The Causes of Poor Food Supply

Map of World Hunger Task: What does the map show?

What is the problem? Approximately 1.2 billion people suffer from under-nutrition (deficiency of calories and protein) Some 2 to 3.5 billion people suffer from malnutrition (deficiency of vitamins and minerals) Task: Write down definitions of under-nutrition and malnutrition

Approximately 1.2 billion people suffer from under-nutrition (deficiency of calories and protein)

Some 2 to 3.5 billion people suffer from malnutrition (deficiency of vitamins and minerals)

What are the causes of poor food supply? Task: Put the following causes into your Venn diagram to show whether the causes are social, economic or environmental. Social Economic Environmental

Poverty The problem is that many people don’t have enough money to buy food (more than one billion people earn less than 60p a day) Poor farmers find it difficult to borrow money to get over temporary difficulties such as periods of drought so end up eating animals or seeds which should be kept for next years crop.

Poverty

The problem is that many people don’t have enough money to buy food (more than one billion people earn less than 60p a day)

Poor farmers find it difficult to borrow money to get over temporary difficulties such as periods of drought so end up eating animals or seeds which should be kept for next years crop.

Land Ownership The vast majority of good land belongs to a few wealthy owners The vast majority of the rural population to miserably small parcels of the worst possible farmland

Land Ownership

The vast majority of good land belongs to a few wealthy owners

The vast majority of the rural population to miserably small parcels of the worst possible farmland

Commercial Farming Examples of such land use include: The tobacco industry for tobacco exports Tea and coffee plantations for tea and coffee exports Floriculture for flower exports Sugar cane growing for sugar exports Beef for use in fast food industries

Commercial Farming

Examples of such land use include:

The tobacco industry for tobacco exports

Tea and coffee plantations for tea and coffee exports

Floriculture for flower exports

Sugar cane growing for sugar exports

Beef for use in fast food industries

War and Conflict War can disrupt farming by preventing people from working on the land War can also cause problems in transporting food from one area to another.

War and Conflict

War can disrupt farming by preventing people from working on the land

War can also cause problems in transporting food from one area to another.

Poor Transport Poor infrastructure may mean food fails to reach remote areas. This is a particular problem in drought.

Poor Transport

Poor infrastructure may mean food fails to reach remote areas. This is a particular problem in drought.

Lack of Appropriate Technology Farmers sometimes have low crop yields due to a lack of advice or appropriate equipment.

Lack of Appropriate Technology

Farmers sometimes have low crop yields due to a lack of advice or appropriate equipment.

Overgrazing Too many animals on a piece of land leads to it becoming bare and soil erosion can then occur

Overgrazing

Too many animals on a piece of land leads to it becoming bare and soil erosion can then occur

Soil Erosion Soil erosion is caused by over using land. Erosion results in loss of top soil which reduces soil fertility and therefore crop yields.

Soil Erosion

Soil erosion is caused by over using land. Erosion results in loss of top soil which reduces soil fertility and therefore crop yields.

Drought Too little or unreliable rainfall can cause crops to fail.

Drought

Too little or unreliable rainfall can cause crops to fail.

Why do some places get so little precipitation? Moist winds blowing over mountains will bring relief rainfall on one side of the mountains but leave a rain shadow on the other.

Moist winds blowing over mountains will bring relief rainfall on one side of the mountains but leave a rain shadow on the other.

Air blowing across continents gradually lose the moisture picked up from the sea. So areas of a continent on the opposite side to the prevailing wind tend to be drier. Why do some places get so little precipitation?

Air blowing across continents gradually lose the moisture picked up from the sea.

So areas of a continent on the opposite side to the prevailing wind tend to be drier.

Anticyclones (high pressure systems) create sinking air which is warmed, which causes water moisture to evaporate from it. Why do some places get so little precipitation?

Anticyclones (high pressure systems) create sinking air which is warmed, which causes water moisture to evaporate from it.