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 4 Do other places face the problem of food shortage too?
How is the current global food production?
The current food production should be able to
satisfy the world population
Global food production
Yet, over 800 million people are suffering from
hunger
Global grain production is higher than the consumption in 2019-2020.
Food problem in the Sahel
1. Where is the Sahel?
It is located at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert.
It spreads from the west to the east across several African countries.
For example: Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan.
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
2. What are the causes of food shortage in the Sahel?
Extreme climate: Low and unstable
rainfall, hot climate and dry soil are
unfavourable for cultivation and
livestock rearing
Physical factors
Shortage of water resources: There is
no large river flowing through the
Sahel, which discourages food
production
Causes of food Population growth: As the population
shortage in the increases continuously, the food
Sahel demand also increases. Thus, over-
cultivation and overgrazing become
more serious
Poor economic development: The
governments and people cannot afford
foreign food
Human factors
Poor governance: The governments are
corrupted and fail to carry out food
policies
Racial conflicts and wars: Racial
conflicts and wars occur frequently,
causing social instability and hindering
farming activities
A. Physical factors
Extreme climate
The Sahel is located in semi-arid region.
Its annual rainfall is less than 500mm.
Its evaporation rate is high.
As climate change intensifies, the local temperature and rainfall become more
extreme.
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
Droughts and rainstorms become more frequent, leading to more crop failures.
In 2012, droughts occurred continuously in the Sahel, affecting more than
15 million people.
Shortage of water resources
Rainfall is scarce in the Sahel.
People can only rely on ground water.
B. Human factors
Population growth
The fertility rates of the countries in the Sahel are high. Farmers open up more
lands to grow crops and rear livestock in order to meet the food demand.
Over-cultivation and overgrazing intensify soil erosion and desertification, which
affect food production.
Poor economic development
In 2019, among the countries in the Sahel, the fertility rate of Niger reached 6.8
while its GDP per capita was only USD 554.
Poor governance
The low administrative efficiency of governments and corruption seriously affect
the implementation and practice of food policies.
Racial conflicts and wars
As conflicts and wars destroy farmlands and crops, farmers are forced to leave
their homes and farming activities are halted.
A large-scale armed conflict occurred in the northern part of Mali in 2012,
forcing 200,000 people to flee and suspending farming activities.
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
3. What are the solutions to the food problem in the Sahel?
Short-term international aid: Providing emergency food aid
when famine occurs
Long-term international aid: Improving basic rural
infrastructure to promote local agricultural development
Solutions to the
food problem in
the Sahel Promoting birth control: Slowing population growth to
reduce the pressure on food production
Improving farming methods: Providing financial and
technical assistance for farmers to improve their farming
methods
A. Providing international aid
Short-term aid
Emergency food aid is provided by more developed countries and international
organisations.
Long-term aid
More developed countries and international organisations assist the Sahel in
improving basic rural infrastructure, such as electricity and water supplies, which
boosts the local agricultural development and increases food supply.
B. Promoting birth control
For example, teaching women the methods of contraception helps reduce the
birth rates in the Sahel.
C. Improving farming methods
Examples: providing farm machinery, introducing drip irrigation system and
genetically modified drought-resistant crops.
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
Case Study
North Korea
1. Food problem in North Korea
Domestic production is the major source of food supply in North Korea, but the
amount is little and unstable.
At present, nearly half of the population suffers from undernourishment. Famine
also often occurs.
2. What are the causes of food shortage in North Korea?
Mountainous relief: There is little arable land
Harsh climate: The growing season is short and
Physical
the food production is limited
factors
Frequent natural hazards: They lead to
unstable food supply
Failure of self-sustainabed food policy: North
Korea refuses to import foreign food. In order
Causes of
to fulfill the local food demand, a lot of slopes
food shortage
are cleared for growing crops. Thus, soil
in North
erosion becomes more serious, which reduces
Korea
land productivity
Unfair resources allocation: The government
focuses on military development. Therefore,
the army and government have priority in
getting food. The civilians can only get the
leftovers
Human
factors
Poor economic development: The
manufacturing industry of the country is not
well-developed. The productivity is low and
the country lacks products for export. It is
hard for the country to earn foreign exchange.
