Crops that are grown are often exported for profit (cash cropping) and not for the local communities. There may also be political agendas as well as simple environmental limitations on food production. In LEDCs, many populations struggle to produce enough food to sustain them. Modern technology and transport systems mean that foreign foods can be bought in almost any market. Seasonal foods have almost disappeared as foods are readily available all year round. In many MEDCs, the cost of food is relatively cheap and people choose food based on preference not nutritional need. Many are also suffering from malnutrition (enough energy but not enough essential nutrients). Chronic under-nourishment, during childhood leads to permanent damage: stunted growth, mental retardation, and social and developmental disorders. There are 16 million people undernourished in developed countries. Almost all the hungry people, 852 million, live in developing countries, representing 15 percent of the population of developing counties. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that nearly 870 million people of the 7.1 billion people in the world, or one in eight, were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2010-2012. Intensive commercial (crop, animal) large scale for profit.Organic farming – prohibits GMOs and chemical pesticides.Intensive subsistence farming provide food for own use and some for sale profit.Subsistence farms (shifting, nomadic) provide food for own use.pastoral farms focus on rearing animals.arable farms will focus on crops such as corn.Cultural and environmental value systemsįarms can specialize in particular types of products.Available financial funds to purchase land, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, equipment and labor.Access to vehicles and technology, such as tractors and animal feeding systems.weather (precipitation, sunlight, temperature), topography and soil conditions The type of farming chosen and levels of food production will dependent on:
Increased agriculture has led to the loss of biodiversity as native habitats have been cleared. Soils are becoming degraded through intensive farming. Arable land is becoming limited due to increasing human settlements and urbanization. Increases in global populations and changes in diet have put pressure on terrestrial food production systems. The post-war ‘second agricultural revolution’ in developed countries, and the ‘green revolution’ in developing nations in the mid-1960s transformed agricultural practices and raised crop yields dramatically, but the effect is levelling off and will not meet projected demandĪt the same time, many other factors are having severe impacts on food production: water stress and desertification is reducing the amount of arable land many pests are becoming resistant to insecticides, but many of the most effective chemical agents are now banned under environmental regulations underdeveloped infrastructure means that losses increase further during transport and storage consumption patterns are changing and developing nations such as India and China have an increased appetite for meat, and climate change is bringing new microbial diseases to food-growing regions along with more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns. There are many factors that affect food production. What are the issues relating to sustainable terrestrial food production? Is sustainable agriculture possible?.How do EVSs influence the choice of farming systems?.How can the choice of farming systems prevent environmental impacts, or limit the extent of environmental impacts?.What are the limitations of such diagrams?.How can systems diagrams be used to show the impact of farming methods on natural systems?.How are the issues addressed in this topic relevant to sustainability or sustainable development?.What value systems are at play in the causes and approaches to resolving the issues addressed in this topic?.limiting the extent of the environmental impacts, or restoring systems in which environmental impacts have already occurred? To what extent have the solutions emerging from this topic been directed at preventing environmental impacts.Which strengths and weaknesses of the systems approach and of the use of models have been revealed through this topic?.