# Explain how using crop rotation can help improve food security.

> Edexcel GCSE Biology (1BI0) — 9.2 Food security · Explain · 4 marks

> Farmers in the UK often grow different crops in the same field each year in a repeating cycle. One common rotation involves growing a cereal crop such as wheat, followed by a legume crop such as clover or beans.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. Crop rotation replenishes nutrients (e.g. nitrates/nitrogen compounds) in the soil
2. Legumes/nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules convert atmospheric nitrogen into nitrogen-containing compounds in the soil
3. Greater crop yields are produced because plants have access to more nutrients/nitrates for growth
4. Greater food availability/higher yields mean more people can be fed, improving food security

## Key terms

- [crop rotation](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/crop-rotation)
- [food security](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/food-security)

## Related

- [Revision notes for Edexcel GCSE Biology (1BI0)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/explain-how-using-crop-rotation-can-e956aafb) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.