Hello, Mrs. Lomas here, and I'm very excited to be joining you today for your geography lesson because I am a primary school teacher that loves geography.

So let's find out what we're going to do today, shall we? In today's lesson, we are looking at the future of food production as part of our Farms and factories" Where does our food come from unit.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to describe ways in which farming and food production have changed over time, as well as investigate ways of taking action to make food systems fairer and better for the environment.

We have some key words in today's lesson.

They are pesticides, yields, fertilisers, greenhouse gas emissions, artificial intelligence, or AI.

Let's do my turn, your turn, shall we? Ready? Pesticides.

Yields.

Fertilisers.

Greenhouse gas emissions.

Artificial intelligence, or AI.

Well done.

Let's have a look at what these words mean.

Pesticides are substances that are added to soil or sprayed on plants to protect the plants from pests such as insects.

Fertilisers are substances that are added to soil or sprayed on plants to help them grow.

Yield is the amount of food produced from a crop or from a number of animals reared.

Greenhouse gas emissions are the release of gases into Earth's atmosphere that trap heat and contribute to climate change.

Artificial intelligence, or AI for short, is the technology that makes machines or computers think more like humans.

So don't forget to look out for these words in today's lesson.

Today's lesson on the future of food production is split into three parts, changes in farming, food production in the future, and taking action.

Let's start with changes in farming.

People have been farming for thousands of years.

It is thought that the first farmers lived in the Near East, a region spread across parts of southern Europe, West Asia and North Africa.

Farming arrived in Britain around 6,000 years ago.

And here we can see a painting of some farming, which is from a burial chamber, by the looks of it, if you look at the source information underneath.

I want you to pause the video and see what you can see in this photo.

When you're ready, come back and we'll have a closer look.

How did you get on? I think I can see two cows there, can't I? Pulling a plough of some description with a farmer with maybe some kind of like whip, and then there are lots of plants to the side of the field where they are ploughing.

Farming today is very different to that of the earliest farming.

These changes include increasing use of machinery, larger farms and fields, growing different crops, developing new technologies, and using more pesticides and fertilisers.

We can produce a lot more food today than in the past.

And there we can see, can't we, a tractor spreading something over the plants, could be pesticide or fertiliser.

And below that we have a huge greenhouse, don't we? Intensive farming is a way of farming that aims to produce as high yields as possible.

This is often by planting large fields of the same type of crop, keeping lots of animals in a small space, using machinery, pesticides, and fertilisers.

Can you think of any disadvantages of this way of farming? Pause the video, have a class discussion, and come back when you're ready.

How did you get on? Did you think about maybe the carbon emissions or the greenhouse gas emissions or the effect of the pesticides and fertilisers of the soil, or planting the same crop in a large area, the effect that has on the soil and the local biodiversity? And obviously the animals kept in a small space, how fair is that for them? What effect does that have on the environment? Hopefully you had a really good discussion about that.

So let's do a quick check, shall we? How has farming changed over time? Select two answers.

A, developing new technologies, B, increasing use of machinery, C, smaller farms, or D, using less pesticides and fertilisers.

So I want you to choose two to tell me how has farming changed over time.

A, developing new technologies, B, increasing use of machinery, C, smaller farms, or D, using less pesticides and fertilisers.

Pause the video, have a go, come back when you're ready to check.

How did you get on? If you told me that it was A, developing new technologies, and B, increasing use of machinery, you'd be correct.

Well done.

Farming has changed a lot over time, and we'll need to adapt to the future.

It is predicted that the world's population will reach 10 billion by 2050.

This means that we will need to increase the amount of food produced in the world.

Let's have another little quick check, shall we? What is the world's population in 2050 predicted to be? A, 8 billion, B, 9 billion, C, 10 billion, or D 11 billion.

So one more time, what is the world's population in 2050 predicted to be? A, 8 billion, B, 9 billion, C, 10 billion, or D, 11 billion? Pause the video, have a go, come back when you're ready to check your answers.

How did you get on? If you said that the world's population in 2050 is predicted to be C, 10 billion, you'd be correct.

Well done.

Food production is a major cause of climate change.

It can also harm living things and their habitats.

Farmers, scientists and governments need to find ways of producing food that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and are better for the environment.

And there we can see some drones, can't we? And I think we're gonna learn a bit more about that in a second.

Farming and food production will also need to change because of the impacts of the climate crisis.

How might this be done? Pause the video, have a class discussion, and come back when you are ready.

How did you get on? Most of the world's farmers are small-scale farmers who farm small areas of land.

It is often more difficult for these farmers to get the support and resources they need to adapt to climate change.

Although the climate crisis is affecting everyone, it's impacting some people more than others.

And here we can see an example of a small-scale rice farm.

So, time for a check.

