Year 9 Geography - Topic 1 - Sustainable Biomes

Food Security

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Year 9 Geography - Sustainable Biomes

Food Security

Source: Nutrishatives, 2018

You only need to write in cells which are green!

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Food Security

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What is Food Security?

Food security is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (2008) as:

Food security exists when all people, at all times,

have physical, social and economic access

to sufficient, safe and nutritious food,

which meets their dietary needs and food preferences

for an active and healthy life.

1. With reference to the FAO definition, define the following terms which comprise the definition

Physical access

Social access

Economic access

Dietary needs

Food preference

2. In your opinion, why is the definition of food security so complex?

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Figure 1 - Duration of Food Security Source: Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, 2008

3. Distinguish between Chronic Food Insecurity and Transitory Food Insecurity

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Figure 2 - Where is food insecurity experienced

Source: World Vision, 2015

4. Categorise five countries for each of the following (use Google Maps to help you)

Very Low <5%

Moderately Low 5 - 14.9%

Moderately High 15 - 24.9%

High 25 - 34.9%

Very High > 35%

5. Describe the spatial distribution of food security and undernourishment around the world

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Food Security

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Food supply flow chart

Figure 3 - Food supply flow chart

Source: World Vision, 2015

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Refer to Figure 3 - Food supply flow chart to answer the following questions

1. Look at the food supply flow chart and list the three problems that could arise at each step in the

process and how these problems might be solved using the table below.

2. Use the food supply flow chart and rewrite as an information text using paragraphs.

Steps in the food supply process

What do people need to carry out these steps?

What are problems that might hinder these steps?

What are possible solutions to these problems?

Getting ready to grow the food

Growing the food

Moving the food from the field

eg, war/conflict can damage roads and make travel dangerous

Processing, selling or storing the food

Preparing and eating the food

Activity adapted from World Vision

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The capacity of biomes to produce food

Biomes exist on land and in oceans and differ according to their location and geographic characteristics.

Topography (the shape of the land), climate and soils mean similar land biomes can have different species of

plants and animals. Food can be produced from different biomes when people change the environment for

example by ploughing the land, building greenhouses to grow plants, draining swamps and wetlands, building

terraces on slopes etc. (Source: Oxfam, nd).

Figure 4 - Major Biomes Source: Oxfam, nd.

Figure 5 - Balance of Land Use for Agriculture Source: Oxfam, nd

With reference to Figure 3 and 4 answer the following questions (if the images are too small, click on the

source URL for a larger image)

1. Which biomes are mostly used for cropland?

2. Which biomes are mostly used for pasture, i.e. animal grazing?

3. Which biomes produce the least food?

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4. Is there an interconnection between biomes and land used for agriculture? Give examples to illustrate

your answer.

Activity adapted from Oxfam

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Analysis of population projections to predict future demand for food

Malthusian Trap

The world’s population growth has been a topic of interest and concern for many years. However, the pressure

it places on our world resources is not a new topic of discussion. Back in the eighteenth century, an English

economist and minister of religion, Thomas Malthus, predicted that population growth would be faster than

the growth of agriculture (Source: Thompson et al, 2016).

1. In your opinion, describe what will happen at the Malthusian Trap (point of crisis)

2. Look at the FAO Definition of food security (Food security exists when all people, at all times, have

physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food, which meets their dietary

needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life) and brainstorm some ways a community and

a country could overcome food security.

