F2 GEOG Farming Systems PDF

What is farming? Farming system, types and farming in Hong Kong ScantheQRcodeonthecontentspage.AvideothatsummariesthekeyconceptsofUnit1isprovided. In which country is the rice you eat produced?...

What is farming? Farming system, types and farming in Hong Kong ScantheQRcodeonthecontentspage.AvideothatsummariesthekeyconceptsofUnit1isprovided. In which country is the rice you eat produced? Free response Study Fig. 1.2. Is rice an input, process or output of a farming system? Farming Farming refers to the activity of growing crops and rearing livestock for food and raw materials (Fig. 1.1). For example, vegetables can be cooked directly or used as raw materials for canned food. O Growing vegetables Rearing pigs T IS Fig. 1.1 Examples of farming activities Farming system Farming works like a system. It includes inputs, processes and outputs (Fig. 1.2). R Inputs Processes Outputs Physical Human Useful Useless inputs inputs Sowing outputs outputs A Irrigating Chemical Sunlight Labour Vegetables residues $ Fertilising Rainfall $ Capital Fruits Weeds Harvesting Crop Land Machinery Staple food residues Feeding Soil Fodder livestock Livestock $ Rice is a / an output $ Money of a farming system. Fig. 1.2 A simplified farming system Farming農業 Crop作物 Livestock禽畜 Rawmaterial原料 Labour勞工 Capital資金 Machinery機械 Fodder飼料 Sowing播種 Irrigating灌溉 Fertilising施肥 Harvesting收割 Feeding餵飼 Staplefood主要糧食 4 Chemicalresidue殘餘農藥 Cropresidue作物殘株  Farming system, types and farming in Hong Kong Physical inputs (e.g. land) and human inputs (e.g. labour) are the resources needed for farming. Farmers manage the farm by carrying out different processes, such as ploughing and feeding. Vegetables and livestock are the useful outputs of a farm, while crop residues are considered useless outputs. Farmers sell the useful farm produce at the market. The money earned is used to buy inputs for the farm. A farming cycle is formed. TeachercanuseFig.1.3toillustrate theoperationofafarm Sunlight Rainfall O Labour Machinery Land Fertilising Vegetables T Ploughing Sowing IS Poultry Harvesting Key Weeds Input Process Output Fig. 1.3 Inputs, processes and outputs of a farm R In the next section, let us learn the different types of farming in the world. A Farming refers to the activity of growing crops and rearing livestock. Complete the farming system below: Inputs Processes Outputs Physical Human Such as Useful Useless inputs: inputs: and outputs: outputs: e.g. sunlight, e.g. labour, ploughing / irrigating / e.g. vegetables, e.g. chemical fertilising / weeding / land machinery feeding livestock / sowing / fruits residues harvesting (any 2) Sold in the market for money Ploughing翻土 5  What are the major types of farming? Study Table 1.1. Describe the characteristics of intensive farming. Identify the type of farming of market gardening in the Netherlands under different ways of classification. There are many types of farming in the world. They are classified in the following ways: 1. Amount of inputs per unit area Based on the amount of inputs per unit area, farming can be classified into intensive O farming and extensive farming. Generally speaking, intensive farming has higher amounts of input. Teachercanpoint Intensive farming Extensive farming T outthatthereare manytypesof farmingsystemsin theworld.Theyare classifiedaccording todifferentcriteria. IS Basedonthelevel ofmechanisation andtechnology, farmingcanalsobe classifiedintohigh- techfarmingand low-techfarming. Farm size Smaller Larger R Inputs per unit area More Less Outputs per labour Lower Higher Outputs per unit area Higher Lower A Example Market gardening in the Netherlands Rice farming in the USA In intensive farming, (large / small) amounts of input are used on a small piece of farmland. Outputs per unit area is also (high / low). Market gardening in the Netherlands: (Large / Small) amounts of input per unit area — Intensive farming Produces (flowers / sheep) — Arable farming Farm produce is sold at the market — Commercial farming 6 Intensivefarming集約式農業 Extensivefarming粗放式農業 Marketgardening園藝農業 Netherlands荷蘭  Farming system, types and farming in Hong Kong 2. Type of outputs Based on the type of outputs, farming can be classified into arable farming, pastoral farming and mixed farming. Arable farming