Food Security: Causes & Responses — GCSE Geography Revision

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What is Food Security: Causes & Responses?

Food security means that all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Food insecurity is caused by a range of factors, including poverty, conflict, natural disasters (like droughts and floods), and climate change. Responses to food insecurity range from short-term food aid to long-term strategies like promoting sustainable agriculture and using biotechnology.

Board notes: Food security is a key global challenge and a topic for all exam boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR), usually within the resource management unit. Students need to understand the complex causes of food insecurity and evaluate a range of strategies aimed at increasing food supply.

Worked example

Common mistakes

• 1Thinking that food insecurity is just about not having enough food. It is also about having access to the right kind of food – a nutritious and balanced diet. A person can be overweight but still be food insecure if their diet is based on cheap, processed, low-nutrient food.
• 2Believing that the world doesn't produce enough food to feed everyone. The world actually produces enough food to feed the entire global population. The problem is not production, but distribution and access – food is often wasted in HICs while people starve in LICs because they cannot afford to buy it.
• 3Assuming that GM crops are a magic bullet solution. Genetically modified (GM) crops that are drought-resistant or have higher yields have the potential to increase food security, but there are concerns about their long-term environmental impacts and the control that large corporations have over the technology.

Food Security: Causes & Responses exam questions

Exam-style questions for Food Security: Causes & Responses with mark-scheme style solutions and timing practice. Aligned to AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications.

Frequently asked questions

• What is sustainable agriculture?

  Sustainable agriculture refers to farming in a way that can be continued indefinitely without damaging the environment. Techniques include organic farming, permaculture, and agro-forestry, which aim to improve soil health and biodiversity while producing nutritious food.

• How does conflict cause food insecurity?

  Conflict disrupts food security in many ways. It forces people to flee their homes and abandon their farms, it destroys infrastructure like roads and markets, and it can be used as a weapon of war, with armies deliberately blocking food supplies to enemy areas.