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IGCSE Geography CIE Your notes
3.2 Food Production

Contents
3.2.1 Agricultural Systems
3.2.2 Food Shortages
Page 1 of 15
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3.2.1 Agricultural Systems

Your notes
Agricultural Systems
To obtain food humans use and modify the ecosystems through farming
There are four groupings commonly used to categorise farming:
Arable and pastoral
Commercial and subsistence
Extensive and intensive
Nomadic and sedentary
A farm that has both livestock and grows crops is a mixed farm
Factors influencing the type of agriculture
Physical Factors Human Factors
Temperature - all crops have a minimum

Tradition - many farms simply grow the
temperature below which they will not
crops or raise the livestock that have
grow or will not produce a good yield -
been on the farm for generations
wheat grows best between 21-24oC
Growing season - the length of the

growing season affects the type of Subsidies - farmers may change crop or
crop grown - barley needs about 90 livestock dependent on the money
days from sowing to harvest whereas available from the government
rice takes about 120 days
Transport - the cost of transporting the
Precipitation - both the average annual
product may affect what is produced.
rainfall and the distribution over the year
Livestock transport is more expensive
affect the types of crops grown
than grain transport
Relief and slope aspect - the altitude
of land affects temperature and the Farm size - due to economies of scale
steepness affects the suitability for larger farms are able to afford more in
crops. in local areas different crops may terms of feed, fertiliser and machinery,
be grown on south facing slopes which this may affect what is produced
get more sunshine and are warmer
Soil type and fertility - in areas with Market demand - the changing demand
thin, infertile soils graz ing is likely to for produce. There has been an increase
in demand for meat such as buffalo and
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dominate as crops need deeper, more ostrich which may affect the choice of
fertile soil what is produced
Your notes
Capital - the amount of money a farmer
Drainage - for most crops to grow the
has to invest will affect the machines
land needs to be well drained so that
and artificial inputs (irrigation,
roots do not get waterlogged
pesticides, fertilisers) they can afford
Farming systems
All farms are systems, they have inputs, processes and outputs
A Farming System
Impacts of farming systems
All farming systems impact the ecosystem in which they are located
Some have more impact than others, such as:
Monocultures which reduce diversity because the animals have no access to a wide range of
foods
When nutrient cycling is often dependent on fertilisers added to the soil, this may be natural
(manure) or artificial fertilisers
When the ecosystem is modified with inputs of seed, fertiliser, pesticides, herbicides and
the use of machines
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Where food webs are reduced

Reducing the amount of biomass
Your notes
Exam Tip
Remember farms do fit into more than one category. For example, a sheep farm in Cumbria. UK
would be categorised as arable, commercial, extensive and sedentary.
Worked example
Insert the following words into the table below to show examples
of inputs, processes and outputs of a mixed farm.
[3]
Choose from the words below
milk wheat harvesting
ploughing water pesticides
Inputs Processes Outputs
Answer:
Inputs Processes Outputs
water harvesting wheat
pesticides ploughing milk
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Case Study: Sheep Farming

The relief of the land in Cumbria limits the type of farming Your notes
Lowland areas are used for cattle graz ing and limited amounts of crops
Sheep farming dominates, with approximately 3 million sheep farmed in the area
An example of extensive, commercial, pastoral and sedentary farming
Characteristics
Sheep farms usually have three land use z ones:
The fell - these are the hills over 300m and is used for graz ing
The intake - the lower slopes which are divided into fields
The inbye - land close to the farm buildings used to bring the sheep in for lambing and
shearing. Some crops may also be grown here for animal feed (turnips/hay)
Inputs
Inputs can be divided into physical and human
Physical Human
Climate - Short growing season means