Pastoral farming Mixed farming Type of outputs Crops Livestock Crops and livestock Example Vegetable growing in China Cattle ranching in Brazil Wheat-sheep farming in Australia O 3. Use of outputs Based on the use of outputs, farming can also be classified into subsistence farming and commercial farming. Subsistence farming T Commercial farming IS Use of outputs To provide food for the family To be sold for profit R Example Small-scale farming in Uganda Wheat farming in Canada Table 1.1 Three ways of classifying of farming activities A Identify the types of farming of the following examples. Intensive / Arable / Pastoral / Subsistence / 1. Cattle ranching in Brazil Extensive Mixed Commercial Intensive / Arable / Pastoral / Subsistence / 2. Rice farming in the USA Extensive Mixed Commercial Intensive / Arable / Pastoral / Subsistence / 3. Wheat-sheep farming in Australia Extensive Mixed Commercial Intensive / Arable / Pastoral / Subsistence / 4. Small-scale farming in Uganda Extensive Mixed Commercial Arablefarming耕作農業 Pastoralfarming畜牧業 Mixedfarming混合農業 Cattleranching牧牛業  Wheat-sheepfarming小麥牧羊業 Subsistencefarming自給性農業 Commercialfarming商業性農業 Uganda烏干達 7  What is farming in Hong Kong like? Study Fig. 1.4. Where are farmlands in Hong Kong mainly found? Study Fig. 1.5. What are the major outputs of farmlands in Hong Kong? In this section, we will have a look at the farming activities in Hong Kong. Distribution of farmlands There are about 50 km2 of farmlands in Hong Kong, accounting for 4.5% of the total land area. Most of them are found on the low-lying flat land in the northern and O northwestern New Territories, such as Kam Tin, Fanling and Sheung Shui (Fig. 1.4). Sheung Shui T Fanling Farmlands in Hong Kong Lam Tsuen Kam Tin are mainly found in the northern and northwestern IS New Territories. In2021,theland R Key usedforvegetable, 0 5 600 flower,fieldcrop, m Farmland andorchardare 361ha,126ha, Fig.1.4 Distribution of farmlands in Hong Kong Source: Planning Department 7ha,and269 harespectively In2018,there A The major 17% 1% Field crops wereabout7.35 km2ofagricultural landinHongKong. Types of outputs Flowers outputs of farmlands in Farming has become less important in Hong Kong are In2021,the Hong Kong in recent decades. Many vegetables. localagriculture industryproduces farmlands have been abandoned or changed $1384million worthofproduce. 46% Thisfigure Vegetables into other uses. Today, only 15% of them are onlytakesinto accountthe used for farming, growing mainly vegetables outputsofarable In2021,there 36% farming;thoseof areabout2500 and fruit trees (Fig. 1.5). There are also Fruit trees pastoralfarming farmsinHong areneglected. Kong.Theyemploy directlyabout small livestock farms that raise poultry and Source: AFCD 4300farmers andworkers. pigs. Fig.1.5 Outputs of farmlands in Hong Kong, 2020 8 KamTin錦田 Fanling粉嶺 SheungShui上水 LamTsuen林村  Farming system, types and farming in Hong Kong Teachercangiveexamplesoflocallyproducedvegetablesofdifferentseasons. Characteristics G  rownallyearround:Chinesewhitecabbage,lettuce,andChinesekale Grownincoolertime:spinachandwatercress Growninsummer:waterspinach,Chinesespinach,andcucumber Growninwinter:tomato,carrot,andcelery Farming in Hong Kong is often intensive and small in scale. In recent years, some farmers have begun to use modern technologies like greenhouse planting to improve crop yields. The photo below shows farms in Kam Tin and the factors that favour the development. River provides irrigation water Many types of vegetables are grown, such as pak choi and choi sum O T Farm produce can be quickly taken to the market via the roads nearby The relief in the northern New Territories is flat and gentle IS Intensive farming is practised on small farms R Fig.1.6 Aerial photo of farms in Long Valley Smallbutintensivevegetableandlivestock Courtesy: Lands Department farmshavetakenoverfromthemore traditionalricefarmingoverthepastdecades A Farming in Hong Kong Distribution: Characteristics: Farm produce and their uses: Northern and northwestern Small -scale Mainly , fruits , flowers and vegetables New Territories intensive farming livestock, which are sold at the local market Greenhouse溫室 9  Where does our food come from? Study Table 1.3. Calculate the percentage shares of the imports of