriculture, but 3/4 of the world's poor are farmers
        
        small-scale farmers, herders, fishers & forest-dependent communities generate more than half of global agricultural production
        
        at risk from disasters that destroy or damage harvests, equipment, supplies, livestock, seeds, crops & stored food
      - family farms are the backbone of agriculture in low-& middle-income countries, almost 75% of these farms are smaller than 1ha, & the amount of food that can be produced is limited
      - poverty amongst farmers mean they're unable to afford the technology that would increase their yields - high-yielding seeds, chemical fertilisers, modern irrigation systems
      - global inequality is narrowing, within-country inequality rising in fast-growing developing & high-income countries
    - - Global Report on Food Crises - conflict remained primary driver in 20 countries/territories, with 139.8m facing high levels of food insecurity
      - Conflict-driven famine confirmed in the Gaza Strip & parts of Sudan, Risk of Famine identified in areas of South Sudan
      - cause food insecurity especially in less developed regions
      - cause at-risk communities to lose access to the resources necessary for food & agriculture production
      - people displaced from lands, homes, fishing grounds & grazing areas
      - denials of access & destruction of food stocks as tactics of war
      - planting
        
        normal food cycle
        
        spring - staple crops planted
        
        summer - rainy season, crops grow
        
        autumn - staple crops harvested
        
        winter - crops consumed, stored; seeds prepared
        
        1 more item...
        
        during war
        
        spring - violence prevents planting
        
        summer - no crops growing, stores depleted
        
        autumn - no crops harvested; fighting closes markets
        
        winter - food runs out, no seeds prepared
        
        1 more item...
      - approx. 70k died each year between 2007-2012 as a direct result of terrorism, but 250k people in Somalia died as a result of famine caused by direct result & conflict, from Oct 2010-Apr 2012
    - - higher temperatures
        
        impairs crops' physiological functions (photosynthesis & pollination); physical damage like leaf scorch & fruit sunburn
        
        cause significant heat stress in livestock that can lower productivity (eggs/milk), decreased fertility & increased mortality
        
        some pests thrive in warmer climates - crops may be destroyed by pest outbreaks
      - extreme rainfall - droughts/floods
        
        floods can wipe out crops by suffocating plant roots due to lack of oxygen
        
        within 24h of flooding, oxygen levels in soil can drop to 0 - stop essential respiration, water uptake & nutrient absorption
        
        water stress during droughts can decrease crop yield by disrupting photosynthesis, limiting nutrient uptake & causing stomatal closure to conserve moisture
        
        reduced cell expansion, stunting, severe reproductive failure (fewer grains & fruits) & wilting
      - higher frequency & intensity of climatic disasters like cyclones destroy crops, animals & farms & displaces people
      - increased atmospheric CO2 level stimulates biomass production in many weeds - aggressive & harder to control
        
        gives weeds competitive edge over crops, reducing herbicide efficacy & complicating agricultural management
- - - - conflict, civil insecurity, political instability
      - population displacement (internal displacement + refuge & asylum seekers)
  - - - studies show food aid more affected by domestic supply in donor countries than global demand for aid
      - when harvests amounts are high in the country, donor countries protect their farmers & agribusinesses by purchasing the excess stocks to stabilise prices - then donated as food aid
      - amount of food aid donated depends on donor countries, rather than needs of recipient countries
      - US sometimes uses food aid to dump agricultural surpluses & create new markets for its exports - potential to damage livelihoods of poor farmers in recipient country
        
        flooding of crops, decreases crop prices
    - - providing food aid (other than project) doesn't help generate long-term agricultural development
      - experts say long-term solution to food insecurity in Africa would require improving farming techniques to enable these poor countries to achieve self-sufficiency
    - - limited types of food can be sent as food aid - more likely grains & cereals, not perishables like fruit, veg & meats
      - can solve hunger issues but not malnutrition issues
    - - rival factions may compete for food aid, which they use to barter for weapons or to feed their soldiers
      - once armed groups have monopolised aid resources, the rest of the population may be forced to join the conflict simply to get enough food to survive
- - - - dominant variety of wheat grown today (99%)
  - - - debt burden & other challenges faced by farmers led to high rate of farmer suicide in some areas
  - - - use of mineral fertilisers introduced vast amounts of reactive nitrogen & phosphorus into the environment
      - exposure to nitrogen compounds (e.g. nitrates in drinking water) can cause blue-baby syndrome, reproductive problems & some forms of cancer
    - - new hybrid wheat seeds of the 60s used 3x more water than traditional ones
      - in Green Revolution years of 1960s-70s, well-water irrigation in the Punjab region increased by 80%
        
        Punjab's water table was estimated to be retreating by 2 metres annually in over 2/3 of the state
    - - southwest Punjab's lowland areas, where water table is relatively shallow - intensive canal irrigation has waterlogged significant stretches of cultivated land
        
        as of 1998, >430k acres of farmland in the state were waterlogged, leading to salinsation of the soil
- - - - more vulnerable when food prices increase, may need to consume less food on top of consuming more expensive ones
  - - - total calorie intake may not be low due to carbohydrates, but diet doesn't have enough nutrients to ensure health & well-being
    - - diet may consist of lots of processed food which are high in sodium, fats & sugar, with much smaller amounts of fruits, vegetables & meat
        
        more food consumed doesn't necessarily mean better health & well-being - overconsumption can cause obesity, which can lead to a multitude of chronic illnesses
- - - - amount of income left to an individual after taxes have been paid, positively correlated with spending power
      - higher disposable income - consume more food & more expensive/higher-quality ones
        
        for every US$1 increase in income in DCs, only 20% is spent on food, while in LDCs, up to 60% may be spent
        
        in DCs, people are likely to have already spent adequate amount of money getting sufficient food - may not want to spend on even more food, only so much they can eat
        
        may focus on improving food quality & variety
        
        people in LDCs may not have been able to purchase sufficient food - more likely to spend money on necessities like food when income increases
    - - rise in food prices tends to affect LDCs more than DCs as people in LDCs generally have lower disposable income
      - people in LDCs not affected as much in terms of quantity, choose less expensive options
      - people in LDCs spend a larger part of their income on food; affected in terms of quality & variety, less disposable income spent on non-staple foods
  - - - govts can influence the stability of food supply in their countries by increasing food imports & production
      - since both measures require finances &/or technology, DCs are in a better position to maintain food supply stability than LDCs
      - stability of food supply may be negatively affected by wars
    - - govts play an active role in ensuring food safety in their countries, e.g. by setting food safety standards & ensuring standards are met
      - ensure food safety by tracking down contaminated foods that cause outbreaks of foodborne diseases & removing them from shelves
  - - - Islam - consumption of halal foods, which may include meat from an animal that has been killed in a way that's approved by Islamic law
      - buddhism & hinduism - vegetarian diet/very little consumption of meat, don't believe in harming animals
        
        countries in S. Asia & SEA consume the least meat per capita than any part of the world; 79.8% of India are Hindu
      - Judaism - consumption of kosher foods, which are foods that conform to regulations stated in Jewish law
    - - health issues - increased consumption of fast food due to globalisation, but growing awareness of it's ill impacts on health have caused some to avoid it
        
        some may choose to eat organic food to avoid harmful chemicals & pesticides
      - moral beliefs - avoid meat consumption as they don't believe in killing animals for food
      - environmental impact - reduce meat consumption to reduce deforestation for cattle ranching