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Factors and assessment of food security

Ecology • Food production (biology only)

Key concepts

What you'll likely be quizzed about

  • Food security describes a situation where people have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet dietary needs.
  • Food insecurity occurs when food quantity, quality, or access is inadequate.
  • Historical population growth and recent trends demonstrate that the balance between available food and population demand determines security at local, national, and global scales.

Flashcards

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Why do changing diets increase pressure on food systems?

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Higher consumption of meat and dairy requires more land and resources for livestock and feed production, reducing resources available for direct human food crops.

Key notes

Important points to keep in mind

Food security requires sufficient quantity, suitable quality, and reliable access.

Population growth increases total demand; per capita availability falls when production does not keep pace.

Dietary shifts toward meat raise resource use because livestock systems need more land and feed.

Climate change, extreme weather, and new pests reduce yield stability and increase production risk.

Per capita production and yield-per-hectare metrics give clearer insight than total production alone.

Graphical trends show whether production growth matches population growth.

Small percentage increases in food prices can cause significant increases in the number of food insecure individuals.

Evaluation requires combining production, population, and socio-economic data rather than using a single statistic.

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