G39: Food Resources
Global patterns of calorie intake, factors affecting food supply, strategies to increase supply, and sustainable food futures.
🍽️ Global Patterns of Food Consumption
Key Concept: There are stark global inequalities in food consumption. The average daily calorie intake varies from over 3,700 kcal in the USA to under 2,100 kcal in countries like Burundi and Eritrea. The FAO recommends a minimum of approximately 2,350 kcal per day for a healthy active life.
| Region | Average Daily Calorie Intake | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 3,700+ kcal | Highest intake globally; significant food waste; high meat consumption |
| Europe | 3,400+ kcal | Well above minimum; diverse diet; EU agricultural subsidies |
| East Asia | 3,100+ kcal | Rapid improvement; China's intake doubled since 1960s |
| South Asia | 2,500 kcal | Around minimum; high vegetarian rates; seasonal shortages |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 2,200 kcal | Below minimum in many countries; chronic malnutrition |
| Central Africa | <2,100 kcal | Lowest intake; conflict and drought affect production |
The Dual Burden
While over 800 million people are undernourished, approximately 1.9 billion are overweight or obese. Some LICs and NEEs face a "dual burden" - undernutrition and overnutrition coexist. In South Africa, 27% of children are stunted while 68% of women are overweight or obese.
📉 Factors Affecting Food Supply
Physical Factors
| Factor | How It Affects Supply | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Climate | Drought, flooding, and extreme temperatures damage crops and reduce yields | The 2011 Horn of Africa drought affected 13 million people with crop failures |
| Soil fertility | Infertile soils (sandy, acidic, leached) produce lower yields | Tropical rainforest soils are nutrient-poor once forest is cleared |
| Pests and diseases | Insects, fungi, and diseases destroy crops before harvest | Desert locust swarms in East Africa (2020) destroyed crops feeding 35 million people |
| Climate change | Shifting rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and more extreme weather threaten production | Sahel region experiencing increasingly erratic rainfall and desertification |
Economic and Political Factors
- Poverty: Farmers cannot afford seeds, fertilisers, irrigation equipment, or machinery. They are trapped in subsistence farming
- Conflict: Wars destroy farmland, displace farmers, and disrupt food distribution. In South Sudan, civil war caused famine in 2017
- Lack of infrastructure: Poor roads and storage facilities mean up to 40% of food produced in sub-Saharan Africa is lost post-harvest
- Trade policies: EU and US agricultural subsidies make exported food artificially cheap, undermining local farmers in LICs who cannot compete
- Land grabbing: Foreign investors buying or leasing farmland in LICs (e.g. China leasing land in Ethiopia) reduces food available locally
- Population growth: Rising populations increase demand faster than supply can grow, especially in sub-Saharan Africa
Example: Desert Locust Crisis (2019-2020)
The worst desert locust outbreak in 70 years hit East Africa. Swarms covering hundreds of square kilometres travelled up to 150 km per day, consuming their own weight in food daily. Kenya experienced swarms up to 60 km wide. Over 20 million people faced acute food insecurity as a result. Control efforts required aerial spraying of pesticides, but funding and equipment were insufficient. Climate change (unusually warm Indian Ocean) was linked to the outbreak.
📈 Strategies to Increase Food Supply
1. The Green Revolution
Definition: The Green Revolution (1960s-80s) introduced high-yielding crop varieties (HYVs), chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and irrigation to increase food production, particularly in Asia and Latin America.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Wheat yields in India increased from 0.8 to 3.0 tonnes/hectare | HYVs require expensive inputs (fertilisers, pesticides, irrigation) |
| India became self-sufficient in food by the 1990s | Wealthier farmers benefited most; poorer farmers were left behind |
| Millions saved from famine | Chemical use caused water pollution, soil degradation, and health problems |
| Food prices fell, benefiting consumers | Reduced genetic diversity (monoculture increases vulnerability) |
2. Commercial and Subsistence Farming
Key Contrast: Subsistence farming produces enough food for the farmer's family with little surplus for sale. Commercial farming produces crops or livestock for sale at profit, usually on a large scale with modern inputs.
3. Irrigation
Irrigation artificially waters crops, allowing farming in dry areas and multiple harvests per year. However, over-irrigation can cause salinisation (salt accumulation in soil) and waterlogging, making land unproductive.
