Resources
Everyone needs food, water, and energy for basic human development
Access affects economy and social well-being
Global distribution of resources is very uneven.
Some countries don’t have their own energy reserves (energy), have very dry climates
(water) and environments not suitable for agriculture and production (food)
Importing resources or technological solutions produce more resources for countries like
this e.g., building desalination plants can produce fresh water from salt water. However, this
is expensive.
Food
When people can’t access enough safe, nutritious food they don’t have a balanced diet =
malnourishment (including undernourishment)
Malnourishment limits children’s development and increases likelihood of getting ill (third of
all under 5’s die from disease linked to malnourishment)
Food in UK:
Pre-1960s most of our fruit and veg was local and seasonal but now there is a demand for
wider range.
High-value food – as incomes increase exotic fruits, vegs, spices and coffee have become
more popular. Often grown in LICS then exported to HICS.
Seasonal products – fruit and veg is now exported to meet demand for season produce all
year e.g. strawberries from Mexico
Organic produce – as we become more aware of environmental damage. Most of our
organic produce is imported but some is grown here.
Affect food has on environment:
Growing, processing, and packaging food produces carbon dioxide and other gg.
Up to 10% of UK’s gg emissions in 2017 were from agriculture.
Transporting food = food miles = more CO2
Amount of gg produced whilst growing, packing, and transporting a food is called carbon
footprint.
People are becoming more aware of the affect food has on the environment and so are
using farmer’s markets (Altrincham), farm shops (Chatsworth) and locally produced veg
Industrialising agriculture
Since 1960s = agribusiness has increased in UK
Agribusiness – large scale industrial farming where all processes from seed production,
fertilisers and packaging are controlled by a large firm.
And so, farm sizes are increasing, and so smaller farms are being taken over and field sizes
increased.
The amount of chemicals used in food production has been increasing – large quantities of
artificial fertilisers and pesticides are applied to crops and animals are given special feed to
help growth.
Number of employed in agriculture fell to just over 1.1.% of UK’s total employment in 2017
due to machinery.
, Water
People need clean, safe water for drinking, cooking, and washing
Without proper sanitation, water sources get polluted by raw sewage
Water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid kill many people.
Water is need in food production
Water in UK
Areas with high supply of water are not the ones with the highest demand
North and west have highest rainfall and southeast and midlands have the highest
population density
North and west = water surplus
Southeast and midlands = water deficit
Since 1975 amount of water used by UK households has increased by 70%. Partly due to
appliances such as dishwashers, but also population increase etc.
Water pollution
Polluted water can’t be used, putting pressure of water resources
NPK fertilisers are washed into rivers and groundwater, pollutants from vehicles are washed
in surface runoff during rainfall and chemical/oil spills from factories pollute local water
sources and groundwater.
Up to 80% of water in parts of southern England come from groundwater but pollution is
affecting the water quality of nearly 50% of groundwater but pollution is affecting 50% of
groundwater used for public supply.
Treatment is expensive.
Strategies to manage water include improving drainage systems and imposing regulations
on amount and types of fertilisers and pesticides used.
Water transfer
A solution is to transfer water from areas of surplus to areas of deficit.
e.g. Birmingham is supplied by areas of Wales
dams and aqueducts are expensive (Birmingham scheme cost about £300 million)
wildlife can be affected
Political issues about areas that receive water transfer
Everyone needs food, water, and energy for basic human development
Access affects economy and social well-being
Global distribution of resources is very uneven.
Some countries don’t have their own energy reserves (energy), have very dry climates
(water) and environments not suitable for agriculture and production (food)
Importing resources or technological solutions produce more resources for countries like
this e.g., building desalination plants can produce fresh water from salt water. However, this
is expensive.
Food
When people can’t access enough safe, nutritious food they don’t have a balanced diet =
malnourishment (including undernourishment)
Malnourishment limits children’s development and increases likelihood of getting ill (third of
all under 5’s die from disease linked to malnourishment)
Food in UK:
Pre-1960s most of our fruit and veg was local and seasonal but now there is a demand for
wider range.
High-value food – as incomes increase exotic fruits, vegs, spices and coffee have become
more popular. Often grown in LICS then exported to HICS.
Seasonal products – fruit and veg is now exported to meet demand for season produce all
year e.g. strawberries from Mexico
Organic produce – as we become more aware of environmental damage. Most of our
organic produce is imported but some is grown here.
Affect food has on environment:
Growing, processing, and packaging food produces carbon dioxide and other gg.
Up to 10% of UK’s gg emissions in 2017 were from agriculture.
Transporting food = food miles = more CO2
Amount of gg produced whilst growing, packing, and transporting a food is called carbon
footprint.
People are becoming more aware of the affect food has on the environment and so are
using farmer’s markets (Altrincham), farm shops (Chatsworth) and locally produced veg
Industrialising agriculture
Since 1960s = agribusiness has increased in UK
Agribusiness – large scale industrial farming where all processes from seed production,
fertilisers and packaging are controlled by a large firm.
And so, farm sizes are increasing, and so smaller farms are being taken over and field sizes
increased.
The amount of chemicals used in food production has been increasing – large quantities of
artificial fertilisers and pesticides are applied to crops and animals are given special feed to
help growth.
Number of employed in agriculture fell to just over 1.1.% of UK’s total employment in 2017
due to machinery.
, Water
People need clean, safe water for drinking, cooking, and washing
Without proper sanitation, water sources get polluted by raw sewage
Water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid kill many people.
Water is need in food production
Water in UK
Areas with high supply of water are not the ones with the highest demand
North and west have highest rainfall and southeast and midlands have the highest
population density
North and west = water surplus
Southeast and midlands = water deficit
Since 1975 amount of water used by UK households has increased by 70%. Partly due to
appliances such as dishwashers, but also population increase etc.
Water pollution
Polluted water can’t be used, putting pressure of water resources
NPK fertilisers are washed into rivers and groundwater, pollutants from vehicles are washed
in surface runoff during rainfall and chemical/oil spills from factories pollute local water
sources and groundwater.
Up to 80% of water in parts of southern England come from groundwater but pollution is
affecting the water quality of nearly 50% of groundwater but pollution is affecting 50% of
groundwater used for public supply.
Treatment is expensive.
Strategies to manage water include improving drainage systems and imposing regulations
on amount and types of fertilisers and pesticides used.
Water transfer
A solution is to transfer water from areas of surplus to areas of deficit.
e.g. Birmingham is supplied by areas of Wales
dams and aqueducts are expensive (Birmingham scheme cost about £300 million)
wildlife can be affected
Political issues about areas that receive water transfer
