Food resource lesson 5

1. CBSS Humanities
Flip Classroom Package
Lesson 5

2. Gateway 2: Trends and Challenges in
food crop production
Thinking questions
1. Why is it important to improve the
production of food crops?
2. What challenges do farmers face in
improving production?
3. What are some ways in which we can
improve food crop production?

3. Changes in crop production
since the 1960s
• Food supply chain
–The linear movement of food from
producers to consumers.
–Producers – Processing & Packaging –
Distribution network – Retailers -
Consumers

4. Rice and Wheat casestudy
• Increased intensity
– Increased in farm productivity.
– Input of resources (capital and labour) into farms.
• Productivity = Output/Input
– Measured as Labour per unit area
or
– Crop yield
PG
121

5. Productivity trend
(a general upward trend observed)

6. Think for a moment!
Why would there be this
trend of increasing
productivity?
If there is no demand,
would there be this push
to supply such food?
What is causing this
massive demand for more
food?

7. Choropleth maps
• Maps that use different shading or colouring
to indicate differences in value.
• Darker shade / more intense colour indicates
higher value.
• Pg 122

8. Genetically modified (GM) crops
• Introduced in 1996.
• Crops with altered genes.
• Grow faster / more resistant to pests /
increased output / other positive productivity
effects.
• Main GM crops include rice, corn, soya bean,
cotton.

9. Increased production in GM crop
• Between 1996 to 2011, total land area used to
grown GM crop increased by almost 100
times.
• 160 million hectares in 2011.
• Initially concentrated in North America, now
LDCs have increased production.

10. Factors that affect intensity of food
production and supply
1. Physical factors
2. Social factors
3. Economic factors
4. Political factors
5. Technological factors

11. Physical Factors
• Physical features of the area.
• Climate, soil and drainage.
• Relief and suitability for
agriculture.

12. Climate
• Temperatures below 5˚C discourage crop growth.
• Exceptions exist for particular crops
– Broccoli, strawberry, tea.
• Optimal growing temperature is between 25˚C and
28˚C.
• Rainfall is also necessary for cultivation.
• General requirement is for high temperature and high
rainfall.
• Temperate Climates also lead to presence of growing
seasons as opposed to Tropical Equatorial Climates.

13. Climate
• Rearing of cattle and poultry also requires
favourable climate.
• Animals may become stressed by extreme
temperatures.
– Higher rates of infections
– Less optimal milk production
– Reduction / slowing down in growth rate

14. Soil and Drainage
• Composition of soil and nutrient content
affects intensity of cultivation.
• Fertile soil is rich in minerals (nitrogen,
potassium, phosphorus)
• Presence of good drainage reduces flood
risk.
• Presence of water encourages growth.

15. Relief
• Relief refers to the slope and altitude of the
land.
• Ideally flat land is most ideal for intense
cultivation.
• Terracing can be used to modify slopes into
suitable terrain.
• Temperature changes with altitude. If
temperature is too low, cultivation is
hampered.

16. Social Factors
• Social factors affect the
intensity of food
production and supply.

17. Land Tenure
• Land tenure is the system by which
agricultural land is allocated and
occupied.
• LDC farmers are poor.
• Payment of rental (money / harvest) to
government.
• Uncertainty in tenure lead to
unwillingness to invest to get greater
gain.

18. Land Fragmentation
• The division of land into smaller plots
• Every subsequent generation inherits
smaller piece.
• Eventually, land sizes are too small to
support the families.
• Smaller land sizes also make it less ideal
to use machines.

19. Land Fragmentation

20. Economic Factors
• The type of farming system, demand
and trade affect the intensity of food
production and supply.

21. Purpose of Farming
Subsistence farming vs Commercial farming
VS
Read Pg
129

22. Demand
• Demand affects intensity of production.
• More demand due to change in taste and
preferences affect crop production.
• With spikes in demand, previously sufficient
production levels may need imports to meet
higher demands.
– China’s import of corn with rise in meat demand.
– Pg 130

23. Trade
• The import and export of goods and services.
• Free trade = international trade where there
are no barriers (additional terms / conditions).
• Free trade allows for cheaper imports, more
variety for consumers.
• With trade, large companies specialise in
crops for trading.
Click on the logo
and watch the
video

24. Thinking moment: Do some online
research now
• Google Monsanto Corporation.
– What does this company produce?
– What are their most famous innovations/
products?
– Are there any pieces of information that celebrate
their innovations/ products?
– Are there any pieces of information that warn
about their innovations/ products?
– Why do you think these opposing information
pieces exist?

25. Agribusiness
• Large farming companies involved with most
industries in a food supply chain.
• Farming , processing and retailing.
• Large focus on scientific innovation in farming.
• Large company, able to absorb impact of crop
yield variations due to environmental factors.
– Monsanto, Tyson Chicken, State Farm…

26. Political Factors
• Government policies ensure sufficient
food supply.
• Collective policies and agreements by
regional countries affect regional food
production.
• Government policy
–Action plan to change a specific situation.
–Agricultural and food policy are adjusted to
achieve food security.

27. Government
Policy
Agricultural
policy
Food Policy
Farmer
development
and education
Pricing policy
Diversifying
food source
Stockpiling
Pg 132

28. Agricultural policy
• Policites that affect domestic agriculture.
• Decision on use of resources (land and
money)
• Devision on intensity of food production.
• 2012 Indian farmer education
programme, seed choice, pesticide and
irrigation.

29. Food Policy
• Decisions that affect food production,
processing, distribution, packaging and
storage.
• Singapore stockpiles rice as a key staple
food source to hedge against price
fluctuation and diseases.

30. Read about how ASEAN and EU plan
for contingency
Click on both pictures to read
the details on the plans

31. Pitstop 12 (Pg132)
• Take a look at the 3 questions on
Pg 132 in PITSTOP 12.
• We will discuss this during the
lesson in class.