Community Level Country Level

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Food security looks very different depending on where you are sitting Source: Rachel Norman, The Conversation, January 23, 2017 In 1974, the World Food Conference declared that: “Every man, woman and child has the inalienable right to be free from hunger and malnutrition in order to develop their physical and mental faculties.” The conference set as its goal the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition within a decade. Two decades later, in 1996, the World Food Summit was assembled in an explicit admission that this goal had not been met. More than 10,000 participants from 195 countries gathered in Rome and, over five days of intense discussion, set a target of reducing by half the number of undernourished people by no later than 2015. Food security was defined in the following declaration:

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

The summit set out a seven-point plan of action, including managing population growth and migration, reducing poverty and promoting peace and stability. Ambitious goals which, so far, have failed with most future predictions showing things are going to get worse. Four years ago, I started to work directly in the world of food security research and if there is one thing that I have learned in the intervening period it is that it is complicated. Here are some of the factors that have made it so difficult to fulfil those ambitious goals. Population growth: The current global population is 7.4 billion and it is growing rapidly. We are expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100. At the same time income levels are expected to increase. In order to feed this larger and richer population food demand is therefore expected to increase by 70% by 2050. However, neither the growth nor the increase in wealth is expected to be evenly distributed. India, China and Africa are predicted to make up an increasing share of the world population and India and China expected to make up 50% of the global middle class consumption by 2050. This means that the demands for food will obviously be greater in those areas with larger populations, but in countries where there is also an increase in wealth there is likely to be an increase in demand for less healthy and less environmentally friendly Western-style diets.

Climate change: Our ability to provide food for this growing population will be seriously affected by the changing climate. Current predictions for global warming are for an increase in temperature ranging from 0.6℃ to 4℃ by 2099. The Paris climate agreement sets out a global action plan to limit global warming this century to 2℃. This will be a difficult target to achieve both in the light of Donald Trump’s (at least pre-election) declaration that he would cancel the agreement, but also given the expected increase in food demand with agri-food accounting for about 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions. However, the impact of these predicted changes will not be evenly distributed. The Met office has produced a tool which allows us to investigate the impact of climate change on food insecurity and which shows that under all scenarios Africa is the most vulnerable to food insecurities. But even within Africa some countries are more vulnerable than others, with Niger, Somalia and Mauritania the most vulnerable and South Africa and Algeria the least. Using the same tool, we can see that in Asia there are currently medium levels of vulnerability to food insecurity with Mongolia and the Philippines the most vulnerable. Under many climate change scenarios this vulnerability increases across Asia but countries such as Burma and Papua New Guinea show the largest increases. These results mean that the spatial scale at which we consider food security is very important and mitigation plans which might be put into place to deal with these vulnerabilities need to take these geographical differences into account Malnutrition: Today the world faces a double burden of malnutrition that includes both under-nutrition and obesity. In 2015, more than 1.9 billion adults worldwide were overweight while 462m were underweight. This divide is not simply between the developed and developing world, low and middle-income countries are

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now seeing a rise in childhood obesity and this is increasing at a faster rate than in richer nations. This is related to the increase in wealth and changes in diet discussed earlier. Solutions Given these issues, different countries will need different solutions. Africa is going to have to deal with the double burden of increasing populations and more drought risk. Solutions in Africa need to focus on sustainable intensification with better solutions in increased yield and reducing waste through pests, diseases and storage. One technological solution is to develop drought-resistant crops, although the efficacy of this is debated. The issue here is not the technology but how to distribute it. According to the Global Plant Council, while some farmers are using these drought-resistant varieties successfully (5m smallholder farmers in 2014), the adoption of these seeds varies from country to country. Some farmers are unaware of the availability of the seeds and others are unable to either access or afford them. In the developed world, experts are more concerned by the health risks associated with obesity and our focus needs to be on sustainable nutrition. There is a lot of evidence that diets which are healthier for us as individuals are also better for the environment. No one has yet identified an “ideal diet” but according to a Food and Climate Research Network report in 2014, the lower the meat, fish and dairy content of a diet, the lower the environmental impact. However, nutritionally, that will mean that reduced meat intakes need to be

