The prevalence of undernourishment in the total population of Sub-Sahara Africa, South-East Asia and Central America has decreased between 1990 and 2005.(gd use of general trend)The prevalence of undernourishment in the total population in Sub-Sahara Africa has decreased 3% from 32% in 1990 to 29% in 2005. The prevalence of undernourishment in the total population in South-East Asia has decreased 8% from 24% in 1990 to 16% in 2005. The prevalence of undernourishment in total population in Central America has decreased 5% from 19% in 1990 to 14% in 2005.(+gd description of trend, incorporating TAD)

This may be because the three countries have been developing (use "more economically developed now")between 1990 and 2005. There is higher disposable income and greater financial power(use"purchasing power" instead)in the population hence the people will be able to afford a greater variety and amount of food which provides them with necessary nutrients(pls link to reduced % of undernourishment).

D: 3m
E: 0m reason lack links to undernourishment 

 

From 1990-205, there is a decrease in percentage of undernourishment in total population for all 3 countries. This can be seen from the data from 1990-2005, the undernourishment percentage of South-East Asia decrease from 24% to 16%. And For Central America, there is a decrease in percentage from 19% to 14%.  This might be due to the rise in disposable income in these countries thus having people with lesser income being able to afford food with more nutrition to have more nutrients, which prevents them from being undernourished. Therefore there is a decrease in percentage of undernourishment people. Another reason may be due to the people preferring to consume fast food. As fast food restaurants are set up at almost every countries, most people will be able to have access to these fast food restaurants. Due to its affordable pricing, many people are able to afford these fast foods. This causes lesser people to be undernourishment as they consume food which are better compared to what they consume with lesser nutrients before. Therefore, this leads to lesser percentage of people undernourished. 

This may be because the three countries are becoming more economically developed from 1990 to 2005. There is higher disposable income and greater purchasing powering the population.Thus, the people will be able to afford a greater amount of food which tends to have less nutrients that may affect their health conditions.

 

 

Ans:

While the other factors, such as the political, technological and economical factors are important, I personally feel that the physical factor is the most important in increasing food production as it gives the most impact and is also one of the most effective way to increase food production. 

Firstly, for physical factor, I feel that climate is the main factor and plays the most important role in increasing food production. Ideal climatic conditions can help increase food production. Proper temperatures, rainfall, amount of sunlight, together with low rate of climatic hazards will provide an ideal condition for crops to grow. Only with a suitable climate, will the crops be able to grow well and be of good quality. For example, strawberries requires low temperatures to achieve maximum crop yield. With high quality crops, people will want to buy more and increasing the demand and need to grow more food → more crops being produced and hence the increased production of food. 

Secondly, I feel that the technological advances in yielding crops does play an important role in increasing food production, but not the most important. Green revolution characterised by high-yielding varieties; fertilisers; pesticides; improved irrigation and mechanisation will help improve and upgrade the living conditions of crops and help improve and sustain growth of crops which results in an increase in crop harvest and thus increasing food production. For example, improved corn varieties have been grown in Africa even though corn is not indigenous to it. Corn production in developed countries such as England has increased as well. Thus, technological advancement does help increase food production but it has only a moderate impact on increasing food production, which is dependent on the climate, as no matter how advanced the technology is, if there is a flood, tropical cyclones or thunderstorm, it could destroy all the high-tech machinery and technology and destroy the crops and its surroundings. This will in turn, decrease food production.

Thirdly, another factor that is quite important but not the most is economic -- demand and capital. The higher the demands for food, the higher the production of food. When people have more disposable income, they have more purchasing power, and are allowed to have a larger variety and preference of food, and so they will eat more, there will be an increase in demand which results in increase in need to grow food → increase food production. For example, as China’s population grow in wealth, this allows the demand for more meat which increases the production of corn in USA for export to China to feed livestock. Hence, the higher the demand and capital, the higher the production of food. However, similarly to the advancements in technology, no matter how rich the consumers get, one flood could destroy all the crops and the food production would be zero, where the farmers have to start from scratch. 