the area is unsuitable for most crops as Machinery, fuel and buildings - quad
well as high rainfall. In many areas over bikes and sheds for lambing
1500mm
Labour - low labour requirements.
Soils - in the upland areas' soils are thin
Farms often worked by one person
and acidic
with additional help when needed
Relief - many steep slopes with large Subsidies - without subsidies many
areas of upland farmers would make a loss
Feed - needed for winter months
when uplands are snow covered and
grass doesn't provide the nutrients
needed
Processes
There are not large numbers of processes on a hill sheep farm, but they do include:
Monitoring the sheep
Lambing
Dipping - to reduce parasites and maggots
Shearing
Outputs
Lambs are bred for meat and sent for slaughter before they are 1 year (usually 6-8 months)
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Wool from shearing (this often costs more than the farmer gets for the fleece)
Mutton - this is meat from sheep over 1 year
Your notes
Challenges
Hill sheep farming is often not profitable, and farmers rely upon subsidies or diversification
Disease - foot and mouth outbreaks. In 2001 nearly 500,000 sheep had to be killed to prevent
further spread of the disease
Fuel, machinery and feed costs have all increased
Lamb prices fluctuate depending on the market and this affects income
Wool prices average about 32p for a kilo this is less than the cost of shearing the sheep so
shearing costs the farmer money
Fewer people want to become sheep farmers
Since leaving the EU, the UK is intending to phase out subsidies and replace them with payments
for environmental work
Impacts
Many sheep farmers are diversifying into areas such as campsites and holiday cottages
Conversion to organic such as Low Sizergh Farm in South Cumbria can increase profits as
people pay more for organic meat and wool
Farmers taking on additional jobs and farming part time
Changing of breeds to those that shed their fleece and don't require shearing though this may
not be suitable for the upland areas
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3.2.2 Food Shortages

Your notes
Causes & Effects of Food Shortages
In 2015 world leaders committed to ending world hunger by 2030
The UN estimates that the number of people in 'hunger emergencies' has increased from 135
million in 2019 to 345 million in 2022
Global food prices are rising - 23% higher than in 2021
World grain reserves are lower than they have been for 14 years
Women and girls account for 70% of the people suffering hunger
Causes of food shortages
The causes of food shortages can be divided into natural and human factors
It is important to remember that natural causes can often be made worse by human activity
An example would be floods which result from heavy and prolonged rainfall but may be made
worse by:
Urbanisation
Deforestation
Climate change leading to increased snow and ice melt, sea level rise and changing
weather patterns
Natural Human
Flooding - crops cannot cope with being War and conflict - people are unable to farm
waterlogged also causes the death of due to the conflict. War also disrupts supply
livestock and movement of food supplies
Drought and unreliable rainfall - this can Rising food prices - people cannot afford
reduce crop yields significantly the food that they need
Disease - these reduce yields and can Human induced global warming - leads to
result in livestock deaths/culling e.g. swine changing weather patterns, increased
flu temperatures and rising sea levels
Lack of investment - many LEDCs have
poor transport systems which means that
Pests - locusts can wipe out entire fields of
transporting food and livestock is difficult.
crops in a matter of hours
They also do not have the funds to invest in
agriculture
Tropical cyclones - bring heavy rainfall and Corruption - investment in rural areas and
strong winds which can destroy large areas agriculture does not happen as a result of
of crops corrupt politicians taking the money
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Rapid population increase - the food

available has to be shared between more
people, decreasing the amount that people Your notes
have
Soil erosion and desertification -
overgraz ing and overcultivation lead to a
loss of soil fertility so plants won't grow, or
yields decrease
Effects of food shortages

The impact of food shortages ranges from undernutrition to wasting
Undernutrition - people do not consume enough calories, this is linked to 45% of all child
deaths
Malnutrition - people's diet lacks the correct nutrients to keep them healthy
Wasting - when people have low weight in relation to their height - affects 45 million children
under the age of 5
Rising food prices
When there is increased demand and reduced supply the prices increase
Underdevelopment - loss of productivity
If a country's workforce is suffering from food shortages, they will be less productive, and
development will slow or even reverse
Soil erosion and desertification
Farmers may over cultivate and overgraz e the land in an attempt to increase the amount of
food available
Social unrest
Food shortage may lead people to riot and loot
Migration
People migrate to other countries or to urban areas where the food supply is better. This can
impact those areas with the development of illegal settlements
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Worked example
Your notes
Describe the natural problems which cause food shortages.
[3]
Answer:
Drought causes crop failure [1]
Floods destroy crops [1]
Tropical storms destroy crops/cause flooding [1]
Pests eat crops [1]
Disease destroys the crop [1]
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Possible Solutions to the Problem of Food Shortages

There are a number of solutions to food shortages including: Your notes
Possible
How it works Advantages Disadvantages
solution
This can be short (after a

disaster or in a crisis) or long
term (often given to the LEDC Can increase
government to distribute). dependence of
LEDCs on food aid
The aid is given by MEDCs
Saves lives during Reduces the sales of
Food aid often through organisations
in a crisis crops grown by local
such as the World Food
farmers
Programme (WFP) as well as
Expensive to
by Non-Governmental
transport
Organisations (NGOs) such as
Oxfam and Save The Children.
The artificial watering of crops Loss of water

