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2.6 The Impacts of Food Production

More than half of the world's habitable land has been converted to farmland to produce food, expanding into natural biomes. This has dramatically changed ecosystems, though forest clearing has slowed in some regions. Soil fertility declines as crops remove nutrients, leading to desertification of 12 million hectares annually. Farming also contributes to climate change by releasing stored carbon and greenhouse gases like methane. Increased irrigation has caused problems like rising water salinity and soil infertility in some areas.

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27 views10 pages

2.6 The Impacts of Food Production

More than half of the world's habitable land has been converted to farmland to produce food, expanding into natural biomes. This has dramatically changed ecosystems, though forest clearing has slowed in some regions. Soil fertility declines as crops remove nutrients, leading to desertification of 12 million hectares annually. Farming also contributes to climate change by releasing stored carbon and greenhouse gases like methane. Increased irrigation has caused problems like rising water salinity and soil infertility in some areas.

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24109
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THE IMPACTS OF FOOD PRODUCTION

YEAR 9 GEOGRAPHY
TOPIC: BIOMES AND FOOD SECURITY
OUR GOALS

Learning intention Success Criteria


 We are learning about the impacts of food  I will be able to explain the changes caused by food
production. production.
WARM UP
THE IMPACTS OF FOOD PRODUCTION

•More than half of the world’s


land area that is considered
habitable has now been converted
into farmland to provide food and
fibre for the world’s people – and
this area is expanding.
•All around the world, the natural
biomes of forests, grasslands,
tundra and even deserts are being
converted into farms.
CHANGES TO VEGETATION

 In many places around the world, very little original vegetation


remains.
 Boreal, temperate and tropical rainforests have been cut down,
burned and cleared to make way for croplands and pastures for
animals.
 This has dramatically changed the ecosystems of these biomes and
many animals of these regions are now vulnerable to extinction.
 Although this practice has slowed in Europe and North America, it
continues in much of Africa, Asia and South America.
Let's analyse
this map
together!
CHANGES TO SOIL
 Natural soil fertility comes from the slow
breakdown of rocks and minerals and
decomposition of plants.
 Crops, including grass, use this fertility to
grow, but as they are removed for humans
to eat, the soil’s natural fertility declines
and the soil becomes infertile.
 In some places, these once fertile areas
become as barren as deserts.
 About 12 mill hectares of land a year are
lost to this process know as desertification.
(Check Source 6)
CHANGES TO ATMOSPHERE
 Farming contributes to climate change in many ways.
 Replacing forests with farms means that the ability of the forest to store carbon is
lost.
 One of the quickest ways to remove forest is to burn it and this releases the stored
carbon into the atmosphere.
 Farmers in Amazon rainforest clear the forest by burning in the dry season.
 Some farming types produce greenhouse gases that are released into the
atmosphere. Cows and sheep break down their food by enteric fermentation,
which also produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
 Growing rice in paddies also produces methane.
CHANGES TO WATER

 In the past, farmers relied on natural rainfall to water their crops


and pastures, but an increased demand for food and changes to
technology have meant that many farmers now access water in
other ways.
 Streams and rivers are diverted and dammed and water is stored
and then used by farmers for irrigation.
 In some places, irrigation has caused salt in the soil to rise to the
surface, making the soil infertile. This increased salinity may lead
to further desertification.
NOW IT IS YOUR TURN
PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING TASKS.

1. ANALYZE THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON GLOBAL FOOD


PRODUCTION. INCLUDE DISCUSSIONS ON CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE,
PRECIPITATION, AND EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS. (200 WORDS)
2. EXPLORE A REAL-LIFE CASE STUDY WHERE CHANGES IN VEGETATION
HAVE IMPACTED LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION. DISCUSS THE CAUSES,
CONSEQUENCES, AND POTENTIAL STRATEGIES FOR MITIGATION. (200
WORDS)

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