Changing global production and consumption of food (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography) : Revision Note

Changing global production of food

• Food production is increasing globally

• Global food production is efficient

• There is currently enough food to feed all the people on the planet

• Food production has increased due to:

  • Land availability e.g. from deforestation, wetland clearing and brownfield site conversion

  • Increased productivity, due to:

    • Mechanisation of farming

    • Genetically modified high-yielding crops

    • Agrochemicals 

    • Irrigation systems

  • Increased wealth - increases the demand for higher-cost foods like seasonal foods or meat

  • Education - more knowledge about food choices

  • Globalisation - food is globally distributed via plane, ship, road and rail through international trade routes

Changing global consumption of food

• Food consumption is also increasing globally

• However, food consumption is unequal

  • Increased food production does not mean there is increased consumption everywhere

  • Food consumption varies regionally and internationally 

  • HICs consume more calories than LICs

• As countries become more developed and the middle class grows, food consumption increases

  • People can afford more food or more expensive/calorie-rich foods like meat

    • China’s meat consumption has increased 

    • In 1980 it was 12kg per person, by 2023 it was over 62kg per person 

    • This increase has occurred as the country has developed and incomes have risen

  • With globalisation, people demand more non-seasonal or non-local foods

    • As more people learn about food miles and environmental change, consumption of seasonal foods may change 

• Population growth is rapid in LICs

• This which creates an increase in food demand

  • Food shortages may occur if population growth outweighs agricultural productivity

• People in poverty-stricken areas in LICs may find themselves unable to afford food

  • This can mean they cannot go to work to earn money due to hunger or ill health

  • This becomes a vicious cycle 

• Lack of infrastructure in LICs can reduce the amount of food transported to an area

• Farmers in LICs may not be able to afford fertilisers or other agricultural technologies to increase their crop yields

Reasons for the globalisation of food supply

• Globalisation is where the world has become more interconnected through the processes of economics, culture, politics, trade and tourism

• Globalisation is not new

  • People and places have always had connections of raw materials and workers

• Today globalisation is bigger, more global and developing at a faster rate than in the past

• It is a process driven by improvements in communication and transport

• These improvements have made it easier for people, goods and information to move across national borders

• Food supply and demand has also been impacted by globalisation

• Foods can be moved around the world much more quickly and efficiently due to improvements in:

  • refrigeration

  • air transport

• Land availability in LICs and MICs has attracted agribusinesses to those areas

Impacts of the globalisation of food supply

Food seasonality

• Seasonal foods are now available all year around

Food diversity

• Consumers are now able to eat a more diverse range of food

• Availability of 'new' foods increase leading to higher demand such as goji and acai berries and quinoa

• This can impact availability in the source country, the price of acai berries has increased 60x

  • Indigenous Amazonian communities can no longer afford to have them as part of their diets

• Demand for these foods can also increase pressure on water supplies as irrigation becomes a priority

Food culture

• MICs and LICs become increasingly influenced by 'Western diets'

• Fast food chains like McDonalds and KFC opening increases the influence

  • This may lead to the loss of traditional diets

  • It has also increased levels of obesity in some MICs and LICs

Food production

• The demand for food has led to an increase in monocultures and large scale commercial farming in MICs and LICs

• This has increased food availability but has also led to:

  • increased soil erosion

  • habitat destruction and the loss of biodiversity

  • increased use of pesticides and fertilisers