Increasing demand for food

Impacts 

Food miles: The distance that food items travel from where they are grown to where they are eaten.

Carbon Footprint: The amount of carbon generated by things people do, including treating a demand for out of season food. 

Environmental

• People in the UK demand out of season produce and this demand is met by importing food. Transporting food longer distances increases our carbon footprint. We import 1% of our food by air but this accounts for 11% of carbon emissions resulting from transportation of UK food. Importing food contributes to air pollution and global warming because it is flown thousands of miles. 95% of fruit comes from abroad out of season. 
• Often home grown produce is grown using intensification - This involves using machines. growing plants very close together, fertiliser being sprayed on crops and crops growing under plastic. This allows crops to be grown out of season to meet the demand. This method pollutes the environment and uses more energy/ emits more carbon than flying a pack of Kenyan green beans to the UK, which have been produced efficiently using natural fertilisers. 

Environmental degradation caused by farming on poor soils:

• Pressure to produce more food leads to farming on marginal land that is unsuitable 
• Poor quality land becomes poorer
• Poor quality crops are harvested
• No nutrition is returned to the soil
• Soil becomes exhausted 
• Lack of vegetation cover
• Soil erosion - soil is easily washed or blown away 

Political

The river Indus

The river Indus flows through northern India and Pakistan. The flow of the Indus is seasonal. A huge amount of water results in flooding in summer, whereas flows are much less in winter due to seasonal variation in rainfall.

The water is essential for food production. The Indus feeds the fertile Punjab in both countries

In 1960, the Indus water treaty was signed between India and Pakistan. This was implemented because Pakistan was concerned that India could cut off water to Pakistan by building dams and perhaps even diverting rivers in India. The agreement was that Pakistan gained control of the westward flowing rivers, and India the eastward flowing rivers. 

Pakistan constructed dams on the Indus and Jhelum rivers to ensure water supplies. However, as a result there is now resentment in that part of Kashmir in India as people believe that farming and irrigation has been limited due to them being deprived of water that should be theirs. 

Additionally, in June 2006, talks about the Wuller Barrage that India wants to build on the Jhelum River for navigation raised fears about india controlling Pakistan waters.

Social

Cash Crop: Crops grown in order to sell to make a financial profit. 

Lake Naivasha and north of Mount Kenya

Many flowers are grown in Kenya for European supply. This brings many economic positives but has many social negatives. 

• River Ngiro in the north has sections without water.
• Local farmers say the flower growers are taking more water than they should legally and leaving them short
• Fertile land is used for growing flowers are not for food, leading to food shortages
• The Maasai are especially struggling for water to the east and North of Mount Kenya
• Water levels are falling, 20,000 people could be supplied with water that is used by the flowers
• Fertilisers and pesticides contain chemicals which are frequently sprayed on the flowers. This causes rashes and chest problems among workers.
• Some of the fertiliser is washed into soils and seeps underground. Water supplies are then affected by the fertiliser. 
• Population around lake Naivasha increased from 50,000 to 250,000 as people sought work in the greenhouses or in the fields. 

Economic

Rural debt: Money borrowed and now owed by farmers to banks or other organisations.

As farmers produce more crops and make more money there is often the need to intensify production using chemicals. This causes problems as shown by the effects of the borrowing money cycle. 

• Loan to pay for additional essentials. Increased debt due to need to buy seeds and chemicals
• Fertilisers and pesticides bought
• Fertilisers and pesticides applied
• Higher yields
• Cash Crop sold - poorer farmers can't compete
• Pay back
• Poor farmers lose their land because they cannot afford to pay money back. They are unable to buy sufficient food. Farmers are often forced out of business