AQA GCSE Geography (8035) · Spec 3.2.3.2
Food
Read the notes, then try the questions. Each one is marked the moment you press Check, and shows the right answer and why.
Key ideas
- Food insecurity means people cannot reliably get enough safe, affordable food. A food deficit means local supply is below local need. They are not the same thing.
- Food insecurity can lead to famine, undernutrition, rising prices and conflict.
- Ways of increasing supply include irrigation, hydroponics and aeroponics (growing without soil), new biotechnology and large-scale agribusiness. A large greenhouse development can raise output but needs a lot of water.
- Sustainable food includes organic farming, permaculture, seasonal food and local sourcing. You also need a small, local scheme in an LIC or NEE, such as rice-fish farming.
Key terms
- Food security
- Having reliable access to enough safe, affordable food.
- Food insecurity
- Not being able to reliably get enough safe, affordable food.
- Food deficit
- Local food supply is lower than local need.
- Famine
- An extreme shortage of food that causes widespread starvation.
- Organic farming
- Farming without artificial chemicals.
- Permaculture
- Designing farming to work with nature and last, using little outside input.
Common mistakes
- Using food insecurity and food deficit as if they mean the same. One is about people, one is about supply and need.
- Thinking seasonal consumption means eating less. It means eating food in its natural local season, which cuts heated greenhouses and air freight.
- Using a big famous scheme for a local scheme question. The question wants a small-scale local scheme.
Exam tip
The Section C option has a 6-mark question. For a strategy, give what it does, how it keeps food available for the future, and its effect on people or the environment. Saying it is sustainable is not enough.
Free practice questions
6 questions, 12 marks. Answer, then press Check. The marking guide explains how the marks are worked out. Nothing is saved.
- Question 1 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
Which statement best defines food insecurity?
- Question 2 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
What is a food deficit?
- Question 3 · Fill the gaps[2 marks]
Food ___ means people cannot reliably get enough food. A food ___ means local supply is below local need.
Word bank: insecurity · surplus · deficit
- Question 4 · Matching[3 marks]
Match each term to its meaning.
- Question 5 · Sort into groups[3 marks]
Sort each statement about a large-scale greenhouse development, Almeria in Spain, into the correct group.
Plastic covers keep soil warm and hold moisture, so crops are more productive
Needs a lot of water in a dry region
Grows 2.5 to 3.5 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables a year
- Question 6 · Choose more than one[2 marks]
Which TWO are sustainable food strategies?
Choose 2.