Explain how the use of fertilisers and genetic engineering together can help farmers produce enough food to feed the growing human population.

OCR GCSE Biology A: Gateway Science (J247) — B6.2 Feeding the human race · Explain · 4 marks · View as Markdown

Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).

Global food demand is increasing as the human population grows. Farmers use a range of modern techniques to maximise the quantity and quality of crops they can produce from a given area of land.

Model answer (4 marks)

Fertilisers supply essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the soil, which promotes plant growth and increases crop yield.
Genetic engineering introduces a desired gene from another organism into the crop plant’s genome, giving the plant a new trait such as disease resistance, pest resistance, drought tolerance or improved nutritional content, which further boosts the amount and quality of food produced.

Examiner tips

Use the word ‘promotes’ or ‘stimulates’ when describing fertiliser action. Mention a specific nutrient (N, P, K) to show understanding. Explain that the inserted gene gives a new trait that directly improves yield or quality. Link both techniques to the overall goal of feeding more people.

Common mistakes

Saying fertilisers ‘make plants bigger’ without mentioning nutrients. Forgetting to state the specific benefit of the gene (e.g. resistance or nutrition). Using vague terms like ‘better food’ without linking to yield or quality.

Mark scheme (4 marks)

Fertilisers provide essential nutrients to the soil / to plants
This increases plant growth / increases crop yield
Genetic engineering involves inserting a desired gene from another organism into the crop plant's genome
This introduces a desirable characteristic (e.g. disease resistance / pest resistance / drought tolerance / improved nutritional content) so more/better food is produced

Key terms in this question

fertiliser · genetic engineering