what is the world’s most important food source?

What is the world’s most important food source?

Starter

Cereals! 2.3 billion tonnes are currently produced annually

• 1 billion tonnes for food use• 750 million tonnes is used

as animal feed• 500 million tonnes is

processed for industrial use

Source: FAO 2013

What is the correlation between global cereal production and global population?

• To describe patterns in global food supply (production)

• To explain why LEDCs have had the greatest increase in production

• To evaluate the accuracy of Malthus’ theory using current evidence

Learning objectives

The big picture

In the last 50 years global agricultural production has increased faster than global population.

Why do you think this is?Discuss with your partner…

The global pattern of food production

Production in LEDCs has been increasing faster than developed MEDCs.

Reasons why production has increased more rapidly in LEDCs:

• Higher population growth rates• Increasing GDP / economic growth• Demand has increased greatly as people

have become more affluent

The global pattern

xxx

Global food production

Use an atlas to describe the pattern of global food production. You will need to name specific areas and quote

figures!

Focus on green,

blue and pink!

Between 2003 and 2012 global food production experienced an annual growth of 2.1% (OECD-FAO, 2013).

Recent global trends

Look at the Figure 6.2 in your textbook (pg. 203). Which regions have had the highest growth in production?

• Asia has increased the most, followed by South America.

• Parts of Africa have not increased food production due to political instability, neglect of agriculture by governments, and extremely rapid population growth.

The growth in agricultural production is a result of:• Higher yields per unit of land• Crop intensification

What has driven these trends?

In the last 50 years global arable land has increased

by 67 million ha.

What are the most important crops?These are the world’s most important food commodities.

However, sugar is used to

produce ethanol fuel

Is Malthus wrong?

In 1798, Thomas Malthus predicted that population growth would outstrip the Earth’s ability to feed its population.

OECD-FAO predict that food production growth will slow in the next 10 years (to 1.5%), but it will continue to be faster than population growth.

Future global trends

Why might this be the case?

The main reason is that land available for agriculture is becoming more limited, due to competition for other uses.It is also a result of rising costs for agricultural inputs, such as oil and fertilizer, as well as the increasing scarcity of key resources like water.Much of the 1.5% increase will come from higher yields (more crops per unit of land).

Future global trends: regions

Label your world map with the predicted trends in food production growth to 2019:

• Brazil – 40%• China – 26%• India – 21%• Russia – 26%

BRIC countries will continue to invest in their agricultural sectors to encourage innovation and increase productivity.

Prep

Answer the exam question. Next lesson we will review your answers using

the mark scheme.