In conclusion, physical factors -- climatic conditions are the most important factor in increasing food production, as it is the foundation for increasing food production as the other factors are builded on top it. Only when there are no climatic hazards, the climate is safe, is the other factors able to contribute to increasing food production and function normally. Hence, since the physical factor has the largest impact and does not need to count on the other factors, it is the most important factor in increasing food production.

The physical factor is the most important factor among the rest because climate, one of the physical factor, holds the highest weightage in terms of affecting increasing food production. It is able to influence the increase of food production the most as compared to factors like politics, technology and economic due to it playing a huge role.

Ideal climatic conditions for the various plant types can help increase food production. High temperatures and rainfall in the tropical regions are generally ideal for higher crop production for most crops as the sufficient sunlight and rain throughout the year allows for a long growing season where farmers can grow multiple cropping in a year, thereby increasing food production. For example, in the Republic of Kosovo, a country in southeastern Europe, precipitation falls as rain and continues through the winter as snow, depending on the altitude of the area, from September to May of the following year. Land preparation and sowing takes place from April to June after which harvesting takes place during the drier months of June to August. However, during long winters, food production can only occur during the warmer seasons when temperature and rainfall are suitable for growing crops. As humans are unable to control how the climate would be like, the food production would be highly dependent on the climate of the country. If the climate is suitable for growing a certain crop, the food production of the crop would be high, however if the climate is not suitable for growing crops, the food production of the crop would be low as the crops are unable to grow due to the unfavourable conditions. Hence, the physical factor which is the climate is the most important in increasing food production as the climate affects the suitability of growing the crop in a certain area. 

However, I still acknowledge that other factors can help to intensify food production.

One of the political factors, the Association of South Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an organisation of 10 Southeast Asian countries. ASEAN aims to accelerate the region’s economic growth, increase social progress, foster cultural development and protect regional peace and stability. For example, in 2012, Thailand started a programme for other ASEAN nations to intensify rice production in the region. The countries that are part of ASEAN will work with or help other countries when other countries are in crisis. When other countries are in need of help, the countries helping them would need to produce more food to be able to give to the countries in need of help. Hence, the food production will increase as they are not just producing food for their own citizens but also for other countries.

The Green Revolution has caused an increase in the food production due to the use of Science and technology. For example, high-yielding varieties (HYVs) is developed through cross-breeding of selected varieties which are found to exhibit favourable characteristics. These include increased resistance to pests and diseases or the ability to grow within a shorter growing season so that there can be more harvests in a year. However, these varieties require more water and nutrients to sustain their growth. Wonder Rice has a growing season of 100 days as compared to the growth duration of 120 days for the non-HYVs. Farmers can practise double or triple cropping using the same piece of land, allowing more crops to be harvested and hence, intensifying food production.

One example of economic factors is the demand and capital. The demand for food changes according to tastes and preferences of consumers. This affects the amount and types of crops produced. The amount of capital a consumer has in the form of money affects whether a demand can be met. For instance, China used to be a producer and exporter of corn. In recent years, more corn is needed to feed livestock as the demand for meat increases as the population grows larger and wealthier. As the local population is unable to meet the increasing demand for livestock, China imports corn from other countries like USA. USA has to increase production of corn for export to China to feed livestock, which in turn, result in more livestock that can be reared for meat. This causes an increase in the food production in order to supply more food for the increasing population.

Even though I acknowledge that other factors such as the technological advancements, political and economic factors are able to help to increase food production, I still think that the physical factor is still the most important factor that helps to increase food production. With the advent of technology, mechanisation are able to speed up the process of harvesting, sowing, and therefore giving more time for crops to grow. With more money, the country is able to buy higher quality fertilisers to help grow more quality crops. With the help of other countries, countries are able to get extra help from other countries. However, once the climate is not suitable for growing crops in an area, the crops would not be able to grow or may die off quickly. Hence, even with more money or machines there would not be any crops for them to even harvest. Therefore, I still think that the most important factor would be the physical factor.

