Name: __________________________________

Date: ________________________
Class: _______________

IB ESS

5.2 Terrestrial Food

Production Systems
and Food Choices
Significant ideas:
The sustainability of terrestrial food production systems is influenced by socio-political,
economic and ecological factors.
Consumers have a role to play through their support of different terrestrial food production
systems.
The supply of food is inequitably available and land suitable for food production is unevenly
distributed, and this can lead to conflict and concerns.

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Sustainability of Terrestrial Food Production Systems
1. Outline subsistence and commercial farming.
________________________________________________________________
Subsistence farming is primarily for self-su ciency, where farmers produce enough
________________________________________________________________
food for their family's consumption, while commercial farming focuses on producing
crops or livestock for sale in the market.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2. Complete the table to compare subsistence and commercial farming:

Commercial Subsistence

Lange scale farming

_____________________________
_____________________________
Small scale farmingtends
_____________________________
_____________________________
Size/scale tends to rely heavily to be more labourintensive
_____________________________
chemicals _____________________________
on me chinery
_____________________________
MEDCs _____________________________
in LEDCS
Use in MEDC vs mostly in mostly
_____________________________ _____________________________
LEDC
_____________________________ _____________________________

Level of use of btsofheavy

_____________________________ Use
_____________________________
of draftanimals or
_____________________________
_____________________________
mechanization machinery can damagethe
_____________________________ ehgmǎe 品 95inthesoil
_____________________________
soil
_____________________________
controlled by legislation _____________________________
Legal
_____________________________
unnoticed by legal
_____________________________
regulation so may polluteless
_____________________________
bodies
_____________________________

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3. Compare the sustainability of commercial and subsistence farming systems.

Energy
Which is more sustainable? (tick)

Commercial ☐ Subsistence ☐
v
Explanation:
________________________________________________________________
Subsistence farming systems are often more sustainable for energy production
because they rely on traditional, low-input methods, reducing dependence on
________________________________________________________________
external energy sources.
________________________________________________________________
Irrigation
Which is more sustainable? (tick)

Commercial ☐ Subsistence ☐
v
Explanation:
________________________________________________________________
Subsistence farming systems are more sustainable for irrigation because they often rely
on traditional, low-tech methods that use local resources ef ciently. Unlike large-scale
________________________________________________________________
commercial agriculture, subsistence farmers tend to have a closer connection to the
________________________________________________________________
land.
Indigenous crops/livestock
Which is more sustainable? (tick)

Commercial ☐ Subsistence ☐
Explanation:
________________________________________________________________
Subsistence farming promotes biodiversity and reduces reliance on external inputs,
contributing to the resilience of the ecosystem and ensuring the long-term viability
________________________________________________________________
of indigenous agricultural systems.
________________________________________________________________
Fertilisers and pesticides
Which is more sustainable? (tick)

Commercial ☐ Subsistence ☐
Explanation:
________________________________________________________________
Subsistence farming often rely on traditional, organic practices, reducing the
dependence on synthetic inputs. Unlike commercial agriculture, subsistence farmers
________________________________________________________________
tend to use natural fertilizers like manure and employ crop rotation, minimizing the
________________________________________________________________
need for chemical interventions.

3
 Antibiotics
Which is more sustainable? (tick)

Commercial ☐ Subsistence ☐
Explanation:
________________________________________________________________
generally lower reliance on intensive antibiotic use compared to large-scale
________________________________________________________________
commercial farming, reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance.
________________________________________________________________
Pollinators
Which is more sustainable? (tick)

Commercial ☐ Subsistence ☐
Explanation:
often involve diverse crops grown in smaller areas. This diversity provides a variety of
________________________________________________________________
owering plants, offering a continuous and varied food source for pollinators.
________________________________________________________________
Additionally, subsistence farmers tend to use fewer pesticides, promoting a healthier
________________________________________________________________
environment for pollinators to thrive.

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 4. Outline how the following methods could be used to increase the sustainability of food
production systems:
Altering human activities
________________________________________________________________
Encouraging more sustainable practices, like reduced use of chemical inputs
and adopting agroecological approaches, can mitigate environmental impacts
________________________________________________________________
in food production.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Improving food labels
________________________________________________________________
Clear and informative food labels can guide consumers towards environmentally
________________________________________________________________
friendly choices, promoting sustainability in production methods and supply
chains.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Government control and monitoring
________________________________________________________________
Implementing and enforcing regulations on farming practices can ensure
compliance with sustainable standards, minimizing negative environmental
________________________________________________________________
effects and promoting responsible food production.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Creating buffer zones
________________________________________________________________
Establishing buffer zones around agricultural areas helps protect ecosystems,
reducing the impact of agricultural activities on surrounding environments and
________________________________________________________________
supporting biodiversity.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

5
Food Distribution and Choices
1. Explain what is meant by malnutrition.
Malnutrition refers to a condition where an individual experiences either
________________________________________________________________
de ciencies, excesses, or imbalances in their intake of nutrients. This can lead
________________________________________________________________
to health issues and inadequate nourishment, impacting physical and mental
________________________________________________________________
well-being. Malnutrition can manifest as undernutrition, where there's a lack of
________________________________________________________________
essential nutrients, or overnutrition, involving excessive intake leading to
________________________________________________________________
health problems like obesity.