4. Biotechnology and GM Crops
Genetically modified (GM) crops can resist pests, tolerate drought, or contain added nutrients. "Golden Rice" is engineered to contain vitamin A, addressing deficiency that blinds 500,000 children annually. However, GM crops face opposition due to concerns about long-term health effects, corporate control of seeds, and environmental risks.
5. Appropriate Technology
Small-scale solutions suited to local conditions: drip irrigation (delivers water directly to plant roots, reducing waste by up to 70%), treadle pumps, improved grain storage (reduces post-harvest losses from 40% to under 5%), and integrated pest management (using natural predators instead of chemicals).
🌱 Sustainable Food Futures
Definition: Sustainable food production means producing enough food for the current population without degrading the environment or compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Strategies for Sustainable Food
| Strategy | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Organic farming | No artificial chemicals; crop rotation; natural pest control | UK organic market worth £3 billion+; lower yields but higher biodiversity |
| Reducing food waste | 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted globally per year (one-third of production) | France banned supermarkets from throwing away unsold food (2016) |
| Eating less meat | Livestock produces 14.5% of global greenhouse gases; meat uses 10x more land than plants per calorie | UK meat consumption fell 17% between 2008 and 2019 |
| Seasonal and local food | Reducing food miles; eating what is in season locally | Farmers' markets, veg box schemes, community allotments |
| Permaculture | Designing agricultural systems that mimic natural ecosystems | Agroforestry (combining trees with crops) in Kenya increases yields and soil health |
| Reducing overfishing | Fish stocks are declining - 34% of stocks overfished globally | EU Common Fisheries Policy sets quotas; MSC certification for sustainable fish |
| Precision farming | Using GPS, drones, and sensors to apply exactly the right amount of water and chemicals | Reduces chemical use by up to 80%; increases yields by 10-15% |
Example: Reducing Food Waste
Globally, one-third of all food produced is wasted. In HICs, most waste occurs at the retail and consumer level (supermarkets rejecting "imperfect" produce; households buying too much). In LICs, most waste occurs during storage and transport due to poor infrastructure. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 aims to halve food waste by 2030. UK initiatives include: "Wonky Veg" ranges (selling imperfect vegetables at lower prices); "Too Good To Go" app (selling restaurant surplus at reduced prices); and WRAP's Food Waste Reduction Roadmap for businesses.
❓ Practice Questions
Q1: Describe the global pattern of calorie intake.
Q2: Explain two physical factors that affect food supply in LICs.
Q3: What was the Green Revolution? Assess its advantages and disadvantages.
Q4: Explain how food waste contributes to food insecurity and describe one strategy to reduce it.
Q5: "Biotechnology is the best solution to global food insecurity." How far do you agree?
Q6: Describe three strategies for sustainable food production and explain their benefits.
✅ Answers
- Global calorie intake is highest in North America (3,700+ kcal/day) and Europe (3,400+ kcal), well above the minimum of 2,350 kcal. Intake is lowest in sub-Saharan Africa and Central Africa (below 2,100 kcal), where many people are chronically undernourished. NEEs like China have seen rapid improvement (intake doubled since the 1960s). There is also a dual burden in some countries where undernutrition and obesity coexist.
- Factor 1: Climate - droughts cause crop failure and water scarcity, particularly in the Sahel and Horn of Africa. The 2011 Horn of Africa drought affected 13 million people. Factor 2: Pests and diseases - the 2019-20 desert locust outbreak in East Africa destroyed crops that would have fed 20+ million people. Both factors are worsened by climate change, which increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
- The Green Revolution (1960s-80s) introduced high-yielding crop varieties, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and irrigation to increase food production, especially in Asia. Advantages: wheat yields in India tripled; India became food self-sufficient; millions were saved from famine; food prices fell. Disadvantages: expensive inputs excluded poor farmers; chemical use caused pollution and health problems; monoculture reduced genetic diversity; and it did not address the root causes of poverty and inequality.
- One-third of food produced globally is wasted, meaning land, water, and energy used to produce it are also wasted. In HICs, waste is mainly at retail/consumer level (supermarkets rejecting imperfect produce; households over-buying). In LICs, waste occurs during storage/transport due to poor infrastructure (up to 40% post-harvest loss in sub-Saharan Africa). Strategy: France banned supermarkets from throwing away unsold food in 2016, requiring them to donate it to charities, reducing waste and redirecting food to those in need.