Technological factor is the most important factor in increasing food production.

 

Technological factor is the most important factor in increasing food production. Technological advancements allow High-Yielding Variety crops to be grown. HYVs have more growing cycles and ripen at a faster rate. For example, traditional varieties of rice take 180 days to ripen and have only 1 growing cycle each year whereas, High-Yielding Varieties of rice take 100 days to ripen and have 3 growing cycles each year. This allows more crop harvest within each year, leading to increased food production. The success of this is that these High-Yielding Varieties can be used over and over again. Another success is that High-Yielding Varieties allow food production to be high even during extreme weather conditions. The limitation of this is that it is expensive to developed such High-Yielding Varieties.

 

However, I do acknowledge physical, political and economic factors can increase food production.

 

The physical factor soils and drainage for the various plant types can help increase food production. The amount and type of nutrients found in the soil varies across locations. Fertile soil is rich in minerals essential for plant growth. At the fertile soils surrounding volcanoes or in floodplains along a river, the crop yield tends to be high. For example, the highly fertile soils, in combination with flat terrain and a large water supply in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, result in very high production of rice. Soil drainage refers to the ability of the soil to retain or drain off water, where different crops require different soil drainage. For example, oats require more sandy soils that are well drained. Being mindful that different crops receive their ideal amounts and types of nutrients and ideal soil drainage will increase food production.

 

The economic factor demand and capital for certain types of food can help increase food production. The amount of capital a consumer has affects whether a demand can be met. China used to be a producer and exporter of corn. In recent years, more corn has been needed to feed livestock as the demand for meat by a large and wealthier population increased. Therefore China started to import corn from other countries, causing other countries such as the USA to increase its production of corn for China. Thus because there was a larger demand supplied by China, USA raised its food production in order to meet China’s demand. Therefore, a higher demand will lead to a higher supply, which increases food production.

 

Political factor can increase food production. Agriculture policies ensure that farmers are educated on farming. For instance, the Punjab Agriculture Department started a programme to educate farmers on the best seed varieties, pesticide treatments and irrigation methods. This allows the farmers to be equipped with the knowledge on efficient methods of farming. Thus, they would choose to use these efficient methods, resulting in more crop harvest on the same plot of land. Hence, increasing food production.

 

In conclusion, it is apparent that technology is the most important factor in increasing food production because all countries can benefit from the development of a HYV crop, causing it to have a greater impact. In addition, once a HYV crop is developed, it can be used an unlimited number of times, making this a long term solution. 

 

High-yielding varieties are improved strains of crops such as rice, wheat and other cereals that have an increased growth rate, developed through cross-breeding with other varieties of favorable characteristics, such as resistance to pests and diseases or the ability to grow within a shorter growing season, these characteristics ensure that the food production is not hindered by external factors. One example of how it intensifies food production is that the characteristics of the crops after cross-breeding allows it to grow within a shorter amount of time, hence, contributing to higher crop yield in a year. For example, IR8, it is a variety of HYV rice, saved India from famine in the 1960s, this rice enables farmers to produce twice as much grain as traditional varieties. Thus, technological advancements like High-yielding varieties are the most important factor to intensifying food production as with the help of technological advancements, limitations in farming such as the duration to grow the crops can be overcome by quickening the process.

 

Other factors such as Agribusiness is also essential as they have the economic ability to invest into research and development in food production which is important in intensifying food production. Agribusinesses place importance on scientific and business principles in farming by investing in the research and development of food crops.  With such investments and resources, farmers and companies will be able to do more to get greater crop yield for business purposes. For example, by investing into research, researchers will have more resources for their research to find developments and solutions to protect their crops from pests and flooding and therefore gaining greater crop yields as lesser crops will be destroyed by pests and floods. Hence, other factors like agribusiness is also important in increasing food production. 

However, although I acknowledge the importance of agribusiness, I still agree that technological advancements are still more important in increasing food production because even after researching, the companies would still require technological advancements to help in their commercial farming to increase the crop yield.