In case of food shortage, the country cannot
afford foreign food
Unfriendly internatoinal relations: North
Korea has poor international relations with
other countries. It is difficult for the country to
get international food aid
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
A. Physical factors
Mountainous relief
Only about 20% of the land in North Korea is suitable for farming.
Harsh climate
The winter is long, cold and dry in North Korea, which is not suitable for crops
to grow.
Frequent natural hazards
Typhoons, floods and droughts often occur in North Korea, causing crop failure.
From 1994 to 2000, several severe droughts and floods caused crop failure in
North Korea.
B. Human factors
Unsuitable policies
Ｓ elf-sustained food policy: The government of North Korea refuses to import
foreign food.
Unfair resources allocation: Even if food shortage occurs, the foreign food aid is
given to the army and government first but not the civilians.
Poor economic development
Manufacturing is the backbone of the North Korean economy, but the machinery
used in the manufacturing industry is old, which leads to low productivity.
Unfriendly international relations
Due to North Korea’s aggressive military acts to and distrust of other countries, it
has poor international relations with other countries.
3. What are the solutions to the food problem?
Since 1995, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has
been providing emergency food aid to North Korea when it
Solutions to the faces the food shortage problem
food problem in
North Korea
The FAO carries out various projects in North Korea in order
to increase the local food production
To assist North Korea in increasing the local food production, the FAO carries
out the following measures in North Korea:
Using biotechnology to increase the production of rice and corn;
Introducing high-yield soybean;
Protecting the ecological environment of farmland to reduce soil erosion;
and
Monitoring the spread of pests and diseases to prevent crop failure.
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
Case Study
Cambodia
1. Food problem in Cambodia
Cambodia is a tropical country with abundant water resources and fertile soil,
which are favourable for agricultural development.
Food production in Cambodia is unstable. 15% of the population suffers from
undernourishment.
2. What are the causes of food shortage in Cambodia?
Frequent natural hazards: Natural
Physical factors hazards such as droughts and floods
often occur and lead to crop failures
Causes of food Frequent wars: Cambodia suffered
shortage in from frequent wars in the early years
Cambodia of independence. Farming activities
were suspended, affecting food
production
Human factors
Poor economic development: The
country cannot introduce advanced
farming technology. It does not have
food storage and cannot afford
foreign food
A. Physical factors
Frequent natural hazards
Cambodia is affected by droughts and floods in winter and summer respectively.
Example: In 2011, a severe flood along Mekong River destroyed 400,000
hectares of the rice field in Cambodia.
B. Human factors
Frequent wars
Cambodia was at war with Vietnam in the 1970s.
Wars destroyed crops and farming facilities, and people were forced to leave
homes. Hence, farming activities were suspended.
Poor economic development
Most of the farmers in Cambodia rely on manpower and animal force to farm.
Hence, the food production can barely satisfy the basic needs of the people.
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New Century Geography Section B Core module 1 Food Problem —
Revision Notes Can we feed ourselves?
(2nd Edition)
3. What are the solutions to the food problem?
Implementing the 'Hegemonisation of Irrigation
System Strategy': Building automatic irrigation
systems to increase the productivity of farmland
Solutions to the food Developing a unique flood prevention device: To
problem in Cambodia reduce the risk of crop failure
Diversifying agricultural activities: The FAO provides
Cambodia with technical and financial assistance in
order to promote agricultural diversification
A. Improving irrigation facilities
The 'Hegemonisation of Irrigation System Strategy' was implemented in 2010,
such as constructing irrigation facilities to direct water from rivers into rice
fields.
A unique flood prevention device was developed. It discharges excessive water
when flooding occurs, and irrigates crops during droughts, which can reduce the
risk of crop failure.
Currently, irrigation systems cover more than one million hectares of farmland in
Cambodia.
B. Diversifying agricultural activities
The FAO helps the farmers to grow different types of vegetables and develop
small-scale aquaculture to increase their income.
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