Q&A on Geography of Food

Definitions
Q1. Explain the term ‘food security’.
Food security refers to the ability with which a country can obtain enough food (quality & quantity) to meet
the needs of its population

Q2: Define the term ‘malnutrition’.

Malnutrition occurs when a person is not getting enough of all the nutrients needed for his/her growth/
when a person consumes an imbalanced amount of nutrition over time.

Q3: Explain the terms “starvation” and “malnutrition” and describe the concerns associated
with these problems. [4]
• Starvation:
- Define: starvation is a condition where a person suffers greatly due to a lack of food.
- Effects: starvation leads to a body’s muscle tissues being burnt for energy.As a result, the
bodies become skeletally thin.
• Malnutrition:
- Define: Malnutrition occurs when a person consumes an imbalanced amount of nutrition over
time.
- Effects: Malnutrition can severely weaken a person’s body, making it less resistant to common
illnesses and diseases; unable to work productively  slows down the economy and lowers
the development of the country

Some questions for you to try 

Q1: Define the term “undernourished” and state how this is different from the term
“malnourished”. [2]
Q2: a) Explain what is meant by “famine” [2]
b) With reference to examples you have studied, explain why some countries have
famines. [4]
c) Describe how the problems caused by famine can be resolved. [4]

Reasons for variations in Food Consumption

Q1: Suggest reasons for the differences in food consumption between more developed and
less developed countries. [5]
• Economic power: DCs have more purchasing power than LDCs, that is why people in DCs have
more money to spend on goods and services. So they can afford more food as well as more expensive
types of meat, fruit and vegetables.
• Food security: DCs generally enjoy more food security than LDCs as they have the means to
transport food where it is needed, together with the ability to pay for food. Eg. a drought in Australia
does not affect US as much as it affects Ethiopia as they could import food from elsewhere.
• Natural events: Droughts and floods may affect both food production and consumption in a region, eg.
below-average increases in meat and milk consumption in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa are partly
the result of long periods of drought, especially in the 1970s. Widespread flooding ruined ¼ of all the
nation’s crops, 1/3 of its cattle, as well as much infrastructure in Mozambique in 2000.
• Socio-political factors: Rural-urban migration has caused labour shortages and reduce productivity
in rural areas, eg. South Africa
• Political Factor: Financing and building infrastructure like dams for irrigation; Providing low cost loans,
grants and tax advantages as aid to farmers; Subsidising food production by paying farmers to
produce certain crop or by paying for storage or marketing to reduce farmers’ burden

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 Q2: Suggest reasons for the variations in food consumption between developed countries
and less developed countries. [5]
• Affordability depend on the income earned. In DCs, many people tend to have jobs and higher
income, so they have greater purchasing power to buy food. As more LDCs are developing, their
purchasing power have also increased, thus allowing people in LDCs to buy more food, especially
increase in consumption of non-staple food, increasing calorie intake. Thus can meet nutritional needs
• Accessibility to food supply refers to the availability of transport facilities. In LDCs, there may
not be available transport networks and easy availability of food outlets. Accessibility of food is affected
as food distribution is affected and the fewer shops sell only limited variety and quantity of food. These
will limit the calorie intake of these people. Stability of food supply can be disrupted by human and
natural factors. In DCs’ government more able to divert resources to import variety of food for its
people, invest in agricultural technology such as better seeds and mechanization, irrigation, chemical
aids hence calorie intake remains high and increases as wealth improves.
• Use of agricultural technology: In LDCs because they lack the technology, farming is largely
subsistence in nature and the use of machinery very limited as such crop yields are limited, thus
accounting for the lower calorie intake. On the other hand in DCs farming is commercialized and there
is extensive use of farm machines to exploit the fertility of the soil. Coupled with irrigation, new
agricultural methods, crop yields are huge in comparison so it provides for a larger range of food
provided and a higher calorie intake

