Challenges of Contemporary Agriculture
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| food security/fuːd sɪˈkjʊərɪti/ | Reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food for an active and healthy life. |
| food deserts/fuːd ˈdezəts/ | An area where people face limited access to affordable nutritious food; definitions vary with distance, transport and household resources. |
| GMOs/ˌdʒiː em ˈəʊz/ | Organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic-engineering techniques. |
| organic farming/ɔːˈɡænɪk ˈfɑːmɪŋ/ | Farming under standards that emphasise ecological processes and restrict specified inputs; it does not mean that every pesticide is prohibited. |
Can everyone be fed?
- Food security 粮食安全 is reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food.
- The world grows enough food, yet hunger persists where access is unequal.
- Food deserts 食物荒漠 are areas with little access to fresh, affordable food.
Reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food is called...
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Food security means dependable access to good food.
Technology and debate
- GMOs 转基因生物 are crops with genes changed to resist pests or boost yield.
- Supporters say they raise output; critics worry about health and control by big firms.
- The debate mixes science, economics, and ethics.
Which agricultural challenge?
Match each example to the challenge it shows.
GMOs are crops whose genes have been changed, for example to resist pests.
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GMOs have modified genes to boost yield or resistance.
An area with little access to fresh, affordable food is a food ____.
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A food desert is defined by poor access, not lack of total supply.
Match each term to its meaning.
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Security = access; desert = poor access; GMO = modified crop.
Alternatives and land use
- Organic farming 有机农业 avoids synthetic chemicals; local-food cuts "food miles".
- Suburbanisation eats into farmland at the edge of cities.
- Balancing enough food, fair access, and a healthy environment is the core challenge.
Select all true statements about world hunger.
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Hunger is mostly about access and distribution; the world grows enough food overall.
World hunger is usually a problem of access and distribution, not total supply. Enough food is grown globally, but poverty, conflict, and food deserts block access. On the exam, explain hunger through distribution, not just production.
A poor urban neighbourhood with only corner shops selling packaged snacks, and no supermarket for kilometres, is a food desert. People there may go hungry for fresh food even though the country as a whole grows plenty — a problem of access, not supply.
Contemporary agriculture must balance food security (reliable access), the GMO and organic debates, food deserts (poor access), and farmland lost to suburbanisation. World hunger is mainly about access and distribution, not total production.
Write from a neighbourhood food desert
- The nearest full grocery store is 2 kilometres away.
- Many residents have no car and the local shops sell little fresh food.
What access problem is this?
Poor access to affordable fresh food is a food desert.
What is this neighbourhood's food problem called?
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Distance plus no car blocks access to fresh food.