LEDCs have 80% of
the world’s human
population and eat
56% of the world’s
meat.
Grain
production
provides half
the human
population’s
calories.
World food production
is concentrated in the
northern hemisphere
temperate zones.
There are 23 billion
livestock animals on
Earth including over
3 billion cows and 1
billion pigs.
In Africa, only 7%
of the total land
area is cultivated.
There are 13.5 billion
hectares of land on
Earth but 90% of this is
too dry, wet, hot, cold,
steep or poor in
nutrients for crops
There are nearly 3
times as many
chickens on Earth as
people.
Livestock need
3.5 billion
hectares of land.
Crops take up 1.5
billion hectares of
land – about 11%
of the total area.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqfZ6rsoy-E
• Using data from 2006-2008 the Food and Agricultural
Organisation of the UN estimates that 853 million people do
not get enough energy from their food – undernourishment
• Add to that the malnourished people of the world and there
are 1 billion people going hungry today.
• http://www.fao.org/hunger/en/
• Take a look at the graph and in approximately 100 words
describe what you can see happening…
vs.
Cost of food?
Produce too much food?
Seasonality?
Political / economic agenda?
Choice/ need?
Environmental limitations?
Cash crops?
Supermarkets?
• Calorie intake
• MEDCs - approx. 3,314 calories per capita per day
• LEDCs – approx. 2,666 calories per capita per day
• http://chartsbin.com/view/1150
Food Composition, in %
MEDCs
LEDCs
Meat
12.9
7.3
Fish, Seafood
1.4
0.9
Cereals
37.3
56.1
• Feeding the world’s population in the future is going to be a
challenge...
• WHY?
• More people
• The undernourished and malnourished people need more and
better food
• Area available for agriculture is decreasing – reasons for this?
• Erosion
• Salinization
• Desertifcation
• Biofuels
• Climate Change
• Using the FAO website and other sources find out information
about the three questions on your sheet…
• … and add the following two questions to the list:
1.
2.
Where is the Sahel and which countries are located there?
Describe the current food situation in the Sahel.
• The food system that humans depend on for survival follow the
same paths and rules as any food chain:
• First and second laws of thermodynamics:
• 1st law: Energy is neither created nor destroyed
• 2nd law: Energy conversions are never 100% efficient (some energy is
always lost)
• Therefore as we move up the food chain energy is
• Do you think terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems are more
efficient?
• Why?
Food Production
System
Where
Type
Inputs
Outputs
Efficiency
Environmental
Impact
System 1
System 2