Q3: Explain why ‘natural factors’ and ‘political unrest’ are partly the cause of food insecurity
in LDCs. [5]
• Natural factors include
o Physical limitations of the land
- insufficient rainfall  land is less productive/crops cannot grow throughout the year  less
food is produced/available  food insecurity.
- poor soil [due to soil erosion /leaching /salinisation etc]  land is less productive/crops
cannot grow throughout the year  less food is produced/available  food insecurity.
- natural disasters e.g. drought/ floods/earthquakes/hurricanes/locusts  crop destroyed
e.g. 2007 drought in Australia  less food is produced/available  food insecurity.
o Diseases e.g. bird flu [2004]  20m poultry destroyed; mad cow disease [2002]  4m cow
slaughtered  less food is available  food insecurity.
• Political unrest include
o Wars e.g. civil wars
- farmers forced to leave their land e.g. 1.2.m farmers in Sudan [2004]  less food is
produced/available  food insecurity
- agricultural infrastructure is damaged  less food is produced e.g. In Congo 3.9m died of
starvation/malnutrition [from 1998 to 2003]

Q4: Explain the reasons why some people in developing countries have barely enough food
for basic survival. [6]
• People in LDC generally earn less and have low purchasing power, thus many find it difficult to buy
enough food to meet basic needs.Many work in low income jobs e.g. primary industries like farming
and mining because of their low skills as a result of low education.
• Large number of rural people too poor to own land to produce food, pay a large part of harvest to
landlord they lease land from. Thus they do not have enough food.
• Shortage of food supply due to natural factors like droughts, floods, earthquakes or hurricanes can
wipe out an entire harvest. May be due to spread of diseases like bird flu when millions of poultry were
destroyed in 2003 and 2004.
• Food shortage can be caused by wars and conflicts eg Congo 1998-2003, Sudan 2004. People
starved to death cos not able to get food or tend their fields.

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 • Lack of access to food through poor food distribution due to absence of transport facilities
especially in rural areas where mountains, landslides or heavy rains make certain areas
inaccessible.
• Few shops selling food in the rural areas of LDC also a reason. Globalisation and access to
different types of food around the world only found in urban areas, rural areas remain not affected.
• Trade barriers or govt policies or regulations that limit trade between countries and access to food
result in shortage of food supply eg 1991 Iraq war, UN ban countries from trading with Iraq.
Q5: Explain how land tenure and land fragmentation affect food production in the Less
Developed Countries. [6]
• Tenure
- many farmers in LDCs do not own land, they rent their farm land from landlords
- farmers who rent the land from somebody would not make investments on the land
- hence production remains low on these farms
• Land Fragmentation
- practice of land fragmentation results in small size of farm land
- farmer has little incentive to make investments on the land as it is uneconomical to invest on the land
as small land area does not allow for economies of scale to be reaped
- hence production remains low on these farms

Questions to try 
Q1: a) Explain how the system of land tenure and land fragmentation can result in smaller
harvests. [5]
b) suggest what governments can do to solve the problems that may arise as a result of
land tenure and land fragmentation. [3]

Impact of Food Shortage

Q1: Explain how a low level of nutrition may hinder the development of a country. [5]
 Undernourished people become ill easily/are too weak to work well, resulting in low work capacity &
unproductive & hence add little wealth  hinder economic development
 Undernourished people tend to have short life expectancy, not contribute much to country’s dev
 Poor health causes higher spending on health services at expense of expenditure on economic
investment
 Undernourishment in LDCs could be due to dependence on planting & eating mainly staples such as
maize/corn, instead of eating nutritious & high-value food like meat, fish, fruits & vegetables.
Dependence on primary industry generates lower income than developing secondary & tertiary
industries which are more profitable. Lower returns/incomes would mean lower purchasing power &
lower affordability to invest in economic projects that have higher returns

Q2: Elaborate how ‘childhood malnutrition’ can ‘threaten’ Africa’s economic development. [3]
Malnutrition can lead to:
- infant mortality  less labour in future  hinder economic development
- poor health of future labour force low productivity  hinder economic development
- poor health  government has to spend a lot of money on providing health services  less
funds for building of infrastructure & education  less development
- poor mental development unskilled labour force  hinder economic development e.g.
country is less attractive to TNCs

