New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
Section B Core module 1
Food Problem — Can we feed ourselves?
Chapter 1 Where are the farmlands in China?
Where does our food come from? How much food comes from the Mainland?
The local food production can hardly satisfy the local food
demand
Food in Hong More than 90% of the food in Hong Kong is imported from
Kong other regions
The Mainland is the major food supplying region for Hong
Kong
Agricultural activities in Hong Kong have declined.
In the present, there are only a few farmlands concentrated in the northern
part of the New Territories. They provide fresh vegetables, fruits and meat
to the local markets.
The Mainland provides fresh beef, fresh pork, vegetables, eggs, etc. to Hong
Kong.
What is agriculture? What is an agricultural system?
An activity in which humans get food or industrial
Definition raw materials through growing crops or rearing
livestock
Physical inputs
Agriculture Inputs
Agricultural
system Cultural inputs
(i.e., Processes
operation Useful outputs
of a farm)
Outputs
Useless outputs
The agricultural system of arable farming is elaborated as follows:
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
Examples of physical inputs include sunlight, rainwater, soil and seeds.
Examples of cultural inputs include labour, capital, machinery, pesticides
and fertilisers.
Examples of processes include ploughing, sowing, fertilising, pest
controlling, irrigating and harvesting.
Useful outputs are crops that are for self-consumption or transported to
markets for sale. Then the profit is returned to the system.
Useless outputs are waste and sewage.
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
What are the major types of farming in different parts of the world?
Small farm size
Intensive Higher capital and labour inputs per
farming unit of farmland area
Inputs per E.g., rice cultivation in Southeast Asia
unit of
farmland
area Large farm size
Extensive Lower capital and labour inputs per
farming unit of farmland area
E.g., wheat cultivation in Australia
Farm produce is mainly for self-
consumption
Subsistence
farming
E.g., subsistence rice cultivation in
Types of Purpose of China
farming production
Farm produce is mainly transported
Commercial to markets for sale and profit
farming
E.g., market gardening in Japan
Agricultural activity that grows crops
Arable
farming
E.g., wheat cultivation in the U.S.
Agricultural activity that rears
livestock
Types of Pastoral
outputs farming
E.g., sheep farming in New Zealand
Agricultural activity that grows crops
and rears livestock in the same farm
Mixed
farming
E.g., wheat-sheep farming in
Australia
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
What is an agricultural region?
An agricultural region is a geographical area differentiating various agricultural
activities.
Consistent agricultural land use, farming methods and farm produce are found in
the same region.
1. Where are the major agricultural regions in China? How are they
distributed?
Northern and
Extensive arable and pastoral
northeastern
farming
regions
Major agricultural Northwestern
Extensive pastoral and some arable
regions in China and Qingzang
farming
regions
Southern
Intensive arable and mixed farming
region
The major farm produce in northern and northeastern regions include wheat,
corn, sorghum, millet, lamb and pork.
The major farm produce in northwestern and Qingzang regions include beef,
lamb and wheat.
The major farm produce in southern region include rice, sugar cane, tea,
vegetables and fruit, and pork.
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
What are the factors contributing to the distribution of agricultural regions in
China?
The longer the frost-free period
of the region, the longer the
Temperature growing season and the region
will be more suitable for arable
farming
The amount of rainfall
decreases from the
southeastern coastal region to
Climate the northwestern inland region
Southeastern region with
sufficient rainfall is suitable for
growing crops with higher
water demand, e.g., rice and
Rainfall vegetables
Factors Northeastern region with lower
affecting the amount of rainfall is suitable
distribution for growing crops with lower
of water demand, e.g., wheat
agricultural
regions in
China Northwestern region with very
low rainfall is suitable for
developing pastoral farming
The altitude rises from the east to the west
The flat relief and fertile soil on the plains in East
China favour the growing of crops
Relief
The soil is thin and infertile on the plateaus and
mountains in West China, and therefore pastoral
farming is mainly developed
1. Climate
A. Temperature
Most crops can only grow well above 6°C. Different crops require different
temperatures to grow well.
Frost appears and crops are damaged when temperature falls below 0°C.
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
Southern China is more suitable for growing crops than other parts of China as it
has a longer frost-free period.
B. Rainfall
2. Relief
Plains are mainly found in East China, such as Dongbei Pingyuan, Huabei
Pingyuan and Middle and Lower Changjiang Pingyuan.
Plateaus and basins are mainly found in Middle China, such as Nei Menggu
Gaoyuan, Huangtu Gaoyuan, Sichuan Pendi and Yungui Gaoyuan.
Plateaus and mountains are mainly found in West China, such as Talimu Pendi,
Kunlun Mountains and Qingzang Gaoyuan.
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