Sustainable food + water

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Flashcards on Sustainable food + water, created by tamsinnbailey on 19/02/2015.
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Flashcards by tamsinnbailey, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by tamsinnbailey about 9 years ago
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Question Answer
Sustainability development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
What are the 3 "legs" of the stool of sustainability? environment, economy + society
Which report suggested that equity for all people, environmental protection + economic growth were all simultaneously possible? United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report : Our Common Future
What are the two key concepts within the classic definition of sustainable development (Brundtland Report)? Needs such as water, food + shelter which = essential for survival of world's poor limitations imposed by state of technology + social organisation on environment's ability to meet both present + future needs
What is the futurity principle? summarised as "not cheating on your children" by controlling use of finite resources e.g. fossil fuels, minimising waste + pollution + protecting natural habitats
What are the four major facets of the sustainability quadrant? Futurity Environment Public participation Equity + social justice
What is sustainable development for the Countryside Commission? Meeting 4 objectives: 1. social progress that recognises needs of everyone 2. effective protection of environment 3. prudent use of natural resources 4. maintenance of high + stable levels of economic growth + employment
What are the four levels of action towards sustainable development? 1. Internationally/globally 2. Nationally 3. NGOs 4. Locally via Agenda 21
What contribution did the Montreal Protocol make towards sustainability? Managed the output of ozone by controlling the use of PVCs
Identify 2 ways in which the state of technology restricts the environment's ability to meet present-day needs lack of infrastructure to develop ICT lack of clean technologies to replace fossil fuels
Explain how CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) contributes to sustainable developement CITES controls trade in endangered species such as black coral or the export of rhino horns (for Chinese medicine) or elephant tusks (for ivory)
Distinguish between food availability deficit + food entitlement deficit A food availability deficit occurs when physical factors such as drought lead to crop failures. A food entitlement deficit occurs when individual communities + countries = too poor to buy food.
Explain the term globesity Globesity is short for global obesity which because of poor diet + nutrition has become a worldwide pandemic
Distinguish between under-nourishment + malnourishment Under-nourished people = consuming slightly less than 2000 calories per day + thus lack capacity to sustain a healthy weight. Malnourishment = "bad feeding", often person eats too little but = also caused by incorrect mix of protein, carbohydrates, minerals + vitamins in diet leading to poor health
Identify 1 area (in Sudan) where the greatest food shortages were caused by (a) civil war (b) drought + (c) impact of refugees/migrants (a) North Darfur (b) upper Nile + South Sudan (c) West Kordofan
In Sudan, which 2 areas had the greatest number of people suffering from food shortages? North Darfur + northeast Sudan
Explain what is meant by the diet transition As countries develop economically people have more money to purchase high-protein foods such as dairy products + meat, + confectionery. Countries such as China + India = adopting Western style diets with major consequences for their health + global food security
State 4 ways in which extreme weather can have a negative impact on food production Crops can be destroyed by drought, floods, severe frosts + hurricanes
Define the term agribusiness An agribusiness = a very large-scale, highly mechanised, hi-tech agricultural business usually owned by a food company which processes the farm products
What are food miles? Food miles = the distance that food travels from producer to consumer
What are subsidies? Subsidies = paid by governments to the farmer to support the growth of particular crops, so production = raised, as it = worthwhile + farmer makes more profits (e.g. subsidies for oilseed rape or sugar beet)
Summarise overall advantages + disadvantages of factory farming e.g. food lots + battery hen systems + high yields, often uniform products > increasing food security - issues of animal welfare, disease + high environmental costs
Assess the advantages + disadvantages of TNCs growing cash crops in developing countries + cash crops can improve countries' export earning + provide jobs - take up land often farmed by peasantry farmers for growing food, benefit TNCs more than local people in many cases
Explain why the Green Revolution was slow to come to the African continent 1st Green Revolution concentrated on wheat + rice + didn't include many of the staples such as yams + cassava, which = widely grown in Africa. The HYVs needed very large imports of fertilisers + pesticides which were too costly for many African peasant farmers
Summarise the arguments against the sustainability of first-generation GM crops threats to biodiversity because of strong pesticides needed, research into GM = carried out b multinationals who concentrated on profit making crops e.g. cotton as opposed to improving food security of world's poorest people, crops = costly to grow as new seeds had to be purchased from biotech companies each year + also concerns over possible harm to human health + development of rogue genes
Explain why the aid package of Russian tractors to Tanzania was considered so inappropriate tractors= inappropriate as they = too costly to use (fuel) + when they went wrong there were no trained technicians to help them. Many peasant farmers didn't need mechanisation as their farms weren't big, with small intercropped fields
Explain how integrated farming can be environmentally, economically + socially sustainable environmentally: biodiversity = encouraged (minimal use of fertilisers + pesticides) + cultivation methods minimise soil erosion economically: produce from integrated farming isn't produced at low cost, but local produce reduces fuel costs + encourages national self-sufficiency in food supplies socially: sustainability = enhanced by emphasis on local use + sales at farmers markets
What is meant by capacity building? NGOs e.g. Farm Africa concentrate on capacity building as this teaches local people practical + organisational skills so they can develop resilience + take responsibility for improving the quality of life of their communities
Distinguish between the following: world water gap + water availability gap world water gap = between water supplies + water demands (results from rising demand + dwindling supplies) > leading to water stress water availability gap = between the haves (largely developed nations) + the nots (developing nations) which experience either physical +/or economic water scarcity
Give 2 examples of how the world's rivers = ecologically threatened eutrophication from overuse of fertilisers leads to algal blooming in rivers overuse of water can diminish the extent of wetlands + lakes (e.g. Aral Sea) irrigation can increase salinity, destroying the ecosystem
What is the difference between green water + blue water parts of the hydrological cycle? Green water flow involves either interception or evapotransporation + therefore has a vital ecological function blue water flows = the visible part of the system e.g. water running on surface + supplying rivers or going underground to recharge aquifers
Define the term river regime A river regime = the annual variation of the pattern of river discharge
Define the terms over-abstraction + hypoxia over-abstraction occurs when humans use so much water from rivers or groundwater aquifers that the supplies cannot be sufficiently replenished by rainfall hypoxia results from extreme eutrophication, especially in lakes + shallow seas whereby all life is gradually destroyed > leading to the formation of dead zones
Why are many mega-dams not considered to be sustainable? often mega-dams don't achieve their water supply targets because of sedimentation behind the dams + evaporation of the reservoirs environmentally, they can cause widespread damage to the water flow on rivers + ecosystems, as well as flooding the homes of many people (social unsustainability)
Explain how the "magic stones" system works. How is it an example of intermediate technology? "magic stones" = small stone/earth mounds about 50 cm high, also known as crescent terraces, built along slopes to prevent rainwater runoff + slope erosion = cheap to construct + easy to maintain by villagers + by conserving water + preventing soil erosion, = sustainable
What physical factors determine the supply of water? climate (precipitation) topography/distance from sea geology river systems
How can humans influence the quality of the water supply? Human actions can pollute both surface water + groundwater supplies, diminishing the quality of both sources
What are the the total projected water withdrawals predicted to reach by 2025? over 5,000 km3 per year, of which agricultural use will be 2/3
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