Factors leading to Food Shortages

Q1: Explain how three of the following factors lead to problems of food shortages in LDCs:
- purchasing power
- food security
- globalisation
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 - food distribution [9]
Purchasing Power
- Purchasing power means the amount of money he or she has to buy items, e.g. food.
- People in LDCs have lesser income as they cannot find a stable jobs to provide a stable income.
- Result: = lesser money to buy food = food shortage
Food Security
- Food security (means people can get enough in quantity rather quality food and variety at all times)
- Not all countries produce have food security, e.g. even though mainly primary industries, but most
food are exported / sometimes bad climatic conditions reduce their produce/ people living in the cities
do not have their own food supply e.g.
- Spread of diseases among animals or even crops are some ways where world food supply is being
affected, e.g. bird flu and mad cow disease or a natural death = food shortage for LDCs
- Human Factors like war and conflicts can disrupt the stability of food supply, e.g. crops destroyed
due to farmers abandoning their fields during war/ destroyed fields when bombs occur = food shortage
for LDCs
- No money for food piling by government in the country
Globalisation
- More food available to different countries due an increase in exchange of ideas and activities like
trade due to transport and communications advancements,
- however, more food is usually located at the urban areas and not most parts of the LDCs due to
the limited transport networks link = food shortage is still a problem
- trading can increase food supply, but often trade barriers and a lot of bureaucratic practices by
governments reduce trading in LDCs = food shortage is still a problem
- more food exported for sale = nothing left for themselves/ low profits
Food Distribution
- Food distribution refers to the amount of movement of food from one place to another / agricultural
products of their own moved out of their country due to transport networks
- Lack of transport networks can hinder food distribution, especially in rural areas of big countries
like the continent of Africa (LDCs)
- natural barriers like mountainous areas and calamities can obstruct food distribution to LDCs which
are largely undeveloped + too expensive

Ways to improve problem of hunger and poverty

Q1: Some less developed countries (LDCs) experience lack of food, starvation and poverty.
Describe some solutions to improve the problem of hunger and poverty in LDCs.
Solutions
• laws passed in countries affected to have locally processed foods fortified with iron and vitamin A
• intensive publicity campaigns to educate the public on the need for measures to improve nutrients
of their local processed foods
• modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fishery practices
• help farmers improve their cultivation methods in order to increase the productivity of their farms
e.g. use of modern farming technology and scientific research to develop new high-yield seedlings,
improvements in irrigation and an increased use of chemicals fertilizers, e.g. India, Indonesia and
Philippines during the ‘Green Revolution
• setting up agricultural training colleges for new farmers, forming advisory groups to deal with
problems such as soil erosion
• financing and building infrastructure such as dams for irrigation, draining of wetlands to create new
farmland and constructing roads and ports to transport surplus produce to the markets for sale, e.g.
Ethiopia
• provide or improve the basic infrastructure essential for industrial development such as reliable
water and power supplies, efficient transportation and communication networks and good port
facilities, e.g. South Korea
• overcome problems caused by rapid population growth by reducing population growth through
family planning or educating couples on the benefits of having fewer children, forced sterilizations
performed on women, financial incentives given to those who voluntarily undergo abortions, e.g. India

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 • implement social strategies like improving availability of clean water, sanitation, housing standard,
access of healthcare services and educational opportunities, e.g. Singapore and South Korea

Q2: Using examples you have studied, evaluate the effectiveness of strategies used by LDCs
to alleviate food shortage. [8]
World Food Programme (WFP)
• Aid from international organizations such as the UN WFP implemented the ‘food-for-work’ project
e.g. in Somalia where peasants are made to work .e.g. to build farming facilities such as roads and
irrigation channels and payment is done in the form of food. WFP also provides malnourished
Cambodian children with nutritious breakfast of rive, fish and vegetables.
- In this way, people who were initially starving, now receive food, improve farming, learn skills and
have a livelihood.
- This strategy is effective if governments assist to ensure that the aid reaches the people who need
help as accessibility could be a problem to reach these people in need. Donor countries must also
not attach strings to these strategies to the countries.
- This helps to stall for time as governments can look for other ways to increase food production
while their people are nourished.
• However, the strategy is not so effective because it causes dependency on other countries.
- Also, other countries may not be able to sustain this provision in the long term as they also have
their own food issues.

