Triple Science Only - Food Security- Including Farming Techniques And Sustainable Fisheries
Laura Armstrong & Joe Wolfensohn
Teachers
Contents
Recall Questions
This topic requires prior knowledge of energy transfer in food chains.
What form of energy is transferred through food chains?
Chemical energy.
Name one way humans can reduce biodiversity in ecosystems.
Deforestation, pollution, or overfishing.
What is a producer in a food chain?
An organism, like a green plant or algae, that makes its own food by photosynthesis.
Topic Explainer Video
Check out this @JoeDoesGCSEBiology video that explains food security- including farming techniques and sustainable fisheries, then read the study notes. Once you’ve gone through them, don’t forget to try the practice questions!
Food Security
1. What Is Food Security?
Food security means having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of nutritious food to support a healthy life.
Threats to Food Security
|
Factor |
Explanation |
|
Increasing birth rate |
More people = more demand for food. |
|
Changing diets |
Global trade spreads demand for specific foods, straining supplies. |
|
New pests and pathogens |
Can reduce crop yields or kill livestock. |
|
Environmental changes |
Climate change (e.g. droughts, floods) can damage crops. |
|
Cost of agricultural inputs |
Fertilisers, seeds, and machinery may become unaffordable. |
|
Conflicts |
Wars can damage farmland or block access to water and food. |
Sustainable methods must be used to ensure future generations can have access to sufficient food.
2. Farming Techniques to Improve Efficiency
Modern farming aims to reduce energy loss between trophic levels, so more energy is available for growth and more biomass is available for human consumption.
Animals are often kept indoors where their movement is restricted and it is warmer.
|
Technique |
Purpose |
|
Limit animal movement |
Reduces energy loss via movement, increasing growth. |
|
Control temperature |
Less energy used to maintain body temperature so less heat energy lost. |
|
High-protein food |
Increases growth rate and muscle mass. |
|
Giving antibiotics to animals |
Prevents spread of infectious diseases caused by bacteria so animals survive and grow larger. |
These are examples of intensive farming, which increases yield but raises ethical concerns about animal welfare. Keeping animals indoors and in small spaces is considered cruel and will worsen their quality of life.
Heating the barn or shed will also require an increased use of fossil fuels.
Using antibiotics can lead to overuse and an increased chance of antibiotic resistant bacteria developing. It also means antibiotics would be present in meat and can build up in the food chain.
Sustainable Fisheries
Fish stocks are declining in many parts of the world due to overfishing. Without intervention, some species could disappear.
Sustainable Fishing Methods:
- Fishing quotas – limit the number and type of fish caught.
- Net size regulation - using smaller nets to limit the number of fish caught
- Mesh size regulation – Using nets with larger mesh. Allows smaller, younger fish to escape and reproduce, increasing the population size.
These techniques help maintain breeding populations so fishing can continue long term without causing species extinction.
Key Terms & Definition
- Food security - Having enough food to feed a population.
- Sustainable - Using resources in a way that does not deplete them for future generations.
- Farming efficiency - Reducing energy loss so more biomass is transferred to humans.
- Fishing quotas - Legal limits on the amount of fish caught to prevent overfishing.
No answer provided.
Exam Tip:
- Make sure you can give both advantages and disadvantages of intensive farmer methods.
No answer provided.
Practice Question
Describe two ways fish stocks can be conserved to ensure they remain sustainable. (2 marks)
Model Answer:
- Fishing quotas limit the number and type of fish that can be caught.
- Controlling mesh size of nets means that smaller, younger fish can escape and reproduce.
More Practice
Try to answer these practice questions from the TikTok videos on your own, then watch the videos to see how well you did!