Can we feed nine billion people?
The global food system, including how food is produced, traded and consumed; the causes and consequences of food insecurity; and the factors that will affect whether the world can feed a growing population.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Geography B (J384) Resource Reliance on the global food system, covering how food is produced, traded and consumed, the causes and consequences of food insecurity, and whether the world can feed nine billion people.
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What this dot point is asking
This is OCR GCSE Geography B (J384) Component 2, People and Society, the central enquiry of Resource Reliance: "Can we feed nine billion people?" OCR expects you to explain the global food system (how food is produced, traded and consumed), the causes and consequences of food insecurity, and the factors that will determine whether the world can feed a growing population towards nine billion.
The global food system
This interconnection brings choice and efficiency but also vulnerability: a drought, conflict or price spike in one region can affect food supply and prices far away.
Food insecurity: causes and consequences
The causes of food insecurity combine several factors:
- Poverty: people cannot afford food even when it is available.
- Climate and weather: droughts, floods and a changing climate reduce harvests.
- Conflict and war: disrupt farming, destroy crops and block aid.
- Rising population: increases demand faster than supply can grow.
- Poor infrastructure and technology: food is lost in storage or cannot reach people.
The consequences are serious: hunger and malnutrition, poor health and child development, lower productivity, and social and political instability (food shortages can trigger unrest).
Can we feed nine billion?
The world's population is heading towards nine billion by the middle of the century, raising the central question of the topic. OCR wants you to weigh the factors on both sides.
Try this
Q1. Define food insecurity. [2 marks]
- Cue. The lack of reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food to live a healthy life.
Q2. Explain why a country might depend on imported food. [3 marks]
- Cue. Its climate, land or technology may limit what it can grow, so it trades for food through the global food system.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR 20184 marksExplain two causes of food insecurity. (Component 2)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark "Explain" question assessing AO1 and AO2. Markers reward developed causes.
Award credit for any two, developed: poverty means people cannot afford to buy enough food even when it is available. Climate and weather (droughts, floods, a changing climate) reduce harvests and make supply unreliable. Conflict and war disrupt farming, destroy crops and block food aid. A rising population increases demand faster than supply can grow. Low technology or poor infrastructure (no storage, poor roads) means food is lost or cannot reach people. Top answers link each cause to why it reduces access to food, not just name it.
OCR 20216 marksAssess the factors that will determine whether the world can feed nine billion people. (Component 2)Show worked answer →
A 6-mark "Assess" question marked by levels of response, assessing AO1, AO2 and AO3, with a judgement.
Strong answers explain the factors for being able to feed nine billion: technology (higher-yielding crops, irrigation, the green revolution, genetic modification), reducing waste, changing diets, and more efficient global trade. They explain the factors against: a growing population, climate change reducing yields and water, limited land and water, soil degradation, rising meat consumption (which uses more land), and inequality in access. A good judgement weighs these, concluding that there may be enough food in total but that the real challenge is distribution, sustainability and access, so feeding nine billion is possible but depends on tackling waste, climate change and inequality rather than just producing more. Markers reward the balance and the judgement.
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Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Geography B (J384) specification — OCR (2016)