Food Subsidies
• Food subsidies are given by the government to help the poor obtain sufficient food in the form of
money, free food [rations] or food sold at lower cost. For example, the UK government provides free
school lunches to children of low income families.
• However, food subsidies are only a short term solution as they create a heavy burden on
governments as a large amount of money has to be spent. This is esp so in LDCs where there are
many poor people.
• In addition, food subsidies cause the poor to rely on the govt for help and not enable them to break
out of the poverty cycle.
• Governments of LDCs must play an active role to alleviate the problem of malnutrition and child
mortality by putting in place education or low-income loans to help the poor break out of the poverty
cycle. The money could be used to provide free education thus the poor can learn skills and gain
employment or or give low income loans to the poor so that they can start their own business with the
loans. These are long term solutions.

Stockpiling
• To ensure a stable supply of food, govts may practice stockpiling. This involves
setting aside and storing food, to ensure food security during emergencies so that there will not be any
shortages during times of crisis
• FOA and World Bank recommend a country should stockpile enough food to last its
population for about 3 months, this will ensure enough time for additional food supply to be obtained.
To enable the food to last longer, expensive storage facilities are used. In times of crop failure the
stored food is released to make up for the shortage. Thus there is little disruption of food supply.
• e.g. the East Asian Emergency Rice Reserve (EAERR) Scheme was started by a few
Asian countries such as Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan and China to improve food
security in the region by contributing a certain quantity of rice to a reserve.
- This food will be used during times of crisis in the region such as in times of droughts or floods
when there is food shortage.
- It ensures smooth flow in supply of especially staples in non food producing countries like
Singapore.
- It minimises starvation risk while awaiting arrival of aid

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 • Without stockpiling, food supply is less stable and depends on the climate and
natural or human factors. When there is a shortage of food, the prices of food may rise and the poor
cannot afford to buy food.
• However, stockpiling is a more viable option taken by DCs to improve food security
than the LDCs because LDCs depend on the harvest for that year and hence, do not even have
sufficient food for stockpiling in the first place. Even if they do, they lack the financial resources to build
suitable infrastructure like storage facilities which are extremely expensive. Also, when DCs stockpile,
they control the prices of the food such that when LDCs need to buy food from the DCs to stabilize
their food supply, they will be unable to afford the high prices.
• Stockpiling also artificially boosts demand and drives up prices. It prompts
consumers to hoard. Demand again artificially inflated, causing prices to increase even more. It also
prompts unethical merchants to stockpile & sell at higher prices in future when shortage arises This is
seen in 2008 worldwide rice shortage that has caused prices to almost double compared to 2007
• Besides stockpiling may result in a greater shortage of food in the market.

Questions for you to try out 

Q1: Describe two measures that may be taken to increase food production [2]
Q2: “Food stockpiling is the storage of food for anticipated shortages.” Evaluate whether
countries should use the strategy of stockpiling. [5]
Q3: “Food subsidies is a more effective than stockpiling as a government measure to help the
poor to obtain sufficient food.” To what extent is this true? Use evidence from examples
you have studied to support your answer. [8]
Q4: Describe how international organisations such as the Red Cross and United Nations
World Food Programme (WFP), and governments have helped to provide food to those
suffering from starvation and malnutrition. [8]

Genetically Modified (GM) Food

Q1: “Genetically modified food brings more joy than sorrow.” How far do you agree with this
statement? Explain your answer.
Q2. Describe the benefits and threats arising from the cultivation of genetically modified food
crops. [7]
Benefits
 Cultivation of GM crops allows greater yields to be produced that allows farmers to make greater
profits and helps poorly nourished populations to gave greater access to food
 GM crops have resistance to unfavourable growing conditions, thus can be grown in greater
number of areas, thus increase production
 Crops could be genetically modified to reduce the reliance on chemicals such as herbicides and
pesticides as some are pest-resistant or weed-resistant, thus reducing crop loss.
 Some food crops have been genetically modified to have higher nutritional levels thus providing
necessary nutrition to people e.g. Golden Rice has been enriched with beta-carotene to supplement
the lack of Vitamin A in rice diets in LDC.
Thus the cultivation of GM can solve the problem of food shortage in the developing countries which are
experiencing rapid population growth

Threats
 Possibility of genes from GM crops being passed to wild plant species, creating ‘super weeds’ and
passed to animal species creating ‘super bugs’ which are resistant to pesticides. This may result in
various harmful effects on plants and animals in the environment and alter wildlife species.
 Concern over potential health risks by GM food. GM food may contain food substances that may
harm people with food allergy. E.g. People who are allergic to nuts may have adverse reactions after
eating GM food that contain traces of nuts, as labels might not fully reveal the exact contents of the
food. Some countries like those in EU have banned the import and cultivation of GM food crops. Even

