Chapter 2 Food Resources - Is Technology a Panacea for Food Shortage

GATEWAY 1: How and why have food consumption patterns changed since the 1960s? How do food consumption patterns vary between DCs and LDCs over time? ● Food ​ refers to any nutritious substance that is consumed by the body. ● Global food consumption patterns vary between developed countries (DCs) and less developed countries (LDCs) over time. ● These can be seen in terms of the indicators of food consumption and changing food preferences. Indicators of Food Consumption ● Food consumption per capita ​ refers to the average amount of food a person consumed per year. Usual unit for measurement is kilogrammes per capita per year. ○ DCs usually have higher food consumption per capita than LDCs. ● Total daily calorie intake ​ represents the total number of calories obtained from food consumed per person per day. ○ People in DCs usually have higher total daily calorie intake than people from LDCs. ● Starchy staples as a percentage of all calories ​ can be used a a measure of food consumption because staple foods usually form the main part of the diet. ○ People in DCs have a larger portion of their diet composed of starchy staples as opposed to people in LDCs. Changing food preferences ● Food preference ​ is the choice of one food type over another. Food preferences change due to a variety of reasons, such as an increase in income. When a country is more developed economically and its citizens have a higher disposable income, there is a change in diet from crop-based products to meat-based products. ○ For instance, China today consumes less cereals but more eggs, meat, eggs, fish and fruits and vegetables. ● Cereals ​ are crops harvested for their grain and they are the most important food source in the world, composing a large percentage of global calorie intake. ○ Consumption of cereals per capita declines at higher income levels. ○ One type of cereal is often substituted for the other at higher income levels. ● Meat ​ is the meat of domesticated animals such as cows pigs and sheep. ○ Increase in income usually leads to an increase in meat consumption. ○ In LDCs, people are increasingly starting to eat meat because of a rise in disposable income. ○ In DCs, red meat consumption is beginning to decline because it has been linked to health diseases. ● Fruits and vegetable ​ consumption has risen for both DCs and LDCs, in the latter’s case due to increase in disposable income. Why do food consumption patterns vary between DCs and LDCs? (PES) Political Factors ● Stability of food supply ​ may cause variations in food consumption. A country has a stable food supply when safe and nutritious food is available to all people at all times. ○ Stability of food supply can be ensured by the following methods. ■ Increasing of food production ​ through means like the improving of technology to the use of more agricultural land can help ensure food supply. ■ Increasing amount of imported food ​ can also help ensure food supply by ensuring an adequate amount of food for the country’s population. ■ In general, DCs have a better ability to ensure a stable food supply than LDCs. ○ Civil wars ​ can lead to a disruption of food supply such as in the case of the Libyan civil war in April 2011, where food stocks in the country were being rapidly depleted but not adequately replenished. This leads to a situation where people do not consume as much because there is no stable food supply. ○ Natural disasters ​ can also lead to a disruption in food supply, such as in the case of Zimbabwe in 2008 where after a severe drought destroyed most of the country’s corn harvest, leading to a lack of stable food supply and hence affecting food consumption. ● Food safety ​ refers to a system that provides guidelines and ensures that proper handling, preparation, transportation and storage of food to prevent foodborne diseases is present. ○ The government plays an active role in regulating food consumption patterns by ensuring food safety by ensuring standards are met and that contaminated foods are removed. ○ One example is during the bovine spongiform encephalopathy outbreak in 1990s, where cattle exports were heavily restricted by the government, leading to a fall in beef consumption. Economic Factors ● Disposable income ​ refers to the amount of income left to an individual after taxes have been paid. ○ DCs such as USA usually have populations with higher disposable income and hence they can afford to buy more food as well as well as afford different types of food like meats. ○ On the other hand, LDCs usually have a lower disposable income and so not as much money can be spent on food, leading to a reduction in amount of food consumed and causing a larger percentage of their diet to be composed of cereals. Notes by some weirdo called Conrad Soon.. I don’t guarantee the full accuracy of the information here. Special thanks to Mrs Wong, the most wholesome and pure Geography ahma.

○ One example of this would be in Taiwan from 1959 to 1991. During this period, Taiwan experienced high economic growth, causing income per capita to soar to a level comparable to DCs. As such, rice consumption in taiwan declined by half and meat consumption increased four times, reflecting this change in food consumption. ● Pricing of food ​ may also lead to variations in food consumption patterns. ○ People in LDCs are generally more affected by food prices than people in DCs. This is because many people in LDCs have lower disposable incomes than people in DCs, so they cannot afford to spend more on food. ○ One example in which the price of food affected food consumption is in the Food price crisis of 2006-2008 where a combination of factors led to prices of foods such as rice doubling. Socio-cultural Factors ● Food preferences ​ refers to what people choose to consume and hence what their diets are composed of. ○ Fast foods ​ such as McDonald's refers to foods which can be prepared easily and quickly. ○ The entry of globalisation has allowed many fast food chains to set up chains in LDCs like India where fast food chains such as Domino’s PIzza, McDonald’s and Pizza Hut have set up outlets. ○ People may then choose to dine at these places instead of their local food stalls. ○ Organic foods ​ refers to food grown without the use of artificial inputs and more people are choosing organic food, especially in DCs because of the perceived health benefits associated with them. This is prevalent in the US where a survey revealed that more than half of the population would rather eat organic food to non-organic food. Food Type Organic food Non-organic food Fertilisers Produced with organic fertilisers like manure and compost which help retain soil moisture. Produced with chemical fertilisers which are chemically perfected to release certain quantities of nutrients Crop yield Smaller crop yield as farmers do not use chemicals or growth hormones Use of chemicals tends to result in a larger crop yield. Labour Requires more labour to man farm such as weeding crops because no pesticides are used. Use of herbicides and pesticides reduced dependence of human labour, no need to weed plants et cetera. Cost More expensive because higher costs of production Less expensive because of lower costs of production Health Perceived to be healthier because no chemicals are used. Perceived to be less healthy because of the use of chemicals which may remain on the food after it is produced. ● Population growth ​ refers to the increase in population and as such the increase of food consumption worldwide. ○ Population growth rates are higher in LDCs than DCs because of lack of proper family planning and a need for farm labour in many LDCs, so increasing demand of food caused by population growth is higher