Food supply
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| food supply/fuːd səˈplaɪ/ | food supply |
| fertilisers/ˈfɜːtəlaɪzəz/ | Materials added to soil to supply mineral ions and raise crop yield. |
| pesticides/ˈpestɪsaɪdz/ | pesticides |
| herbicides/ˈhɜːbɪsaɪdz/ | Chemicals used to kill or control unwanted plants. |
| intensive farming/ɪnˈtensɪv ˈfɑːmɪŋ/ | intensive farming |
Feeding a growing world
- The human population keeps growing, and all those people need food.
- Increasing food supply 食物供应 uses science — but it has costs as well as benefits.
Food supply pressure lab
Follow how demand, farming and waste affect food supply.
Fertilisers increase crop yields by:
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Fertilisers supply nutrients like nitrates.
Which increase food supply? (Select all that apply.)
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Removing nutrients would reduce yields.
Ways to increase food supply
- Fertilisers 化肥 add nutrients; machinery works land faster; pesticides 农药 kill pests.
- Selective breeding and glasshouses raise yields further.
Deforestation lowers biodiversity, washes away soil, causes flooding and adds CO2
A drawback of pesticides is that they can:
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Pesticides can damage non-target species.
Chemicals that kill weeds competing with crops are called ______.
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Herbicides remove competing weeds.
Pesticides and their problems
- Pesticides protect crops but can harm helpful insects and build up in food chains.
- Herbicides 除草剂 kill weeds that compete with crops.
Ways farmers increase food production
Overusing fertilisers can pollute rivers.
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Fertiliser run-off causes eutrophication.
Intensive farming 集约农业: pros and cons
- Pros: much more food per area, lower prices.
- Cons: pollution from fertilisers, loss of habitats, and animal-welfare concerns.
More food can mean more pollution. Fertilisers boost yields but, washed into rivers, cause eutrophication. Higher food supply must be balanced against environmental harm.
You've got it
- food supply is raised by fertilisers, machinery, pesticides, selective breeding, glasshouses
- pesticides protect crops but can harm helpful species and build up in food chains
- intensive farming gives more food but causes pollution and habitat loss
Write from a pesticide spray
- A farmer sprays a crop to kill insect pests.
- The same farm uses fertiliser to grow more food.
What problem can the pesticide cause, and what is one benefit of the fertiliser?
More food can come with harm to other organisms.
Which is a problem with pesticides?
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Helpful insects and food chains can be hit as well.