Explain why an increase in the global human population is a threat to food security.
Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).
The global human population is predicted to reach approximately 10 billion by 2050. Scientists are concerned about the ability of food production systems to meet the demands of this growing population.
Model answer (4 marks)
A larger population means a greater demand for food.
More people require more food, so the total quantity of food that must be produced rises.
To meet this demand, more land is converted to farmland, destroying habitats and reducing the area available for food production per person.
The increased use of land, water and fertilisers leads to resource depletion and soil fertility loss.
These pressures make it harder to provide adequate, safe and nutritious food for everyone, thereby threatening food security.
More people require more food, so the total quantity of food that must be produced rises.
To meet this demand, more land is converted to farmland, destroying habitats and reducing the area available for food production per person.
The increased use of land, water and fertilisers leads to resource depletion and soil fertility loss.
These pressures make it harder to provide adequate, safe and nutritious food for everyone, thereby threatening food security.
Examiner tips
- Use the exact phrases from the mark scheme (e.g. "greater demand for food", "more land is needed", "resources become limited"),
- Show the logical chain: population ↑ → demand ↑ → land use ↑ → resources ↓ → food security threatened.
- Keep each point short and to the point, matching the four marks.
Mark scheme (4 marks)
- A larger population requires more food / greater demand for food
- More land is needed for agriculture / habitats are destroyed to create farmland, reducing the area available for food production per person
- Resources such as water and fertilisers become limited / overuse of land reduces soil fertility
- This makes it harder to ensure populations have access to adequate amounts of safe and nutritious food / food security is threatened
Key terms in this question
Related
- All Edexcel GCSE Biology (1BI0) revision notes →
- How to answer a "Explain" question →
- Decode the mark scheme abbreviations →