compensated for with increases in the quantity and diversity of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and legumes. We also have to be careful that demands we make on the food system in this country do not increase problems in other countries and we do not shift the burden of production. This can be done through the use of, for example, Life cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA aims to address the environmental aspects and potential environmental impacts (for example, the use of resources and the environmental consequences of releases pollutants) throughout a product’s lifecycle from the acquisition of raw material, through the production, use, end-of-life treatment, recycling and final disposal. However, LCA is a general approach which can be applied to any product and, because of the complexities of the food system, needs to be tailored in order to be used more effectively. The “simple” solution to the issue of food security is that we all demand less, eat more sustainably and be more careful with our resources. That is clearly much easier said than done. If there is plenty of food in the supermarket it is difficult to believe it matters if we buy that extra packet of biscuits – and we are up in arms that the price of Marmite might increase. Even the future leaders of some countries do not believe in climate change. However, alarming though the potential lack of Marmite is, we should bear in mind that other countries are already suffering the burden of food insecurity and focusing our resources towards finding solutions in those countries will benefit us on many levels.

With reference to the article answer the following questions

3. In your opinion, describe what will happen at the Malthusian Trap (point of crisis)

4. Why "in countries where there is also an increase in wealth there is likely to be an increase in demand

for less healthy and less environmentally friendly Western-style diets"??

5. How will climate change impact food security?

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6. Define "sustainable intensification"

7. "The “simple” solution to the issue of food security is that we all demand less, eat more sustainably and

be more careful with our resources". Why is this more easier said than done?

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Sustainable practices used to achieve food security

Here are five ways that food production and food security can be improved so that perhaps, by 2050, the

global demand for 70 per cent more food will in part be met. In so doing, local communities, in particular

small-scale farmers and those farming in challenging environmental situations, will have a better life.

● Fair Trade

● Local Food Security Reserves

● Agroecology

● Initiatives by and for small-scale farmers

● Less food wastage

Source: Oxfam, n.d.

1. Visit the Oxfam website to complete the table below

Sustainable practice Description of what the strategy involves

Provide a specific example

Fair Trade

Local Food Security Reserves

Agroecology

Initiatives by and for small-scale farmers

Less food wastage

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Case study of food insecurity - Tuvalu

1. Watch Tuvalu - Hungry Beast episode

About Tuvalu

Tuvalu is a small Commonwealth nation located in the

South Pacific Ocean. It is located approximately halfway

between Hawaii and Australia (refer to Figure 1). With a

population of less than 11,000 and total surface area of 26

square kilometres (Department of Foreign Affairs and

Trade, 2015) this island nation is unknown to many.

However, with an average height above sea level of only

two metres, and highest point of only four metres

(Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2014), this

nation is a risk of food security. This is a consequence of

climate change, which is causing rising sea levels. This

report will provide an overview of Tuvalu, identify key

areas of concern and discuss the strategies being used to

achieve a more sustainable future.

Figure 1 – Map of Tuvalu

Source: Permanent Mission of Tuvalu to the United

Nations (n.d.)

Density refers to how closely packed together or how widely spaced apart things are in a given area. We can measure

the density of things such as vegetation, people's, houses, farms and factories. We measure density by calculating how

many things are in a particular area. This in turn has lead to the use of terms high density and low density.

Average Density = Number of people

Size of the area

2. Calculate the density of Australia (population 24,130,000 and area 7,692,000km2)

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3. Calculate the density of Tuvalu

4. Describe the location of Tuvalu

Overview of Tuvalu

Tuvalu consists of nine islands (refer to Figure 2), with

a coastline of 24 km. It is a constitutional monarchy,

which became independent of the United Kingdom in

1978. It has a parliament of 15 members, headed by

the Prime Minister, The Hon. Enele Sopoaga. The

official language of the country is Tuvaluan and English

(Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2014).

Tuvalu’s population is only 10,782. The median age is

24.9 years old, with males of 23.7 and females 26.4.

This is reflected in the population pyramid (Figure 3).

The population grew by 0.8%. The life expectancy is

65.81 years (CIA Factbook, 2014)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country is US

$28 million, and the current account balance is US $2

million (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,

2015), these figures are considerably less than

Australia, due to its considerably smaller population.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and

Trade (2015) identify their primary export destinations

as Japan (63.2%), Republic of Korea (9.2%) and

Australia (6.9%).

