AQA GCSE Geography · 3.2.3

Food

50 revision questions with answers for 3.2.3 Food in AQA GCSE Geography (spec 8035). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below. Not official AQA material.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What is food security?
Answer:
When all people, at all times, have access to enough safe and nutritious food to live a healthy life. Areas where this is achieved have a food surplus.
Question 2 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What is food insecurity?
Answer:
When people cannot reliably get enough safe, nutritious food, so there is a food deficit, leading to hunger and poor health.
Question 3 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Describe the global pattern of food surplus and deficit.
Answer:
North America, Europe, Australia and parts of South America have a surplus. Food deficits are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia, and some countries in conflict.
Question 4 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Describe the global pattern of calorie intake.
Answer:
HICs average over 3,000 kilocalories per person per day, while many LICs average below 2,500 and some have under 2,000, which is below the recommended amount.
Question 5 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Why is food consumption increasing globally?
Answer:
Rising populations mean more mouths to feed, and economic development raises incomes so people eat more food, more meat and more processed food.
Question 6 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How does economic development increase food consumption?
Answer:
As incomes rise, people can afford more food and switch to meat, dairy and processed foods, which require more land, water and energy to produce.
Question 7 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How does population growth increase food demand?
Answer:
The world population is rising by roughly 80 million a year, mostly in LICs, so more food must be produced.
Question 8 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How does climate affect food supply?
Answer:
Droughts, floods, storms and heat can destroy crops and livestock, and climate change is making rainfall and seasons less predictable.
Question 9 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How does technology affect food supply?
Answer:
Machinery, irrigation, fertilisers, improved seeds and storage raise yields and reduce losses. Lack of technology in LICs keeps yields low.
Question 10 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How do pests and disease affect food supply?
Answer:
Locusts, insects, fungal diseases and livestock disease can wipe out crops and herds, especially where pesticides and veterinary care are not available.
Question 11 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How does water stress affect food supply?
Answer:
Farming uses large amounts of water. When water is scarce because of drought or over-use, crops fail and yields fall.
Question 12 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How does conflict affect food supply?
Answer:
War displaces farmers, destroys crops, roads and markets and blocks aid, as in South Sudan and Yemen.
Question 13 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How does poverty affect food supply?
Answer:
Poor farmers cannot afford seeds, fertiliser or equipment, and poor families cannot buy enough food even when it is available.
Question 14 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What is famine?
Answer:
An extreme shortage of food in an area that causes widespread starvation and death. It usually results from a combination of drought, conflict and poverty.
Question 15 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What is undernutrition?
Answer:
Not getting enough calories, vitamins or protein to stay healthy, which leads to stunted growth, weak immunity and increased death rates.
Question 16 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How does food insecurity cause soil erosion?
Answer:
Desperate farmers overgraze, overcultivate and clear land, leaving soil bare and exposed to wind and rain, which reduces future yields.
Question 17 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How does food insecurity lead to rising prices?
Answer:
When supplies fall below demand, food prices go up, making food unaffordable for the poor. Price spikes in 2008 and 2022 caused hardship.
Question 18 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How can food insecurity lead to social unrest?
Answer:
High food prices and hunger cause protests, riots and conflict, as in food price riots in 2008, and can add to political instability.
Question 19 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Give an overview of strategies to increase food supply.
Answer:
Irrigation, aeroponics and hydroponics, the new green revolution with biotechnology, appropriate technology, and large-scale agricultural projects.
Question 20 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What is irrigation?
Answer:
The artificial supply of water to farmland using canals, pipes, sprinklers or drip systems, which allows crops to grow in dry areas and more than once a year.
Question 21 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What are the problems with irrigation?
Answer:
It uses large amounts of water that can deplete rivers and aquifers, evaporation can leave salt in the soil (salinisation) and systems are expensive.
Question 22 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What is hydroponics?
Answer:
Growing plants in nutrient-rich water without soil, often indoors. It uses less water and land and allows year-round production.
Question 23 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What is aeroponics?
Answer:
Growing plants with their roots suspended in air and misted with nutrient solution. It uses very little water and space and gives fast growth.
Question 24 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What are the advantages and disadvantages of hydroponics and aeroponics?
Answer:
Advantages: high yields, little water, no soil or pesticides, and food grown near cities. Disadvantages: expensive set-up, energy and technical skills needed.
Question 25 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What was the Green Revolution?
Answer:
In the 1960s and 70s, high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, together with fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation, greatly increased food production in Asia and Latin America.
Question 26 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What is the new green revolution and biotechnology?
Answer:
Using genetic engineering and modern breeding to produce crops with higher yields and resistance to pests, drought or disease, such as GM crops and golden rice.
Question 27 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What are the benefits and concerns of GM crops?
Answer:
Benefits: higher yields, less pesticide and crops that tolerate drought. Concerns: high seed costs and dependence on companies, harm to biodiversity and public health fears.
Question 28 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What is appropriate technology in farming?
Answer:
Simple, low-cost technology matched to local skills and needs, such as hand pumps, treadle pumps, drip irrigation using buckets and ox ploughs.
Question 29 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Case study: where is Almeria and what is its agriculture?
Answer:
In south-east Spain, where over 30,000 hectares of plastic greenhouses (polytunnels) grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other vegetables for export, mostly to northern Europe.
Question 30 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Why is Almeria suitable for large-scale greenhouse farming?
Answer:
Very sunny and mild winters, flat land, cheap labour and water from boreholes, and good road and port links to European markets.
Question 31 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What are the economic advantages of the Almeria greenhouses?
Answer:
Year-round production, high yields, jobs, export earnings and cheap supplies of fresh vegetables for supermarkets.
Question 32 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What are the social advantages and problems at Almeria?
Answer:
Many jobs and a stronger local economy, but many workers are low-paid migrants living in poor housing, and communities can be tense.
Question 33 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What water problems have developed at Almeria?
Answer:
Heavy irrigation has overused groundwater so the water table has fallen and salt water has seeped in, making water scarce and more expensive.
Question 34 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What other environmental problems does Almeria have?
Answer:
Plastic waste and visual pollution, pesticide and fertiliser pollution, and loss of natural habitat around the greenhouses.
Question 35 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Evaluate the Almeria agricultural development.
Answer:
It supplies food and income and provides jobs, but groundwater depletion, waste and poor labour conditions raise questions about its long-term sustainability.
Question 36 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What does moving towards a sustainable food future involve?
Answer:
Producing and consuming food in ways that meet today's needs without harming the environment, using organic and permaculture farming, urban farming, sustainable fish and meat, seasonal food and less waste.
Question 37 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What is organic farming?
Answer:
Farming without synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, using crop rotation, compost and natural pest control. It is better for soil and wildlife but gives lower yields.
Question 38 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What is permaculture?
Answer:
Designing farms to copy natural ecosystems, with mixed perennial plants, animals and water management, so that they need few inputs and are self-sustaining.
Question 39 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What are urban farming initiatives?
Answer:
Growing food in cities through allotments, community gardens, rooftop and vertical farms, which cut food miles and use local space.
Question 40 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How can fish and meat come from sustainable sources?
Answer:
Fish stocks can be protected by quotas and by eco-labels like MSC, and well-managed fish farms. Meat can be reared locally on pasture and eaten in smaller amounts.
Question 41 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How does eating seasonal food help sustainability?
Answer:
It reduces the need for heated greenhouses, long-distance transport and storage, so produces fewer emissions and often tastes better.
Question 42 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How does reducing waste and losses help food supply?
Answer:
About a third of food produced is wasted. Better storage in LICs and less waste in HICs would increase supply without needing more land or water.
Question 43 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Local scheme in an LIC: what is rice-fish farming in Jamalpur, Bangladesh?
Answer:
In Jamalpur, farmers dig trenches in their rice paddies and add fish. The fish eat pests and weeds and their waste fertilises the rice, which gives farmers food and extra income.
Question 44 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What are the benefits of rice-fish farming?
Answer:
Higher rice yields, extra protein and income from fish, less need for pesticides and fertiliser, and food security for small farmers.
Question 45 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Why is rice-fish farming sustainable?
Answer:
It uses natural pest control and fertiliser, needs little investment, can be run by families and uses existing paddies, so it protects the environment and is affordable.
Question 46 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Local scheme in an LIC: what is the Makueni programme in Kenya?
Answer:
In Makueni County, villages built sand dams to store water, installed rainwater tanks at schools, planted trees and trained farmers, with help from NGOs.
Question 47 · Spec 3.2.3.2
How do sand dams help food security?
Answer:
Sand traps rainwater in the sand behind the dam, which is filtered and protected from evaporation. Villagers use it for crops and animals all year, so yields and incomes rise.
Question 48 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Why are sand dams an example of appropriate technology?
Answer:
They are cheap, built by local people using local materials, easy to maintain and suited to dry areas, so communities control them.
Question 49 · Spec 3.2.3.2
What are the limitations of local schemes such as Makueni and Jamalpur?
Answer:
They help small areas only, need local management and suitable geology or conditions, and may not meet the food needs of entire countries.
Question 50 · Spec 3.2.3.2
Why can large-scale and small-scale food schemes both be useful?
Answer:
Large schemes provide high output for markets, while small schemes use appropriate technology to improve the food security of local families.

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