 

Another Factor such as the Physical factor is also important as the environment and nature plays a fundamental role in crop production. For instance, locations with suitable soil and good water drainage for the various plant types can help in increased food production. Locations with fertile soil are generally ideal for high crop yield as these soils are rich in minerals and contains more nutrients essential for plant growth, hence, it can be very helpful to increasing production of food. For example, the highly fertile soils, in combination with flat terrain and a large water supply in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, results in very high production of rice.

Having proper soil drainage is also important as it prevents flooding and drought and improper soil drainage can hinder the growth of crops. For example, oats require more sandy soils that are well-drained. In contrast soils with more clay and which retain large amounts of water are best for growing rice. Therefore, being mindful of fertile soil and proper soil drainage for the various plant types will intensify food production.

However, although I also acknowledge the importance of the physical factors in increasing food production, there are limitations in the environment when it comes to growing crops, for instance, the time taken to grow the crops. Hence, I still believe that technological advancements are still more important as these advancements can help crops grow for example, faster than normal crops, increasing food production. 

 

In conclusion, I believe that technological advancements are the most important factor in increasing food production. Although i acknowledge that there are many other essential factors that contribute to increasing food production, technological advancements are after all the factor that boost the crop yield and food production. 

 

Physical factors play the most important role in increasing food production. Physical factors such as ideal soils and drainage ability for the various plant types can intensify food production. Fertile soil are rich in minerals essential for plant growth, which are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Fertile soils can be found in floodplains along a river, in deltas at the river mouth and at volcanic areas. In these areas, crop yield tends to be high. For example, the highly fertile soils, in combination with flat terrain and a large water supply in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, result in very high production of rice. Soils with ideal drainage ability are able to sufficiently retain and drain off water. For example, oats require more sandy soils that are well-drained. In contrast, soils with more clay and which retain large amounts of water are best for growing rice. As the various plant types have ideal soils and drainage ability, the food production can be maximised. Physical factors, also known as natural factors, cannot be modified much to increase food production while others can which means that the location of crops are grown can largely affect its production. With suitable (fertile) soil and proper soil drainage for different types of food, it is very much able to increase food production. Therefore, physical factors are the most important in increasing food production.

Economic factors play the second most important role in increasing food production. Economical factors such as the demand and capital for various plant types can intensify food production. The demand for certain types of food according to the tastes and preferences of consumers affects the amount and type of crops produced, therefore, affecting the intensity of their production. The amount of capital a consumer has, in the form of money or other assets, affects whether a demand can be met. In recent years, more corn has been needed to feed livestock as the demand for meat by a larger and wealthier population increased. As the local population of corn was not able to meet the increasing demand for food for livestock, China, a producer and exporter of corn, started to import corn from other countries such as the United States of America which led to higher crop production in America. With the growing economy in China, they are able to afford these exports that will be used as food for livestock. This shows that with more finances, the living standard of people increase as the the demand of livestock in China increases and is able to pay for exported corn. This maximises the food production. However, the finances one has is varied, countries with greater capital can afford to export more and produce more food while countries with less financial ability cannot. Individuals with stronger financial ability can afford to buy more food, hence, leading to greater demand for food production while individuals with weaker financial ability can only afford to buy a smaller amount of food, hence, leading to a lower demand for food production. Therefore, economic factors are very important in increasing food production but still less important than physical factors.

Technological factors play the third most important role in increasing food production. Technological factors such as high-yielding varieties (HYVs) under green revolution can intensify food production. HYVs are improved strains of crops that have an increased growth rate. They are developed through cross-breeding of selected varieties which have favourable characteristics such as increased resistance to pests and diseases and the ability to grow within a shorter growing season which can increase the number of harvest. For example, IR8. It enables farmers to produce twice as much grain as traditional varieties. By 1990, 70% of the rice and wheat grown in India were HYVs. From 1990 to 2010, rice population multiplied by more than 2 times while wheat production multiplied more than 4 times. This shows that HYVs is able to increase the production of crops significantly. However, such advancements may be costly and not all farmers are able to afford these. Also, HYVs requires more resources such as water, fertilisers to provide nutrients in order to sustain their growth. Therefore, technological factors are quite important but still not as important as economical and physical factors in increasing food production.

