Changing global production and consumption of food

Changing global production of food

Changing global production of food

• Food production is 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

Changing global consumption of food

Changing global consumption of food

• Food consumption is also increasing globally

• 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

• 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 has 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 rapid in LICs

• This which creates an increase in 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

Reasons for the globalisation of food supply

Reasons for the globalisation of food supply

• Globalisation is where the world has become more interconnected through the processes of economics, culture, politics, trade and tourism

• Globalisation is not new

  • People and places have always had connections of raw materials and workers

• Today globalisation is bigger, more global and developing at a faster rate than in the past

• It is a process driven by improvements in communication and transport

• These improvements have made it easier for people, goods and information to move across national borders

• Food supply and demand has also been impacted by globalisation

• Foods can be moved around the world much more quickly and efficiently due to improvements in:

  • refrigeration

  • air transport

• Land availability in LICs and MICs has attracted agribusinesses to those areas

Impacts of the globalisation of food supply

Impacts of the globalisation of food supply

Food seasonality

• Seasonal foods are now available all year around

Food diversity

• Consumers are now able to eat a more diverse range of food

• Availability of 'new' foods increase leading to higher demand such as goji and acai berries and quinoa

• This can impact availability in the source country, the price of acai berries has increased 60x

  • Indigenous Amazonian communities can no longer afford to have them as part of their diets

• Demand for these foods can also increase pressure on water supplies as irrigation becomes a priority

Food culture

• MICs and LICs become increasingly influenced by 'Western diets'

• Fast food chains like McDonalds and KFC opening increases the influence

  • This may lead to the loss of traditional diets

  • It has also increased levels of obesity in some MICs and LICs

Food production

• The demand for food has led to an increase in monocultures and large scale commercial farming in MICs and LICs

• This has increased food availability but has also led to:

  • increased soil erosion

  • habitat destruction and the loss of biodiversity

  • increased use of pesticides and fertilisers