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 countries facing food shortages such as Zambia have rejected GM food imports fearing potential
health impact.
 As most GM food is not usually labeled, consumers are unable to make informed decisions. With
consumers’ resistance, there will be low sales for farmers and reducing their profits.
 GM food crops may pollute natural crops or organic food crops. When the pollen from pest-
resistant crop is carried by the wind or by insect to compatible natural crops. The offspring of the
organic crops will also become pest resistant. This will result in loss of biodiversity and organic farmers
will loss their organic status and will be subjected to great loss.
 It can also be expected that innovations resulting from a biotechnology focus will lead to an
increase in food production, causing prices to fall drastically. This may drive small-scale farmers out of
business, hence more gets trap in the poverty cycle which was already exacerbated by green
revolution.
 Ethical view that it is wrong to interfere with nature Besides, there are also religious concerns
over GM food, as some may contain substances that are originally found in those foods and are not
permissible for people of a certain religion to eat

Q3: Genetically Modified (GM) foods have been hailed as the answer to solve the problems of
starvation and hunger in the world. Evaluate the effectiveness of GM foods to solve the
problems of starvation and hunger in the world. [8]
 Genetically Modified Biotechnology involves taking desirable genetic traits from other
organisms and transplanting them into plants or animals.GM crops produce high yields, are more
resistant to disease and pests, withstand greater weather & climate variations and tolerant of saline
water & infertile soil.
- GM seeds give improved nutritional value, better taste and longer storage qualities.
- Genetically designed plants and animals may be grown and raised on land unsuitable for
farming.
- GM crops like cotton, maize, soybean and canola grown on commercial basis.
- However, effective to certain extent because of Controversy over Genetically Modified
Food
- Safety of GM food for human consumption debatable
- Widely believed GM products potentially harmful to humans.
- While Kenya & South Africa accepts GM food, Zambia is opposed to it
- Governments & farmers organisations fear multinational companies (MNCs) &
biotechnology companies will control Earth’s food production & distribution.
- MNCs in DCs hold monopoly of GM food sale
- Fear of MNCs being profit-driven controlling LDCs
- GM seeds sterile & farmers compelled to buy them from biotech industry like Monsanto
- Increases financial burden of farmers instead of helping them produce more food
- Fear of contamination & disruption of genetic authenticity of non-GM food crops by GM
food
- Fear of disruption of ecosystem structure by GM foods
 No one option can help increase food production in LDCs. Each measure has its drawbacks. A few
measures have to be adopted to increase food production to reduce this unequal distribution between
the DCs & LDCs.
 Increasing food demand can be met by better use of existing land; more productive farming
methods & applying technology in farming like irrigation & intensive application of fertilizers.

Adopting Green Revolution Technology

- Brings about massive increase in yields through use of high-yielding varieties for rice,
wheat & corn; use of irrigation, fertiliser application & chemical use
- Initially, effective in Europe, North America & Australia
- Since late 1960s adopted in tropical & subtropical climates.
- Food production increased in Punjab, India between 1960s & 1990s
- However, effective to certain extent, as large amounts of fertilisers, pesticides & water
needed to achieve productivity

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 - Danger of salinisation & water-logging when over-irrigation takes place & eutrophication
when too much fertilisers applied
- GR technology includes varied developments eg computerised sprinklers, drip irrigation
systems, mechanical innovations (combine harvesters), hybrid seeds (cross breeds) & productive
farming & fish farming methods.
- Using machinery to plough, transplant & harvest rice (tripper harvesting of rice in Malaysia)
has made rice growing more efficient & productive in Asia, but costly & needs maintenance.
- HYVs require large amounts of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides & fungicides.
- Expensive to cultivate.
- Only richer & more educated farmers can effectively grow these hybrids
- Many poor farmers unable to afford HYVs, fertilisers & chemicals
- Pests are developing resistance to pesticides rendering need to increase pesticide dosage,
thus increasing financial burden of farmers
- Mechanisation of farmland results in rural unemployment.

