Practise Factors affecting food security. 11 exam-style questions plus unlimited generated ones on this subtopic, at up to four difficulty levels, with full mark schemes and a progress tracker. Free, no account needed.
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Sustainable methods must be found to feed all the people on Earth. What is meant by food security?
Having enough food to feed a population
Sample questions
Written for this site in the style of AQA exam questions. They are not taken from real past papers.
Question 1Easy4 marks
Sustainable methods must be found to feed all the people on Earth.
(a) What is meant by food security?[1]
(b) Which two of the following threaten food security? Tick (✓) two boxes.[2]
New pests and pathogens that affect farming
An increasing birth rate
Better storage of harvested crops
Higher crop yields
(c) Give one other factor that threatens food security.[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: Having enough food to feed a population
having enough food to feed a population
(b)Answer: New pests and pathogens that affect farming; An increasing birth rate
(c)
changing diets in developed countries, so scarce food resources are transported around the world
environmental changes, e.g. rains failing (famine)
the cost of agricultural inputs (e.g. fertiliser, fuel)
conflicts that affect the availability of water or food
Question 2Medium7 marks
{table} shows the population of a country and the mass of cereals produced there.
[object Object]
(a) Calculate the mass of cereal produced per person in 2020. Give your answer in kg. (1 tonne = 1000 kg)[2]
(b) In 2000, 300 kg of cereal was produced per person. Describe what the data show about food security in this country.[2]
(c) Suggest two biological factors that could explain why cereal production did not keep up with population growth.[2]
(d) Suggest one sustainable way the country could improve its food security.[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: 250 kg
16.5 ÷ 66 = 0.25 tonnes
250 (kg)
(b)
cereal production increased, but the population increased faster
so the mass of cereal per person decreased (from 300 kg to 250 kg) / food security decreased
(c)
new pests or pathogens reduced yields
drought / rains failed / other environmental changes
the cost of fertiliser and other inputs reduced their use
conflict reduced the availability of water / land
(d)
grow pest- or disease-resistant crop varieties (e.g. from selective breeding or genetic modification)
reduce food waste / improve storage
improve irrigation / water storage
eat less meat, so more crops feed people directly
Question 3Hard7 marks
Stem rust is a disease of wheat caused by a fungus. A new strain of the fungus has appeared that can infect wheat varieties which were resistant to older strains. The spores of the fungus are carried long distances by the wind. Wheat is the main food for hundreds of millions of people.
(a) Explain why this new strain of fungus threatens food security.[3]
(b) Suggest how new resistant varieties of wheat could be produced.[2]
(c) Farmers could spray fungicides on their crops. Suggest two disadvantages of relying on fungicides.[2]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)
the new strain can infect varieties that were previously resistant
the spores spread quickly over long distances in the wind
infected crops give lower yields / die
wheat is a staple food for many people, so less food is available / food prices rise
farmers must spend more on fungicides, increasing the cost of agricultural inputs
(b)
find wheat plants (or wild relatives) that are resistant to the new strain
selectively breed / cross them with high-yielding varieties and select resistant offspring over several generations
use genetic engineering to insert a gene for resistance from another plant
(c)
fungicides are expensive / increase the cost of agricultural inputs
the fungus could become resistant to the fungicide
fungicides may harm other organisms / reduce biodiversity