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How can the world increase its supply of food, water or energy sustainably?

The optional resource (food, water or energy): the global pattern of supply and demand, the impacts of insecurity, and strategies to increase supply sustainably, with case studies.

A focused answer to AQA GCSE Geography 3.2.3 optional resource, using food as the example: the global pattern of food supply and demand, the impacts of food insecurity, and large-scale and sustainable strategies including the Indus Basin and local schemes.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.89 min answer

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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  1. What this dot point is asking
  2. Global supply and demand
  3. Impacts of insecurity
  4. Strategies to increase supply
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What this dot point is asking

This is AQA GCSE Geography (8035) Paper 2, Section C (3.2.3 The challenge of resource management). AQA expects a detailed study of one optional resource (food, water or energy). For your chosen resource you must explain the global pattern of supply and demand, the reasons for and impacts of insecurity, and a range of strategies to increase supply, including a large-scale scheme and an example of a sustainable, local strategy. This page uses food as the worked example; the same structure applies to water or energy.

Global supply and demand

The balance between supply and demand is measured by food security (and equivalently water and energy security). Where reliable supply exceeds demand a country has a surplus; where demand outstrips supply it has a deficit and faces insecurity. Demand is rising fastest in newly emerging economies, where growing populations and rising wealth mean people eat more meat (which needs far more land, water and grain to produce) and use more energy and water per person.

Impacts of insecurity

Food (or water or energy) insecurity has severe impacts: famine and undernutrition that stunt children's growth and weaken immune systems; the spread of disease (dirty water spreads cholera and typhoid; undernourishment lowers resistance); soil erosion from over-farming marginal land; rising prices that trigger social unrest and even food riots; and conflict over scarce resources, such as disputes over shared rivers. Insecurity holds back development by keeping people sick, hungry and unable to work or study, trapping communities in poverty.

Strategies to increase supply

Sustainable strategies meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. For food these include organic farming (no artificial chemicals, protecting soil and water), buying local and seasonal produce to cut food miles and emissions, permaculture (designing farming to work with natural cycles), urban gardens and allotments, and reducing the roughly one-third of food that is currently wasted. A named example is a local sustainable food scheme (such as a community-supported agriculture project or a city allotment network) that supplies a community with low-input, locally grown food, improving security while protecting soil and water.

Try this

Q1. Define food security. [2 marks]

  • Cue. Having reliable access to enough safe and nutritious food for an active, healthy life.

Q2. Compare a large-scale and a sustainable strategy to increase food supply. [6 marks]

  • Cue. Large-scale (Green Revolution or the Indus Basin scheme) raises output fast but is costly and harms the environment; sustainable local schemes are gentler but smaller in scale.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

AQA 20196 marksUsing a named example of a large-scale agricultural development, explain how it has increased food supply. (Paper 2, Section C)
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A 6-mark question from Paper 2 Section C (The challenge of resource management), assessing AO1 and AO2. Markers reward a named large-scale scheme and a clear explanation of how it raises output, with some evaluation of drawbacks.

Award credit for naming a scheme such as the Indus Basin Irrigation System in Pakistan, then explaining how it increases supply: a network of dams, barrages and canals stores and transfers river water to dry farmland, allowing reliable irrigation, double-cropping and the growing of high-value crops where rain-fed farming would fail. This raises yields and food security for millions. The strongest answers add a limitation (high cost, water lost to evaporation, salinisation of soil, or conflict over shared water), showing the scheme is effective but not without problems.

AQA 20229 marks'Sustainable, local strategies are better than large-scale schemes for increasing food supply.' To what extent do you agree? Use examples. (Paper 2, Section C)
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A 9-mark levelled extended response assessing AO1, AO2 and AO3 (evaluation). "To what extent" requires a balanced argument and a clear judgement, supported with examples.

Strong answers compare large-scale schemes (the Green Revolution, agribusiness, the Indus Basin irrigation, hydroponics) with sustainable local strategies (organic farming, permaculture, urban gardens, local and seasonal food, reducing waste). Argue that large-scale schemes raise output fast and feed large populations, but are costly, energy-hungry, can damage soil and water, and may benefit big landowners most. Sustainable local strategies protect the environment, suit poorer communities and cut food miles, but produce less and cannot alone feed a fast-growing urban population. Reach a judgement: the best approach depends on context (a growing megacity may need both), so they are complementary rather than one being simply "better". Markers reward examples on both sides and a reasoned conclusion.

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