Adopting Productive Farming Methods eg

- Terracing: Cutting flat steps on hills & mountains slopes to provide farming land.
Bunds/raised walls built at edges of steps to control water flow to minimise runoff & soil erosion.
Terraces common in Java, Indonesia; Luzon, Philippines; Nepal & Japan for rice growing.
- Contour Ploughing: Ploughing that follows natural contours of land instead of up and
down slopes. Reduces runoff, improves water infiltration into soil (prevents water logging) & allows
steep land to be ploughed & farmed. Practised in some Sub-Saharan countries
- Strip Cropping: Growing of crops in narrow strips at right angles to direction of prevailing
winds or following natural contours of terrain to prevent soil erosion caused by wind & water
- Crop rotation: Growing of specific vegetable group: 1) brassicas- cabbage, cauliflower &
radish; 2) legumes – peas & beans; 3) potato family- potatoes & tomatoes; 4) root crops – carrots;
on different plots of land each year. Moved around in sequence. Each group will return to original
plot after 3 years. Soil pests & diseases tend to attack specific plant families. Rotating crops
breaks life cycles of pests. Potatoes can suppress weeds, minimising problems for other
crops.Different crops have different soil requirements. Planting different crops on same plot at
different times minimises deficiencies of certain minerals & allows nutrient
replenishment.Alternating crops with deep-rooted & fibrous-rooted crops improve soil
structure.Above effective to certain extent because farming techniques may not be readily
accepted by all farmers due to lack of education & reluctance to accept change.

 Applying Blue Revolution Technology

- Increasing food supply from water
- Aquaculture – rearing of aquatic organisms such as fish & crustaceans in freshwater rivers,
seawater estuaries, bays and lagoons.
- Fish - main source of protein for more than a billion people.
- Oceans over-fished so fishes have to be reared.
- Today, almost 40 million tonnes of annual world harvest of fish come from commercial fish
farms.
- Largely believed that aquaculture will supply more than half of fish eaten by people by
2030.
- However, effective to a certain extent as large amounts of capital required for production &
large quantities of water needed at expense of water for farmland irrigation.
- Viruses spread rapidly in fish ponds & ocean-based cage enclosures
- Polluted water from fish farms can infect wild fisheries
- Thousands of km of mangrove swamps have been destroyed eg in Philippines & Indonesia
to create fish & shrimp farms.
- Risk of coastal erosion increases.

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 Stepping up industrialisation to create better-paying jobs for locals. Higher income increases
affordability level to pay for food imports

 Limiting population growth so that population growth rate does not outstrip rate of food production
growth

In conclusion, GM biotechnology cannot effectively save the LDCs from food shortage & reduce the
inequality in food distribution between DCs & LDCs. Other measures have to be practised to remedy the
problem.

Green Revolution
Q1: Evaluate the impacts of modern farming technologies associated with the Green Revolution
on the less developed countries (LDCs). [8]
Positive impact of Green Revolution :
• Green Revolution helped LDC to increase their production of food crops through the use of modern
technology
• The technologies introduced to farmers in LDCs include high-yielding varieties of food crops, chemical
fertilizers and pesticides as well as modern irrigation methods
• Development and success of selective bred, high-yielding varieties of rice, wheat and corn to increase
the yields of rice, wheat and corn. One example of a HYV is the IR58 which is known as the wonder
rice of the 1980s and is resistant to most pests and diseases. It has a shorter growing period than
other strains of HYV of 100days compared to 130 days. This will result in an even higher yield of crops
produced. Many countries eg. China were able to double their rice output hence meeting the rising
demand for rice
• Improvements in irrigation through the use of pump and canals to have a reliable water supply.
Irrigation enables farmers to control the amount of water supplied to crops. Hence, it is usually
practiced in countries where rainfall is insufficient such as Egypt or countries where rainfall is irregular
such as India. Owing to irrigation, farmers in India can grow two to three rice crops in a year instead of
one crop without irrigation
• An increase use of chemical fertilisers to produce better quality products. The application of chemicals
such as pesticides can help to get rid of insecticides which kills insects or poison which get rid of other
animals or pests that can eat the crops. This will ensure a good yield of crops with little damages.
• The use of modern farming technology such as the tractors and farm mechanisation so as to increase
arable land and reduced labour force.
• Development of transportation such as roads, rail and shipping to gain better access to distant
markets.
• Through land reforms and government aid, some farm consolidation allows farmers to jointly purchase
better seeds and machinery.
• More capital may be obtained through the banking and financial services which enable the farmers to
obtain better seeds and machinery.
• Joint ventures with food outlets also increased incentives and this leads to better profits.

