Food production - AQAWhat factors affect food security?
Factors such as the increase in human population, new pests and pathogens, overhunting and armed conflict, can result in food scarcity in some countries.
Food security is a measure of the availability of food required to support people of a household, region, country or any specified area. It is a measure of how much food there is, if it is of suitable quality and whether people can access it.
Having fully stocked supermarket shelves is something that perhaps some of us might take for granted. However, this high level of food security is not experienced by all people. In some parts of the world there is a shortage of food, which can result in starvation and death. The United Nations estimate that over 700 million people face hunger each year. They also estimate that each year three billion people cannot afford a healthy diet.
Food security is reduced by:
the increase in human populationAll of the members of a single species that live within a geographical area., as birth rates are increasing and many people have better access to medical care
changing diets mean scarce food resources are transported to be sold to other areas from areas which need them
new pests and pathogenMicroorganism that causes disease. that attack crops and farm animals
the effects of climate change are making farming more difficult in many areas, eg famine in some countries if it doesn't rain for a long time
increased costs of farming
armed conflicts which affect how available food is.
Finding sustainableAn activity which does not consume or destroy resources or the environment. ways to feed people is an important problem for scientists.