Food Supply

Food Supply and Human Influence

• The global food supply comes from both land-based agriculture and aquatic systems.
• Land-based agriculture predominantly involves growing crops and rearing animals for milk, eggs, and meat.
• Aquatic food systems include fishing and aquaculture (also known as fish farming).

Types of Agriculture

• Arable farming is the cultivation of crops on a large scale for human consumption, including grains, fruits, and vegetables.
• Pastoral farming involves the rearing of animals for products such as milk, eggs, and meat.
• Mixed farming involves both crop cultivation and animal rearing.

Enhancing Food Supply

• Fertilisers are often used in agriculture to increase the yield of crops by providing extra nutrients.
• Pesticides are used to control pests that can reduce crop yields.
• Methods such as selective breeding and genetic modification can be used to create crops and animals with desired traits, which may increase productivity.

Intensive Farming Practices

• Intensive farming involves practices aimed at maximising output (either crop or livestock) from a given area of land.
• Intensive farming could involve the use of fertilisers, pesticides, and high-yield plant and animal breeds, as well as housing animals in confined spaces.
• Despite its high productivity, intensive farming often comes under criticism for its environmental impacts and sometimes questionable animal welfare practices.

Impact of Farming on Ecosystems

• Agricultural practices can significantly influence local ecosystems.
• Habitat loss, overuse of water resources, and pollution from fertilisers and pesticides are common impacts of farming.
• These negative environmental impacts can cause a decrease in local biodiversity.

Sustainable Farming

• With the growing global population and increasing demand for food, sustainable farming practices are vital.
• Sustainable farming focuses on producing food without causing harm to the environment, ensuring the long-term viability of the land.
• This may include practices such as organic farming, permaculture, and agroforestry.

Protecting Ocean Fisheries

• Overfishing in oceans and seas is a significant concern for the sustainability of aquatic food resources.
• Sustainable fishing practices and management approaches are essential to maintain fish populations and ensure the long-term viability of this food source.
• This may involve fishing quotas, size limits on catch, and the protection of certain areas to allow fish populations to recover.

Biological Pest Control

• Instead of relying on chemical pesticides, some farmers use biological pest control methods to manage pests on their crops.
• This can involve introducing a predator, parasite, or disease organism that specifically targets the pest species, thereby reducing their numbers and the damage they can cause to crops.
• Biological pest control is seen as more environmentally friendly and sustainable than using chemical pesticides.