Negative impact of Green Revolution

• High-yielding crop varieties required a more complicated cultivation and maturing process as
compared to the low-yielding varieties. As a result, not all farmers are able to understand and follow
the procedures and this may lead to large-scale crop failures.
• In addition, high-yielding varieties required large quantities of chemical fertilisers, herbicides,
pesticides and fungicides and water for successful cultivation. All of these in turn require heavy
investment which only the more well-off farmers are able to afford.
• Even though GR can increase productivity and intensify food production but it will affect the quality of
the environment such as water and soil. For example, irrigation can lead to salinisation of the soil.
Continuous cycles of food irrigation add to the salinity or level of salt in the soil because water contains
naturally occurring salts. When the water in the field is used up by plants or has evaporated into the
atmosphere, the salts in the water are left behind. Over time the salts in the soil build up, thus lowering
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 the quality of soil. The use of chemical can also cause environmental problems. Excess chemical
fertilisers used in farms may be washed by rain into nearby rivers or lakes. This can cause
eutrophication which is the rapid growth of algae by the excess fertilizers in water bodies. Eventually,
many aquatic plants and animals die from lack of oxygen.Hence, there must be careful use of irrigation
and fertilisers so as not to compromise the quality of environment for the sake of food production.
• Mechanisation of some of the farming activities to cope with the increased output also means less
manual labour is needed to work the farmland. This may lead to an increase in rural unemployment.

Use of Modern Technology

Q1: Discuss how technology can help us overcome the food crisis. [10]
- use of modern machines and farming methods allow farmers to have greater control over the
physical limitations imposed by relief, soil and climate
- increased amount of arable land
- capitalised on places suitable for growing food brought about by the climate shift
- Green Revolution was started to increase food production through the use of technology
- through research and development, more and better high yielding varieties (HYVs) can be
invented to enable us to produce more food crops
- Government or private companies or individuals can give more financial support on R&D on
food productivity
- modern irrigation methods carried out so that farmers can produce food throughout the year
without relying on rainfalls
- farmers also use chemicals like fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides to aid their growth of
crops to ensure good yield
- Rely on more machineries for food cultivation and harvesting
- Blue revolution was started to ensure sufficient supply of seafood as well as to protect marine
life
- scientists have developed ways to increase the fertility of fish, to improve their growth rate and
to increase their resistance to disease

Q2: Advancements in agricultural technology has greatly benefited the people in the LDCs.
Based on your studies, evaluate the effectiveness of such technology. [8]
Irrigation
- These include artificial dykes, dams and canals to divert water from water sources, such as rivers
and reservoirs, to farms. Improvements in irrigation investments in irrigation projects can ensure
cultivation throughout the year. For example, this is practiced in Egypt where water supply is
insufficient or India, where rainfall is seasonal or irregular. With irrigation, India can now grow two to
three rice crops in a year, instead of one a year, without irrigation.
- However, irrigation can lead to many environmental problems such as waterlogging and
salinisation.. For example in Ethiopia, Africa, new high-yield seedlings and irrigation schemes cannot
be used by farmers due to the heavy clayey soil. The heavy clayed soil will lead to waterlogging. It is
difficult to improve the drainage system because the sticky clay hardens and cracks easily when dry. In
Pakistan, both salinisation and waterlogging occur due to the pumping out of salinised groundwater to
be used in the farms. Hence not all modern farming technology such as irrigation and high-yielding
seedlings are suitable for all the usage of all LDCs.

Increased use of pesticides and herbicides

- Pesticides and herbicides help to kill pests and prevent weeds from growing. This helps to reduce
the destruction of crops due to pests and weeds, causing the crops to grow better, increasing yields.
- However, excessive amounts of pesticides and herbicides may seep into the groundwater and
dissolve in surface runoff, entering water bodies which may eventually cause water pollution. People
who drink the contaminated water may be poisoned. For example, drinking water from a dam near
Rennes, France, had to be stopped by the public health authorities due to pesticide contamination.
This may be exacerbated in LDCs where there is poor access to clean water supply.