The majority of the population of Tuvalu is involved

with subsistence fishing and agriculture. With

remittances from seafarers working overseas is a

declining, however significant, source of income for

many families (Department of Foreign Affairs and

Trade, 2014). Another source of economic activity to

the country is the .tv country code for websites, which

brought in $2,000,000 in 2006 (CIA Factbook, 2014).

Figure 2 – Map of the islands of Tuvalu

Source: Tuvalu Online (1998)

Figure 3 – Population Pyramid of Tuvalu

Source: CIA Fact book (2014)

5. What are the coordinates of:

a) Nui 7°S 177°W

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b) Nukufeteau

c) Funafuti

d) Niutao

6. Describe the population distribution of Tuvalu (one paragraph)

7. What is the life expectancy in Tuvalu

8. Is the country’s population growing, shrinking or staying the same?

Key areas of concern for Food Security

The World Health Organisation (2015) defines Food Security as a situation “when all people at all times have access to

sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”. This definition was developed as part of the 1996

World Food Summit. Tuvalu is at risk of food security due to the effects of climate change, which are: increased

temperature, more extreme weather events and rising sea levels. All of these changes are interconnected and will have

devastating effects on the food security of Tuvalu. These changes are comprising the access to the sufficient and safe

food.

The Pacific Climate Change Science Program (2011) commissioned a report into the “Current and future climate of

Tuvalu”. The report identified a number of changes in the climate:

● Temperature.

The temperature has increased by 0.21oC per

decade since 1950 (Pacific Climate Change Science

Program, 2011).

● Rainfall.

There has been “substantial variation” (p. 4) in the

rainfall patterns of Tuvalu since 1950 (Pacific

Climate Change Science Program, 2011).

● More extreme weather events.

There has been a decrease in the frequency of the

extreme weather events. However, the severity of

these weather events is expected to increase.

Additionally, the report identified the wind speed

of cyclones has increased on average between 2-

11%. This increased wind speed will increase the

severity of the impacts of the storm (Pacific Climate

Change Science Program, 2011).

● Sea levels.

With the increasing temperatures, the water within

the ocean is expanding. This expansion is causing

the sea level to rise. Since 1993, the sea level at

Tuvalu has increased by 5mm per year since 1993.

The projection from Pacific Climate Change Science

Program report, shows the recorded and projected

sea level increase sustainably by 2100 (Pacific

Climate Change Science Program, 2011).

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● Ocean acidification

Sea water absorbs carbon dioxide. With the

increased emission of carbon dioxide from human

use, this increase is being absorbed by the ocean.

This absorption of the carbon dioxide is making the

sea water more acidic (Pacific Climate Change

Science Program, 2011).

All of these changes in the climate, are impacted the food security of Tuvalu.

In September 2009, Tuvalu submitted to the United Nations a report titled “Tuvalu’s Views on the Possible Security

Implications of Climate Change”. In this report, Tuvalu identified that both food and water security were at risk, as a result

of climate change. The report identified that food and water security are at risk because of a number of factors:

One factor of food security is Coral Bleaching. Due to the increased average temperature, the ocean temperature has

begun to increase. This increased in ocean temperature has caused a number of marine life to die because they are

“highly vulnerable to heat stress” (United Nations, 2009, p. 1). In Tuvalu, their diet is promenade based off marine life

due to their location and limited land for animal grazing. This marine life provides the protein required for survival (United

Nations, 2009). However, with the marine life-decreasing due the coral bleaching, a primary source of food is at risk, thus

their food security is at risk.

