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Year 11
AQA
Higher

Factors affecting human food security, and possible solutions

I can describe factors affecting food security, and explain how biotechnological and agricultural solutions can help to ensure food security.

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New
New
Year 11
AQA
Higher

Factors affecting human food security, and possible solutions

I can describe factors affecting food security, and explain how biotechnological and agricultural solutions can help to ensure food security.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Factors affecting food security, e.g. human population size, changing diets in wealthier populations, sustainability.
  2. Factors affecting food security, e.g. cost of agricultural inputs, environmental change, new pests and pathogens.
  3. Biotechnology can be used to produce food, for example microorganisms can produce mycoprotein, a fungus.
  4. Genetically modified crops can be used to increase food yields or produce better quality food.
  5. Benefits must be weighed against risks, costs and ethical issues.

Common misconception

Pupils may have a belief that genetically engineered organisms are not safe. While there are risks with GM organisms, there are a wide range of benefits which can help humans.

The lesson highlights the benefits of genetically modifying crops to address food security challenges, especially in the context of a growing human population and other factors that threaten food availability.

Keywords

  • Food security - having enough food to feed the human population

  • Genetic engineering - modifying the genome of an organism by adding, removing or altering genes, to introduce a desirable characteristic (or remove an undesirable one)

  • Biotechnology - the alteration and use of organisms to produce products for human use

  • Ethics - whether an action taken is right or wrong

Quorn is one of the common available forms of mycoprotein that is available. Pupils could be asked to look at the nutritional information of labels of foods containing mycoprotein to compare them to other food types.
Teacher tip

Equipment

None required.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is meant by the term 'sustainable resource'?
a resource that eventually runs out
Correct answer: a resource that is replaced as quickly as it is used
a resource that is of importance for improving human quality of life
a resource that is used at certain times of the year
Q2.
Why do humans need to produce more food?
An image in a quiz
We are farming more cattle that eat our food.
Correct answer: The population of humans is increasing rapidly.
The population of humans is stable.
We need to make sure that ecosystems have high biodiversity.
Q3.
Why does limiting the movement of animals on farms (e.g. cattle or fish) help to improve the efficiency of food production?
Correct answer: More of the biomass that is eaten is converted into the animal's biomass.
The animals use less biomass to photosynthesise.
There is more biomass used by animals that do not move around.
Less biomass eaten by animals is digested and it passes through the animal.
Q4.
What is the long term change in weather patterns called?
Correct Answer: climate change
Q5.
Food security is reduced by which of the following?
Correct answer: new pests and pathogens (diseases)
intensive farming methods which produce high crop yields
a smaller human population.
Q6.
Which of the following is a consequence of increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
Polar ice increases and sea levels drop.
Polar ice decreases and sea levels drop.
Polar ice increases and sea levels rise.
Correct answer: Polar ice decreases and sea levels rise.
Q2 Mir141, Shutterstock.com

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which two letters are used to indicate that a crop has been genetically engineered to have more favourable characteristics?
Correct Answer: GM, G.M.
Q2.
What is mycoprotein?
An image in a quiz
a protein made by bacteria
a carbohydrate made by a plant
Correct answer: a protein made by a fungus
a carbohydrate made by a fungus
a protein made by an animal
Q3.
Why is mycoprotein a food that helps to improve food security?
Correct answer: It provides a high-protein meat substitute.
It provides a low-protein meat substitute.
Correct answer: It provides a cheap and sustainable source of protein.
It provides an expensive alternative source of protein.
It takes up large areas of farmland to produce.
Q4.
What is meant by the term biotechnology?
technology that makes animals live longer
increasing the rate that animals reproduce so there is more meat available
Correct answer: the modification and use of organisms to make useful products
making large amounts of food for humans
Q5.
Glucose syrup is used to help culture the fungus that is used to produce mycoprotein. What is the glucose syrup used for?
It is used as an enzyme by the fungus.
Correct answer: It is used as a source of food by the fungus.
It helps to maintain the right conditions for the fungus.
It helps to maintain aerobic conditions for the fungus.
Q6.
Genetically modified crops can help to ensure that there is food security. Which of the following are ways that crops can be modified to help produce more food?
Crops can be modified to produce small yields.
Correct answer: Crops can be modified to produce pesticides which stop them from being eaten.
Crops can be modified to make them more vulnerable to disease.
Crops can be modified so that they die when there is not enough rainfall.
Q2 Mycoprotein meat by Daniel Neville CC BY-SA 2.0