- Biotechnology offers significant benefits: GM crops can resist pests, tolerate drought, and contain added nutrients (e.g. Golden Rice with vitamin A). This could address specific deficiencies and increase yields in challenging conditions. However, it is not the best solution alone because: GM seeds are expensive and controlled by TNCs; there are concerns about environmental risks and long-term health effects; it does not address the root causes of food insecurity (poverty, conflict, trade inequality); and many LICs lack the regulatory frameworks to manage GM safely. A combination of strategies (appropriate technology, reducing waste, sustainable farming, fairer trade) alongside carefully regulated biotechnology would be most effective.
- Strategy 1: Organic farming avoids artificial chemicals, uses crop rotation and natural pest control, increasing biodiversity and reducing water pollution. Strategy 2: Precision farming uses GPS, drones, and sensors to apply exact amounts of water and chemicals, reducing waste by up to 80% while increasing yields by 10-15%. Strategy 3: Agroforestry combines trees with crops, improving soil health, providing shade, and increasing total yield per hectare while sequestering carbon.
🎯 Exam Tips
- Always use specific data (calorie figures, percentages) when describing global patterns
- For Green Revolution questions, give both sides - it increased production but also created problems
- Use named examples: India for Green Revolution, locusts in East Africa, France for food waste
- Higher mark questions need evaluation - consider whether strategies are truly sustainable
- Remember the difference between food insecurity (lack of reliable access) and famine (extreme shortage)
- Link food security to other topics: climate change, population, development, trade
📝 Exam Technique
Geography Exam Tips — Food Resources:
1. For Food Resources questions, always name specific case studies with factual detail
2. Use geographical terminology precisely (e.g. specific processes, not vague descriptions)
3. Consider social, economic and environmental perspectives in your evaluations
4. Support your points about Food Resources with data, statistics or named examples
5. For 'assess' or 'evaluate' questions, reach a clear judgement supported by evidence
1. For Food Resources questions, always name specific case studies with factual detail
2. Use geographical terminology precisely (e.g. specific processes, not vague descriptions)
3. Consider social, economic and environmental perspectives in your evaluations
4. Support your points about Food Resources with data, statistics or named examples
5. For 'assess' or 'evaluate' questions, reach a clear judgement supported by evidence
⚠️ Common Errors
Watch Out!
Students often write vague answers without specific geographical evidence. Wrong: Writing generalised statements like 'it causes problems' Correct: Using specific data and named examples, e.g. 'the 2010 Haiti earthquake killed over 200,000 people due to poor building quality'
Students often confuse causes and effects. Wrong: Mixing up what caused the event with what resulted from it Correct: Clearly separate causes (why it happened) from effects (what happened as a result)
Students often describe rather than evaluate. Wrong: Listing strategies without assessing their effectiveness Correct: Weighing up strengths and weaknesses of each approach and reaching a supported judgement
✍️ Model Answer
Full-Mark Response
6 marks: Explain the key factors affecting food resources.
Food Resources involves multiple interconnected factors that geographers must understand. The key concepts include the processes that create and change food resources, the impacts on both people and environment, and the strategies used to manage associated challenges. For a comprehensive answer, specific case study evidence should be used throughout, with named examples and data to support each point. Geographical terminology should be used precisely, and the interrelationship between physical and human factors should be demonstrated. Top-level responses evaluate the relative importance of different factors and consider how the situation varies between locations.
Mark scheme: 2 marks for identifying key factors, 2 marks for explaining processes with detail, 2 marks for using specific evidence
📊 AO Deep Dive
Assessment Objective Analysis
AO1 requires knowledge of the key facts and processes related to food resources. AO2 demands understanding of how and why these processes operate, and their implications. AO3 asks you to analyse, evaluate and make judgements — this is where grade 9 answers stand out by weighing up competing perspectives and reaching supported conclusions. AO4 may involve interpreting maps, graphs or data related to this topic. To move from grade 5 to grade 9: use precise geographical terminology, support every point with specific case study evidence, and always evaluate rather than just describe.
📝 Exam Questions by Topic
🎬 Video Resources
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