Variations in Food Consumption (SL IB Geography)

• 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

Daily supply of calories per person in 2018

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