Political factors play the least important role in increasing food production. Political factors such as agricultural policy can intensify food production. Agricultural policy refer to policies to domestic agriculture. With more resources provided for agriculture, government may choose to channel resources to educating farmers on more efficient ways of farming. For example, in India, the Punjab Agriculture Department responded in 2012 to the need to ensure greater productivity. Under this programme, farmers were taught about the best available seed varieties, pesticide treatment and irrigation method. With more educated farmers, they would know how to better maximise their food production. This will be a more efficient way in increasing food production as they gain more knowledge on the favourable conditions crops need in order for a healthy growth which will result in increased productivity and more food production. However, resources may be retrained in developed countries as their demand for other needs are higher than agriculture as they can easily export food. Likewise in underdeveloped countries, they would want to sustain other basic needs such as housing and healthcare more than producing more food as producing sufficient food is enough for them to live and the government may not consider the need to educate farmers to increase food production as healthcare and housing may be more urgent issues. Therefore, political factors are the least important factors in increasing food production.

In conclusion, physical factors are still the most important factor in increasing food production as physical factors cannot be controlled as the majority is a natural occurrence and has the greatest effect on crop production. The production of food depend largely on the physical factors which are determined by natural effects that cannot be changed. The other factors, economic, technological and political, also affect food production but not as much as physical factors and these factors can be controlled and changed to benefit food production.

Although the other factors such as physical , political and economical are important . I personally feel that technological advancements is the most important factor in increasing food production . 

This is because technological advancements such as Green Revolution can lead to a rapid increase in the productivity of agriculture through the use of Science and technology . For example , high-yielding varieties (HYVs) is developed through compatible cross breeding of varieties. This HYVs have a shorter growing period thus crops can be harvested more quickly . Hence , farmers can then practice double or even triple croppings which will help to intensify food production as more crops can be harvested in a year . The usage of pesticides can kill pests thus preventing the pests from destroying the crops . Herbicides are also used to remove weeds that will compete with nutrients with the crops which will lead to poor crop growth .This reduces the amount of crops that will be destroyed hence this increases the amount of food that can be harvested without being destroyed by pests . Fertilisers can also be used so that the soil is fertile and there is enough nutrients for the crops to grow well . The usage of fertilisers are important because for double or triple cropping to work , the soil must be fertile and not fallow . Irrigation can also be used so that the crops receive sufficient amount of water as water from rain is not enough for farming especially for multiple cropings . Thus , this helps to intensify food production . Hence , i feel that technological advancements are important as physical factors such as rainwater can be replaced by irrigation . 

However , i acknowledge that other factors also play an important role in intensifying the food production . 

Physical factors such as soil fertility and soil drainage are also important . Fertile soil is generally more ideal for higher crop production . Thus fertile soil which consists of nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium are essential for the plant growth . For example , the highly fertile soils in combination with flat terrains and large water supply in Mekong Delta of Vietnam , result in very high production of rice . Thus , ideal climatic conditions can help intensify food production . 

Political factor such as agricultural policy is a policies pertaining to domestic agriculture. Governments decide how limited resources such as money and land may best be used to influence the intensity of food production. For example, governments may choose to channel resources into educating farmers on more efficient ways of farming. Through this programme, farmers were taught about the best available seed varieties, pesticide treatment and irrigation methods for higher food production. Hence, they may use these ways to helps intensify food production.

Economic factor such as agribusiness also plays an important role in food production. Larger companies are able to withstand the impact of changes in the environment, e.g. flooding, compared to small-scale farmers. They have greater financial capacity to absorb losses and are more able to invest in food production, including research to improve output. Therefore, producing crop with greater yield for own commercial farms and this helps to intensify food production.

Thus, I can conclude that technological advancements is still the most important factor in increasing food production because the use of modern farming methods and machines help to reduce physical limitations  and speed up crop growth greatly.