Glob+-+Food+Miles

Food production has increased significantly mainly as a result of an increase in the number of people living on the planet. The quest to increase food production worldwide - whether out of necessity for survival or to sell to areas where food items are desired, but otherwise unobtainable all year round - has had significant impacts. These can be categorised as environmental, political, social and economic.

A **food mile ** is the distance that food items travel from where they are grown to where they are eaten.

A **carbon footprint ** is the amount of carbon generated by things people do, including creating a demand for out-of-season food.

Why is global demand for food increasing?
 * The increasing global population - more people means more food has be produce to feed them
 * In poor countries local people go to the local market and most of the food is produced in the poor country
 * In rich countries people want a wide range of foods at different times of the year. This means getting food which is often 'out-of-season' and has to come from other countries. This means strawberries from Spain in December.
 * Environmental impacts:**
 * the demand for out-of-season food means we have to fly food in from aborad like apples. This leads to releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming and air pollution
 * carbon dioxide released from road transportation of goods
 * storing food such as apples. Apples are harvested in September and October and kept under cold storage for the rest of the year (this gives out lots of CO2) when they are required to be sold in February and March
 * desertification where the land turns into desert as a result of agricultural mismanagement.
 * Overcultivation and overgrazing - see powerpoint at bottom of the page
 * Monocultures - growing only one type of crop in a field for many yearswill reduce the nutrients the plants needs, therefore reducing the yield of that crop.
 * Irrigation - water from a river is pumped onto a field to help increase the yield of the crops
 * Salinisation - through poor irrigation techniques water is left on top of the soil. When this evaporates, salt is left behind and over time the concentration builds up which can reduce yields.

**Political impacts:** • This mainly arises from the hostilities associated with water • Mainly in areas of water stress – these are areas with little water – desert areas – Saharan Africa and the Middle East • Irrigation uses a lot of water – this reduces the amount of water in rivers and groundwater stores • People other than farmers have less water to drink and for business • The water would then need to be rationed • In areas where global warming is causing temperatures to rise more water will evaporate, there could be less rainfall and ultimately less water for people to use • There could potentially be wars in the future over the use of water in Egypt, Kashmir and Pakistan Social impacts: There is the information below and the video next to it which summarises the key points: media type="custom" key="9133384"
 * __The effects of growing crops on marginal land__**

**Economic impacts: **

Growing cash crops as well as food crops is often the way forward for many small-scale farmers - some even seek to sell any surplus of food they produce. Additional cash allows investment in the farm and other items to be bought. However, there are problems. There is often a need to intensify production, which means increasing the use of fertilisers and pesticides. These cost money and a vicious cycle of borrowing, spending the money, borrowing more money and getting into debt.

**Buying locally produced food:**

In the UK, farmers benefit from local people buy food they produce and there are arguably more widespread economic, social, political and environmental benefits. Buying from local, or indeed regional or national sources, should benefit the domestic farming industry and address environmental concerns.

In the UK, we can ensure that we support local producers by: media type="custom" key="9133474"media type="custom" key="9133486"
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt;">looking at labels in supermarkets, which increasingly give the specific origin of foods
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt;">visiting specialist local shops
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt;">buying online from 'local' producers
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt;">supporting local farmers' markets
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt;">attending regional agricultural shows, which celebrate and sell local produce