Variations in Food Consumption (DP IB Geography): Revision Note

Variations in Food Consumption

• Food production and food consumption are 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

• 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

  • Some areas are food secure whilst others are food insecure

  • In some cases, food security can result in food surplus and food waste

  • Food insecurity results in food deficits  

• Human and physical factors affect food consumption around the world

Human factors

Development

• Development is rising across the world

• 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 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 booming in LICs, which creates pressure on 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

Politics 

• Food consumption may increase with food aid from international governments or charities 

• In some areas, conflict can hinder food consumption 

  • People may flee a war-torn area, leading to a lack of food access

  • Warfare can damage crops and kill livestock

  • Food may be weaponised, and food supplies taken away

  • Food prices globally may rise, meaning food becomes unaffordable (not just in LICs, but in HICs too)

• Political corruption or instability in countries limits food aid from reaching those who need it most e.g. in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • These issues may impact people’s accessibility to food

    • This results in a Food Entitlement Deficit (FED)

Trade 

• Although globalisation has increased food movement, trade inequalities still exist

• LICs export more food than they keep, leaving behind food insecurities  

  • LICs rely on export earnings

  • These countries have less money to import food

  • This results in an imbalance in food production, exports and imports in LICs

  • HICs can afford to import more foods, resulting in a large discrepancy between LICs and HICs

• The global Fair Trade movement protects farmers in LICs by providing them with a reliable income to afford food

Type of food

• Diet can impact the levels of calorie consumption 

  • More developed countries have a higher calorie consumption, as diets are richer in fats and sugars

  • Less developed countries consume less calories, as diets focus on lower fat and higher fibre diets

• The stages of the Nutrition Transition directly affect food consumption and the related effects

Physical factors

Climate, water and soil 

• Climate impacts the ability to grow crops, resulting in food shortages 

  • Droughts can cause infertile soils and desertification 

  • Flooding can damage crops and livestock 

• Water stress or water insecurity can cause crop yields to be very low

  • This is caused by:

    • Low rainfall

    • Pollution caused by flooding

    • High population density

  • Poorer countries may not be able to afford technologies like irrigation systems, to reduce drought-associated problems 

• Poor soil quality increases erosion and reduces crop yields

  • Some soils are nutrient-rich and can hold water, ideal for crop growth 

  • Farmers in poverty may not be able to afford fertilisers or other tools which increase crop yields

Climate change 

• Climate change is rapidly exacerbating food insecurity and food shortages

  • Climate change increases flooding, droughts and storms which reduces crop yields, kills livestock and affects the global food trade

  • This results in a Food Availability Deficit (FAD)

• Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can reduce the nutritional density of crops

• Climate change also impacts our oceans and the world’s fisheries, with rising ocean temperatures and ocean acidification 

• Rising sea levels pose a threat to coastal agricultural land

Pests and disease 

• Pests and diseases can damage crops, reducing crop yields

• This is exacerbated in warmer countries, or where there is not enough money for pesticides

• Climate change also increases pests and diseases