Increased use of chemical fertilizers

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 - Chemical fertilizers allow the crops to grow better. Less pests
- However, chemical fertilizers cannot replenish all the nutrients in the soil, causing the quality of the
soil to decrease over time, leading to infertile soil in the long run. Also, environment problems such as
eutrophication where algae and plankton grow rapidly on the surface of the water will occur due to the
fertilizers being washed into nearby water bodies. This causes water pollution and harm the marine life
as oxygen is gradually depleted. This will eventually affect the people in the LDCs as they also depend
on the marine environment for their basic needs.

Mechanisation of farms
- May improve productivity and efficiency, hence more crops can be grown and output can increase,
leading to economic development of the country. One example of agricultural development can be
seen in Ethiopia, Africa. More than 36% of the farmland is prone to waterlogging due the heavy clayey
soil. Researchers therefore developed a simple plough that can be used on the hardened clay with the
help of an ox. The farmers also resorted to growth wheat instead of tef grass, which is Ethiopia’s staple
food, as it is more suited to the local locations. Instead of harvesting just 700 kg of tef grass per ha, the
farmers are able to produce two tones of wheat per ha. Using fertilizers, some subsistence farmers
can produce enough wheat to put some up for sale.
- Mechanisation may increase unemployment among farmers and force them to migrate to urban
areas to seek employment. Also, it may not be feasible to use machinery on farms located in places
with high relief.

GM Crops
- GM crops are food from plants that have been genetically modified to create desired qualities, e.g.
improved resistance to diseases, pests or extreme weather. GM crops can improve the income
farmers by increasing yield or export of crops to countries further away due to the ability to stay fresh
for a longer time. Also, Super Rice, produces double the output of normal rice and this can reduce food
prices in the LDCs. Together with the fact that GM crops are designed to be more nutritious, this can
reduce cases of malnutrition and starvation. GM crops also reduce the need to use artificial fertilizers,
pesticides and herbicides since they are designed to be less reliant on these chemicals, thereby
causing less harm to the environment.
- However, GM crops have potential health risks, such as allergies in certain foods like inserting
lectin in potato, which may not be known to people in the LDCs. Also some US GM companies have
monopolized the GM market by holding on to patents of some GM crops. Therefore, instead of causing
these crops to be more affordable for the people in the LDCs, the monopoly increases the prices of the
GM food, which will not help to solve problems of malnutrition and starvation in LDCs.

Conclusion
- In conclusion, these new farming methods increase the yield of farm production, hence farmers
can sell or export their excess output leading to the increase in income. Increase farm outputs means
more jobs for the people, higher income so they can afford better and more nutritious food
- High productivity levels can also lead to oversupply of products which in turn leads to lower prices.
In such cases, higher productivity does not naturally mean more incomes for the farmers. Also,
farmers in LDCs are poor and may not be able to afford the technology in the first place. Even if they
do, social factors such as land fragmentation causes farmers to lose motivation in investing in these
technology.

Blue Revolution
Q1: Describe some ways that the Blue Revolution has helped to ensure a stable supply of fish
in the world.
• Encouraged fish farming where farmers rear fish in tanks, ponds and enclosed areas under special
conditions that promote growth, instead of catching fish from the oceans.
• Medicine and vaccines used to improve the health and nutrition of fish.
• International organizations spent about S$400 million a year on fish farming projects.
• FAO helped to start the CIFA to conduct research on carp, catfish and prawns.
• Scientists were able to increase fertility of fish, improve their growth rate and their resistance to
diseases. Eg. Tilapia been developed to grow faster than the normal breed
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 • Ensure a significant amount of fish available will lead to stable supply of fish.

Irrigation
Q1: Irrigation is commonly used to intensify the production of food. Describe the benefits and
the problems of irrigation to a farming area. [6]
• Advantages:
- Irrigation provides water to areas that are further away for the water sources or countries
which are experiencing irregular amount of water in rural areas of Pakistan
- Provide an optimum condition to plant crops.
- As a result, the high yielding seeds could be used to increase the harvest/output
• Disadvantages:
- Excessive amount of irrigation may result in water-logging i.e. water is collected on the
surface if the soil is unable to be drained away or is being saturated
- High capital outlay that not all farmers could afford
- Excessive use of irrigation will draw from underground water and encourage salination

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