2. According to researchers, there is enough food produced to feed everybody on the planet,
yet many people in the world still live in food poverty. Using the headings below, explain why
food distribution is not equal:
Climate
________________________________________________________________
Some regions face extreme climates, making it challenging to grow certain
________________________________________________________________
crops throughout the year. This affects the availability of food in those areas,
contributing to unequal distribution.
________________________________________________________________
Land suitability
________________________________________________________________
Not all land is suitable for growing a variety of crops. Some places may have
________________________________________________________________
soil or terrain issues that limit agricultural productivity, leading to uneven
________________________________________________________________
distribution of food resources.
Cash cropping in LEDCs
In less economically developed countries (LEDCs), the focus on cash crops for
________________________________________________________________
export rather than diverse food crops can lead to insuf cient local food
________________________________________________________________
production. This makes these regions more dependent on imported food,
________________________________________________________________
contributing to unequal distribution.
Food waste in food production systems
________________________________________________________________
In some places, a signi cant amount of food is wasted during production and
________________________________________________________________
distribution due to inef cient systems. This waste could otherwise be used to
address food shortages, exacerbating the unequal distribution of food
________________________________________________________________
resources.
3. Compare reasons for food waste in LEDCs and MEDCs.
________________________________________________________________
(LEDCs food waste often happens 'cause of limited technology for storing and
________________________________________________________________
transporting food. Sometimes, there's not enough money for proper facilities, and
bad infrastructure can make it hard to get food from farms to markets.
________________________________________________________________
MEDCs food waste is sometimes 'cause of high standards for how food should
________________________________________________________________
look. If fruits or veggies aren't perfect, they might get tossed.
________________________________________________________________

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4. People and societies make choices about the food they eat, and this is not always limited to
what the land can produce. Outline how the following factors influence the food choices of
people and societies:
Cultural and religious beliefs
________________________________________________________________
People's food choices often depend on their culture and religion. Some follow
________________________________________________________________
speci c diets or avoid certain foods due to cultural traditions or religious
________________________________________________________________
teachings.
Politics and legislation
Laws and government decisions can affect what foods are available and
________________________________________________________________
affordable. For instance, policies on agriculture, trade, and food safety
________________________________________________________________
regulations can impact the types of food people can access. Political decisions
________________________________________________________________
may also in uence food subsidies or taxes, in uencing what people choose to
buy. Socio-economic factors
________________________________________________________________
How much money someone has and where they live can impact their food
________________________________________________________________
choices. People with higher incomes might afford a variety of foods, including
________________________________________________________________
healthier options...
5.
a) Outline the ways in which population growth in society will decrease the availability of
land for food production.
________________________________________________________________
Population growth reduces land availability for food production because more
________________________________________________________________
people require space for housing, infrastructure, and other non-agricultural
________________________________________________________________
needs. As cities expand, farmland gets converted into urban areas, limiting the
________________________________________________________________
land that can be used for growing food.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
EXTENSION:
b) Outline how population growth could increase food production.
(Hint: consider the technocentric/cornucopian environmental value system)
________________________________________________________________
some people believe that with more people, there will be more brains working
on nding better ways to produce food. This idea comes from the
________________________________________________________________
technocentric or cornucopian environmental view, which thinks that human
________________________________________________________________
ingenuity and technology can help us produce more food to meet the needs of
________________________________________________________________
a growing population.

7
Food Yield, Trophic Levels and Societies
1. Explain why producing food from livestock is generally less efficient than producing food from
crops on the same land.
________________________________________________________________
Raising livestock is less ef cient than growing crops on the same land because animals need to
________________________________________________________________
eat plants to produce meat. This process results in energy loss, as animals use a signi cant
portion of the consumed plants for their own energy needs. In contrast, growing crops directly
________________________________________________________________
for human consumption is a more direct and ef cient way to obtain food from the available
land.
2. Explain why harvesting food from lower trophic levels may be more cost efficient.
________________________________________________________________
Harvesting food from lower trophic levels, like plants, is more cost-ef cient because energy is
________________________________________________________________
lost as it moves up the food chain. Plants convert sunlight into energy, and when animals eat
plants, only a fraction of that energy is transferred. Harvesting plants directly means we get
________________________________________________________________
more energy from the start, making it a cheaper and more ef cient way to produce food.
________________________________________________________________
3. Outline reasons why members of a society may tend to harvest from higher tropic levels
despite the limitations in efficiency.
________________________________________________________________
People might still harvest from higher trophic levels despite ef ciency issues because meat is
often seen as tastier or culturally important. Additionally, some societies may have historical
________________________________________________________________
habits or traditions tied to certain animal products. These factors can in uence food choices,
________________________________________________________________
even if they are less ef cient in terms of resource use.
________________________________________________________________

8
Comparing Food Production Systems
1. Conduct your own research into two specific terrestrial food production systems, preferably
one that is present in your own country and one that isn’t, if possible.
Compare these food production systems using the table below.

Food production system 1: Food production system 2:

Rice farming
_______________________________ coffee Plantation
_______________________________

fertilizers
_______________________________
Inputs ǒěsifiiés
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
water fertilizers
_______________________________
sunlight
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________

_______________________________
Rice crops
_______________________________
Outputs
_______________________________
_______________________________
beans
_______________________________
coffee
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________

_______________________________
diverse _______________________________
System
characteristics _______________________________
export
_______________________________
(e.g. diversity, _______________________________ _______________________________
sustainability)
_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________
Environmental
pesticide issue
_______________________________
Impact _______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________

Socio-
_______________________________ _______________________________
占华品器
economic
_______________________________ _______________________________
details the
_______________________________ _______________________________
(e.g. subsistence or
cash crop, for export
local economy
_______________________________ _______________________________
or local use...)