Ocean Acidification is another factor causing food security. With the increased carbon dioxide being released into the

atmosphere, as a result of human activity, the ocean is absorbing more carbon dioxide. When the ocean absorbs this, it

makes the ocean more acidic. In turn, this causes the “coral reefs to weaken” (United Nations, 2009, p.1 ). The people of

Tuvalu rely on shellfish as a source of food. The ocean acidification is weakening this shellfish, and thus limiting the supply

of this food (United Nations, 2009). The Pacific Climate Change Program 2011 report has estimated the carbon dioxide

emissions will increase, as represents in Figure 5. They have three projections (low emissions – blue; medium emissions

– green; and high emissions purple). All three projections have an increased concentration in the future. Additionally,

with the increase extreme weather events, these may also increase the chance of destruction to the coral reefs. With the

destruction of these coral reefs, another food source is being depleted as a result of climate change, which is in turn

affecting the food security of Tuvalu.

As mentioned earlier, Tuvalu is on average two metres above sea level. With the highest point four metres. As a result,

this low-lying nation is at a high level of risk is the sea level rises. This increased sea level will start to contaminate the

limited ground water, water supply. Once this ground water is contaminated by seawater, it cannot be consumed easily

(United Nations, 2009). It must be desalinated. This is an expensive and high energy demanding process. The alternative

is to import water in from another country, which too is expensive. Both options are not financially viable for such a small

nation.

Furthermore, the contamination of the seawater into the ground water makes it hard to grow crops. As the cost of

watering the crops increase and the crops are unable to draw water from the ground. This may require a raised field,

which is too expensive (United Nations, 2009). If the food is unable to be produced in the sufficient quantities to meet

demand in the country, food will need to be imported. Due to the limited population, and thus limited government

revenue, the government will struggle to provide financial assistance. The rising sea levels as a result of climate change

will reduce the water security, which in turn influences the ability to grow crops. This is another factor causing food

security for Tuvalu.

With the increased temperature, and the predicted decreased frequency of weather events (although increased impact),

there is an increased chance of a drought occurring on Tuvalu. The limited water supply on Tuvalu, is reliant on rainfall

to provide the shortfall. However, with the decreased frequency and increased reliance on agriculture (as mentioned

above), Tuvalu is at risk of water security.

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9. With reference to the definition of food security, why is Tuvalu not food secure (Food security exists

when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious

food, which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life).

10. After reading the information on Tuvalu and watching the video, complete the table below on your

attitude towards food security. What did you use to think, but now think

I used to think..

But now, I think...

References

Biermann, F., Boas, I. (2010). Preparing for a Warmer World: Towards a Global Governance System to Protect Climate Refugees. Global Environmental Politics, 10(1), 66-88

CIA Factbook (2014). Tuvalu Population Pyramid. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/population/TV_popgraph%202014.bmp

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2015). Tuvalu Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/resources/Documents/tuva.pdf

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2014). Tuvalu country brief. Retrieved from http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/tuvalu/Pages/tuvalu-country-brief.aspx

Pacific Climate Change Program. (2011). Current and future climate of Tuvalu. Retrieved from http://www.pacificclimatechangescience.org/wp-

content/uploads/2013/06/4_PCCSP_Tuvalu_8pp.pdf

Permanent Mission of Tuvalu to the United Nations (n.d.). About Tuvalu. Retrieved from http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/tuvalu/pid/3712

Tuvalu Online (1998). Map of the Tuvalu Islands. Retrieved from http://www.tuvaluislands.com/maps/maps.html

United Nations (2009). Tuvalu’s Views on the Possible Security Implications of Climate Change to be included in the report of the UN Secretary General to the UN General Assembly 64th

Session. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/resources/res_pdfs/ga-64/cc-inputs/Tuvalu_CCIS.pdf

World Health Organisation (2015). Food Security. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story028/en/

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Potential for Australia to contribute to global food security

1. Visit the DFAT webpage on Australia’s response to food security to complete the table below -

https://www.dfat.gov.au/aid/topics/investment-priorities/agriculture-fisheries-water/agriculture-food-

security/Pages/agriculture-and-food-security

What is Australia doing to overcome food security?

Why does Australia help?

How does Australia assist?