- the success of this is through evaporation
dependent on the type of Increases crop
Increased salinity of
irrigation. production/yields
Irrigation the soil affects crop
in areas with low
growth
Surface irrigation or drip rainfall
Increases pressure
irrigation
on water resources
Genetically When the genetic material of a Increases the yield
crop is altered to make them of crops as they Concerns about the
Modified disease/pest resistant, have are not as impacts on the
(GM) crops higher yield or be drought susceptible to environment
resistant pests/disease
Needed high inputs
Green Involved in the development Increased yields of
Revolution and of high yield varieties of main Larger farm fertilisers/pesticides
High Yield food crops including wheat, incomes Increased
Varieties maiz e and rice increased mechanisation leads
to fewer jobs
Education of Education for farmers about Low cost
farmers sustainable farming methods Increases farming
knowledge
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Increases yields
Increases yields as
Reduces jobs in Your notes
more land can be
Use of tractors and other agriculture
cultivated
Mechanisation machines to complete farming Machines can be
More time efficient
tasks expensive to buy and
Less labour
maintain
needed
Fertilisers are added to Damage to the
increase yields through adding environment e.g.
Fertilisers/ Increases the yield
nitrogen eutrophication
Reduces losses
Pesticides Concerns about the
Pesticides are used to kill or from pests
impact on human
deter pests from eating crops
health
Increases yield as
Includes methods such as water infiltration
Appropriate Contour ploughing improves and soil
technology or intercropping erosion
decreases
Page 11 of 15
Case Study: Yemen

Located on the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula Your notes
Location of Yemen
Yemen has a mainly hot desert climate with a temperate climate in the western mountains
In summer months temperatures reach 40oC and there is little rainfall
Winter months are cooler between 25-35 oC but with little rainfall
Agriculture
There is increasing agricultural activity in Yemen with crops including:
Millet
Corn
Wheat
Barley
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Sorghum
Other crops include coffee, cotton and fruit which were grown for export
Over 73% of the population relies on agriculture as their main source of income Your notes
Causes of food shortages
Conflict
In 2015 after years of internal conflict, civil war broke out
Continued conflicts have led over 4 million Yemenis to be displaced
Food aid supplies have been affected by blockades at the ports intended to stop weapons
entering the country
Internal infrastructure (roads, airports and communication) has also been affected by the
conflict which stops the movement of food around the country
Drought
In recent years drought has further affected supplies
The main crop growing areas have received only one third to a half of the usual precipitation
Pests
In 2019 swarms of locust hit Yemen destroying many of the crops
The conflict had affected the control and monitoring program
Lack of pesticides meant that the Yemeni struggled to control the insects
Corruption
Food aid is taken by those involved in the fighting and those in power
It often does not reach those who need it most
Population increase
The population has increased to almost 30 million from 26.5 million in 2015
This increases the demand for food
Effects of food shortages
The Yemeni economy has declined
These issues have mostly happened in the crop growing areas in the south-west
In 2016 it is estimated that farm produce losses totalled $964.5million
Yemen became dependent on imports for 90% of its grain supplies - much of this was from
Ukraine, the supply of which has been affected by the Russian invasion
More than 80% of the population live below the poverty line
50% of the population working in agriculture have lost their jobs
Food prices have increased between 30-70% meaning people cannot afford a healthy diet
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Your notes
Food basket price in Yemen

The UN estimates more than 226,000 Yemeni have died due to food shortages and lack of health
services
Acute malnutrition now threatens over 50% of children under 5
The total number of food insecure population is expected to reach 19 million by the end of 2022
Solutions
Since the start of the conflict billions in aid has been sent to Yemen through organisations such
as:
UNICEF
Red Cross
World Food Program
Oxfam
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Getting aid to the people who need it is challenging for the reasons outlined in 'causes' above
The World Food Program provides 13 million people with food assistance through:
Rations Your notes
Vouchers
Cash transfers
Until the end of the conflict the food shortages are likely to continue and may even get worse
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IGCSE Geography CIE Your notes

3.2 Food Production

3.2.1 Agricultural Systems

Physical Factors Human Factors

Temperature - all crops have a minimum

Growing season - the length of the

Where food webs are reduced

Inputs Processes Outputs

Case Study: Sheep Farming

Climate - Short growing season means

3.2.2 Food Shortages

Rapid population increase - the food

Effects of food shortages

Possible Solutions to the Problem of Food Shortages

This can be short (after a

The artificial watering of crops Loss of water

Case Study: Yemen

Food basket price in Yemen

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