Geography Of Food

1. Problems due to intensifying food production

1.1. Irrigation -Salinisation of soil -Waterlogging

1.2. Chemicals -Imbalance of soil nutrients -Water pollution -Eutrophication

2. Trends In Food Consumption

2.1. DC -Consuming more non-staples -Consumption of staple food not much of an increase

2.2. LDC -Consuming more non-staples and staples

2.3. Overall: DCs still consuming more food than LDCs

3. Impacts of variation in food consumption

3.1. -Starvation -Obesity -Malnutrition

4. Responses to variations

4.1. International Scale -UN World Food Programme

4.2. National Scale -Food subsidies -Stock piling

5. Factors affecting productivity

5.1. Political -Government policies

5.2. Physical -Climate -Relief -Soil

5.3. Economic -Capital -Demand

5.4. Social -Land tenure -Land fragmentation

5.5. Technology

5.5.1. -Green revolution >HYVs >Machines >Chemicals <Fertilisers, Pesticide, Herbicides... etc> >Irrigation

5.5.2. -Blue Revolution >Antibiotics >Growth hormones >Growing conditions

6. Types Of Food

6.1. Staple <Necessary for survival> -Cereal -Rice -Roots and Tubers -Pulses

6.2. Non-Staple <Consumed for nutrients> -Meat -Vegetable

7. Reasons for variations in food consumption

7.1. Food Security

7.1.1. Affordability -Purchasing power

7.1.2. Stability -Natural factors >Disasters >Spread of diseases -Human Factors >Wars and conflict

7.1.3. Accessibility -Transportation -Availability of food outlets -Trade -Globalisation

8. Types of Farmers

8.1. -Subsistence >Grow enough food for family & sell excess

8.2. -Commercial >Cash crops

9. Productivity

9.1. -Labour per unit area -Output per unit area

10. Genetically Modified food

10.1. Advantages -High yield -Pest and disease resistant -Higher nutritional values -Resistance against herbicide and pesticide

10.2. Disadvantages -Loss of biodiversity -Loss of natural species -Potential health risk