True or false, we will need to produce less food in the future? Once you've decided if this is true or false, I want you to justify your answer with either A, the increasing world population means that we will need to produce more food in the future, or B, people will need to eat more in the future, so we will need to produce more food.

So once again, true or false, we will need to produce less food in the future? Once you've decided if this is true or false, I want you to justify your answer with either A, the increasing world population means that we will need to produce more food in the future, or B, people will need to eat more in the future, so we will need to produce more food.

Pause the video, have a go, and come back when you're ready to check your answers.

How did you get on? If you said that we will need to produce less food in the future was false because A, the increase in world population means that we will need to produce more food in the future, you'd be correct.

Well done.

So it's time for task A.

Think about the ways that food production might change in the future.

Think about increasing yields or farming in ways that are better to the environment, or adapting farming methods due to the impacts of climate change.

And talk to a partner about your ideas.

So you're going to talk to your partner about your ideas on the following topics: increasing yields, farming in ways that are better for the environment, and adapting farming methods due to the impacts of climate change.

So all ways that food production might change in the future.

Pause the video, have a go, and come back and we'll see some ideas that I've had.

How did you get on? Some ideas that I had were growing crops that are resistant to drought.

So that means that even if there is a drought they're still able to grow, so if there's that lack of water.

Using battery-powered robots instead of tractors, therefore giving out fewer greenhouse gases.

Leaving spaces for wildlife.

Wasting less food and eating more plant-based foods, therefore, again, reducing that and the greenhouse gas emissions.

I'm sure you came up with lots of other ideas yourself, but if there's any here that you would like to note down, now is your chance to pause the video and do that.

So we've had a look at changes in farming, now let's have a look at food production in the future.

Scientists are developing new varieties of crops that have higher yields, or are more resistant to drought or diseases.

And they're also trying to breed cows that produce less methane.

I have to say, I'm glad I'm not the scientists that are looking into cow farts personally, but it is a good cause, isn't it? So there you go.

Different ways to increase food production are being developed that don't need more resources.

Vertical farming is when crops are grown in layers, one on top of each other.

This means that lots of crops can be grown in a smaller space.

And hydroponics is a way of growing crops in sand, gravel or liquid without soil.

And we can see, can't we in this picture, definitely an example of vertical farming.

And it might even show hydroponics as well.

Artificial intelligence is now being used in farming and food production.

And here we can see that drone picture from earlier, can't we? Let's find out what's going on, shall we? Drones fitted with special cameras can be used to spray pesticides and plant seeds.

And farmers can also use them to check how well their crops are growing.

So that definitely looks like they're spraying something on the crops, doesn't it? It's very exciting actually, isn't it? Another way of increasing food production is finding different places to grow food.

Urban farming describes the growing of crops in towns and cities.

It can be done on rooftops, in people's gardens, or in any spare space.

Do you know any examples of urban farming? Perhaps somebody grows their peas.

No, not peas, something.

Some form of herbal vegetable on a window sill at home maybe, or out on a little balcony.

So let's do a check, shall we? True or false, food is only grown in rural areas? Once you've decided if this is true or false, I want you to justify your answer using either A, although many farms are in rural areas, food can also be grown in urban areas, or B, food is only grown in urban areas.

So one more time, food is only grown in rural areas.

You're going to decide if this is true or false and then justify your answer with A, although many farms are in rural areas, food can also be grown in urban areas, or B, food is only grown in urban areas.

Have a go, pause the video, come back when you're ready to check the answers.

How did you get on? If you said that food is only grown in rural areas is false because A, although many farms are in rural areas, food can also be grown in urban areas, you'd be correct.

Well done.

Organic farming is a way of producing food without the use of chemicals.

It is often better for the environment and wildlife than other types of farming.

However, it often produces lower yields.

This can mean that more land and resources are needed to produce the same amount of food.

Farming and food production will need to change to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Much of Bangladesh is low-lying and at risk of flooding, and climate change is causing flooding to happen more often.

Farmers have adapted by using floating gardens to grow their crops.

They make rafts out of weeds and plant their crops on top.

How cool is that? That's such an innovative idea, isn't it, to solve the problem.

And there you can see Bangladesh on the world map there in Asia.

So, time for a check.

True or false, climate change will soon start to affect food production? Once you've decided if this is true or false, I want you to justify your answer using either A, climate change is already affecting food production, or B, it will be hundreds of years before climate change affects food production.

So you need to decide if climate change will soon start to affect food production is true or false, and then justify your answer with either A, climate change is already affecting food production, or B, it will be hundreds of years before climate change affects food production.

Pause the video, have a go, come back when you're ready to check your answers.

How did you get on? If you said that climate change will soon start to affect food production is false because A, climate change is already affecting food production, you'd be correct.

Well done.

So it's time for task B.

