Food Production Flashcards
All 23 cards in this deck
What is food security?
Having enough food to feed a population.
Name three biological factors that threaten food security.
Increasing birth rate; changing diets in developed countries; new pests and pathogens. (Also environmental change, cost of agricultural inputs and conflict.)
Why does an increasing birth rate threaten food security?
More people must be fed, so demand for food rises faster than the food supply.
How do changing diets in developed countries threaten food security?
Scarce food resources are transported around the world to meet those diets, so less is left for local people.
True or false? New pests and pathogens are not a threat to food security because they only affect wild plants.
False. New pests and pathogens also affect farming, damaging crops and farm animals so less food is produced.
In a country, population is rising faster than food production. What happens to the amount of food available per person, and to food security?
Food per person falls, so food security decreases.
How can the efficiency of food production from farm animals be improved?
By restricting energy transfer from the animals to the environment — limiting their movement and controlling the temperature of their surroundings.
Why does limiting a farm animal's movement make food production more efficient?
Less energy is transferred (lost) in movement, so more is available for growth.
Why is rearing animals in a heated barn more energy-efficient than rearing them outdoors?
Less energy is lost as heat / less energy is used maintaining body temperature, so more is used for growth.
Why are some farm animals fed high protein food?
To increase their growth rate — the protein supplies amino acids used to build new body protein (biomass).
Give two disadvantages of rearing farm animals indoors in crowded conditions.
Disease spreads more easily (so more antibiotics/drugs are used); extra cost of heating, lighting and feed.
True or false? Animal welfare is one of the ethical objections to intensive indoor farming.
True. Animals have their movement restricted and cannot behave naturally.
Why are fish stocks in the oceans declining?
Fish are being caught faster than they can breed (overfishing), because the growing human population demands more fish.
Why is it important to maintain fish stocks at a certain level?
So that breeding continues — otherwise certain species may disappear altogether from some areas.
Name two methods used to conserve fish stocks at a sustainable level.
Control of net size and the introduction of fishing quotas.
Why do fishing quotas help return fish stocks to a sustainable level?
Fewer fish are caught, so the remaining fish survive and reproduce.
How does using nets with a larger mesh size conserve fish stocks?
Young (small) fish escape through the mesh and survive to reproduce.
True or false? A fishing quota means fishing for that species is banned completely.
False. A quota limits the number (or mass) of fish that may be caught, so enough remain to reproduce.
Which microorganism is used to produce mycoprotein?
The fungus Fusarium.
What conditions is Fusarium grown in when producing mycoprotein?
On glucose syrup, in aerobic conditions.
True or false? Mycoprotein is a protein-rich food suitable for vegetarians.
True. It is made from a fungus, not from an animal.
How is human insulin produced using biotechnology?
A genetically modified bacterium makes human insulin, which is harvested and purified to treat people with diabetes.
What is the advantage of golden rice compared with non-GM rice?
Golden rice has improved nutritional value.