I would like you to invent a new way of farming or food production that helps to either increase crop yields, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect the environment and wildlife, or support farmers in adapting to climate change.

You are going to describe your invention.

It could be a new variety of crop or animal, or a new technology or machine.

Explain how it will help to solve one of the challenges facing farming or food production, and draw a labelled diagram of your invention.

So once more, I would like you to invent a new way of farming or food production that helps to either, so you just got to choose one of these, increase crop yields, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect the environment and wildlife, or support farmers in adapting to climate change.

So choose one of those things that your invention will do.

Then describe your invention.

So as we said before, it could be a new variety of crop or animal, or a new technology or a machine.

Explain how it will help to solve the challenge that you picked a minute ago, and then draw a labelled diagram of your invention.

So pause the video, have a go, and come back when you're ready.

I'm really excited to see what some of your inventions are.

How did you get on? Here are some possible ideas.

Using food waste to heat our homes, using battery-powered robots instead of tractors, planting crops on large boats in the oceans, building skyscraper farms in cities.

I wonder if any of your ideas are being done already.

How could you find out? Pause the video and have a class discussion.

How did you get on? Are you going to go and look and see if any of your ideas are being done already when this lesson's over? I hope so.

That could be quite exciting.

So we've looked at changes in farming and food production in the future, now it's time for taking action.

Think about what you've learned about farming and food production during this unit.

Where does our food come from? How is our food grown or made? How have farming and food production changed over time? How is food connected with the climate? Does everyone have enough to eat? Is food production fair? What challenges does the world face in producing enough food? What will food production be like in the future? Pause the video and have a discussion about what we've learned in this unit so far, using those questions to prompt you.

When you're ready, come back.

How did you get on? Hopefully you've remembered lots from this unit so far.

People are taking action in lots of different ways to make food systems fairer and better for our planet and its people.

Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.

What action could you take at home or school? Pause the video and collect your ideas.

Come back when you're ready.

It is helpful to plan an action before doing it, and it is often useful to break an action down into smaller steps, such as what will you need to do? What resources will you need? Who will you need to help you? When will you do it by? How will you know you have been successful? You might like to pause the video here and take one idea as a class and think about these questions for an action that you could do.

It's time for a little check.

Think of a question you might need to answer when planning an action to take.

So just one question.

Pause the video, have a go, come back when you're ready.

If you said any of these, you would be correct.

Well done.

So you've got what will you need to do? What resources will you need? Who will you need to help you? When will you do it by? And how will you know you have been successful? So it's time for task C.

Decide as a group which action to take at school to help make food fairer and better for our planet and its people.

Some suggestions are provided, but you could think of your own idea if you want.

Work as a group to complete the action planner.

So let's have a look at some of the ideas that you could choose.

Having more vegetarian school dinner options, giving an assembly to share our learning, meeting with our MP to find out what action the government is taking, reducing the amount of food wasted at school, learning more about food issues, growing food in a school garden, trying to use more seasonal food in school dinners, arranging a collection for the local food bank, or writing to a supermarket to find out what action they are taking.

Again, you might not want to choose one of these ideas if you have a fabulous one of your own.

Once you've decided on your action, then it's time to fill in the action planner.

You need to state what our action is, what will you need to do, what resources will you need, who will you need to help you, when will you do it by, and how will you know you've been successful? So pause the video, have a go, and come back and we'll have a look at one that I've planned out when you're ready.

How did you get on? Here's an example of a completed action planner.

So I thought that our action could be to reduce food waste.

What will we need to do? Carry out an audit to find out how much food is wasted and where.

Create posters to encourage people to waste less food.

Set up a compost bin.

What resources will we need? Paper and pencils, and a compost bin or wooden pallets.

Who will we need to help us? There's the catering staff, teachers, mealtime assistants, and other children.

When will we do it by? The end of term.

How will we know we've been successful? We'll carry out another audit at the end of term to see if the amount of food waste has been reduced.

You might have picked a different action to that.

However, if there's anything on my example that you think, "Oh, actually, maybe we could add that in," now is your chance to pause the video and do that.

So in summary, the future of food production.

Farming and food production have changed over time, and there are advantages and disadvantages of these changes.

Pesticides and fertilisers are used to increase yield in intensive farming.

Food production produces greenhouse gas emissions.

But scientists are looking at ways of reducing this.

Artificial intelligence is helping to find ways to improve farming systems. And everyone can take action to help make food systems fairer and better for the environment.

Well done on working so hard today, everybody, and great that you've already started to take action and think of one action that you could do, but you don't have to stop there.

You could think of something to do at home or something else you want to do in school, okay? Or just something you want to do yourself.

So it's been an absolute pleasure to join you for today's lesson, and hopefully I'll see you soon for some more geography.

Bye.