eggs, livestock and poultry in Hong Kong in 2019. Which types of food had the highest and lowest self-sufficiency rates in Hong Kong in 2019 respectively? As Hong Kong has few farmlands, we use different means to increase our food supply. Food demand Type of food Daily consumption Vegetables 2 361 tonnes Hong Kong has a huge demand for food. O Teachercanask In 2019, we consumed over 2 300 tonnes Livestock 2 652 heads studentswhy HongKongneeds toimportlarge of vegetables and 3 000 heads of livestock Rice 826 tonnes amountsoffood. HongKong every day (Table 1.2). Poultry 21 tonnes T hasalarge population Source: AFCD Table 1.2 Daily food consumption in Hong Kong, 2019 Food supply (7.7million in2021)but thescaleof agricultural industry However, Hong Kong has a low food self-sufficiency rate. The types and amount of food IS issmall. Localfood produced locally are not enough to meet the city’s demand. Most of our food, such as production cannotsatisfy rice, eggs, vegetables and meat, has to be imported from other places (Table 1.3). theincreasing demand forfood. Therefore,we needtoimport mostofour food. R Rice Eggs Vegetables & fruits Livestock Fish and seafood Poultry Type of food (tonnes) (million) (tonnes) (thousand heads) (tonnes) (thousand heads) Local 0 4 16 240 109 121 688 4 247 production A Imports 316 833 2 895 3 271 523 874 293 598 3 151 Total supply 316 833 2 899 3 287 763 983 415 286 7 398 2 895 874 3 151 Percentage 2 899 !100%"99.9% 983 !100%"88.9% 7 398 !100%"42.6% share of 100% 99.9% 99.5% 88.9% 70.7% 42.6% imports in total supply Table 1.3 Fresh food supply in Hong Kong, 2019 Source: AFCD, Census and Statistics Department Poultry had the highest self-sufficiency rate while rice had the lowest. 10 Self-sufficiencyrate自給率 Import進口  Farming system, types and farming in Hong Kong Most of our fresh food comes from the Mainland, where crop yields are high and food prices are low. Its proximity to Hong Kong also facilitates the quick transport of fresh food to the city. We also import food from countries such as the USA and Japan. Inrooftopfarming,plantersareusedforsmall-scalefarmingontheroofsofbuildings. Inhydroponics,plantsaregrownwithnutrientsolutionsundertechnologicallycontrolledenvironments. New farming methods Aquaponicsisacombinationofaquacultureandvegetableplanting. Whileplantsabsorbnutrientsfromfishexcretions,thewateris filteredbythesoilandplantrootsbeforereturningtotheaquarium. In recent years, some new farming methods have been developed in Hong Kong. Examples are rooftop farming, hydroponics and aquaponics (Fig. 1.7). Rooftop farming Hydroponics Aquaponics O Planters are placed on rooftops to grow vegetables and fruits. T Crops are grown without soil but with nutrient solutions Fish and crops are grown together. Fish excretions provide IS sent directly to the roots of nutrients for the plants while the plants. plant roots help clean the water. Fig. 1.7 New farming methods in Hong Kong These farming methods help increase our local food supply while saving space. They allow R a better use of land resources. In the future, the government should promote farming development so that we can become more self-sufficient in meeting our food demand. A In the next unit, we will study the types and characteristics of farming in China. Hong Kong has a low food self-sufficiency rate. Most of our food is imported from Mainland China. Rooftop farming, hydroponics and aquaponics are some new farming methods in Hong Kong. They help increase our local food supply. Proximity鄰近 Rooftopfarming天台種植 Hydroponics水耕種植 Aquaponics魚菜共生 11 Farming regions Residential and industrial in China land uses Where are the major farming regions in China? ScantheQRcodeonthecontentspage.AvideothatsummariesthekeyconceptsofUnit2isprovided. Study Fig. 2.1. How many farming regions are there in China? In which farming region is Hong Kong located in? Thedivisionsfor A farming region is an area where the types of farming activities and farm produce are farmingregions areadoptedfrom theInstituteof similar. There are nine major farming regions in China, namely Northeast China Plain, Geographical Sciencesand Northern arid and semiarid region, Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, Loess Plateau, Qingzang Plateau, NaturalResources Research,Chinese Middle-lower Chang Jiang Plain, Sichuan Basin and surrounding regions, Southern China and Academyof O Science. Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau (Fig. 2.1). T IS 1 Northeast China Plain 2 Northern arid and semiarid region uang H H R e Teachermayask 3 Huang- studentstoexplain Huai-Hai thefarmingtype 4 Loess Plateau Plain ofthethreemajor 5 Qingzang agriculturalregions Plateau showninthephotos. g i an A InnerMongolia:the 7 Sichuan Basin Chan gJ herderslookfor and surrounding pastureandwater regions 6 Middle-lower forlivestockfrom Chang Jiang Plain oneplacetoanother 0 420 Wheatfarmsin 9 Yunnan-Guizhou NortheastChina km Plateau 8 Southern Plain:largepieceof Zhujia ng China farmlandmanaged byfewfarmers Paddyfieldsin SouthernChina: smallfarmlandwith highlabourinput Source: Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Science Fig. 2.1 Nine farming regions and farming landscapes in China There are nine farming regions in China. Hong Kong is located in Southern China. 12 Farmingregion農業區  Farming regions in China These nine farming regions have different characteristics. In general, arable farming is mainly in the northeastern, eastern and southern parts of China, while pastoral farming is common in the northern and northwestern regions. Chinaisthelargest Pastoral farming riceproducerinthe world,whichproduced dominates in the northern about211.4million and northwestern regions. tonnesofricein2019. Arable farming dominates in the southern, eastern and northeastern regions. Key Arable farming O Pastoral farming 0 500 km Source: People’s Education Press (2020) Fig. 2.2 Distribution of arable farming and pastoral farming in China 1 Northeast China Plain 2 T The types of farm produce also vary with different farming regions (Fig. 2.3). Northern arid and semiarid region 3 Huang-Huai- Hai Plain IS Wheat, rice, soybeans, corn Meat, dairy products, cotton Wheat, cotton, rice, peanut Highland barleyisan 4 Loess Plateau 5 Qingzang Plateau 6 Middle-lower Chang important Wheat, corn Meat, dairy products, Jiang Plain cerealcrop plantedinthe highland barley Rice, cotton, tea, rapeseed highaltitude. 7 Sichuan Basin and 8 Southern China 9 Yunnan-Guizhou surrounding regions Rice, sugarcane, banana Plateau R Rice, wheat, rapeseed Rice, rapeseed, tea Fig. 2.3 Major farm produce of the nine farming regions in China Source: People’s Education Press (2020) In the next part, we will examine the factors that affect the distribution of farming A regions in China. The nine farming regions of China: Sichuan Basin and Northeast China Plain Loess Plateau surrounding regions Northern arid and Qingzang Plateau Southern China semiarid region Middle-lower Huang-Huai-Hai Plain Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau Chang Jiang Plain Dairyproduct奶類製品 13  What are the factors affecting the distribution of farming regions in China? Study Fig. 2.4 and Fig. 2.5. Describe the distribution of temperature and rainfall in China. Which farming region has the highest annual mean temperature and annual rainfall? The distribution of farming regions in China is chiefly affected by climate and relief. 1. Climate China has significant regional differences in temperature and rainfall. Both of them O decrease from the southeast to the northwest. As a result, the southeast is hot and humid, while the northwest is cold and dry (Fig. 2.4 and Fig. 2.5). Hami T Hami IS Qingdao Qingdao Nanning Nanning 0 650 0 650 R km km Key Key Annual mean temperature (°C) City Annual rainfall (mm) City -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 50 200 400 800 1 600 A * No data for Nan Hai Islands * No data for Nan Hai Islands Source: National Meteorological Information Centre of China Source: National Meteorological Information Centre of China Fig. 2.4 Distribution of annual mean temperature in China Fig. 2.5 Distribution of annual rainfall in China Temperature and rainfall are (evenly / unevenly) distributed in China. Southern China has the highest annual mean temperature and annual rainfall. Growingseasonforcropmeansthenumberofdaythatcropcanbegrown. The distribution of temperature and rainfall shapes the five climatic types of China. They determine the types of crops grown and the length of the growing season. In southeastern China, high temperatures and abundant rainfall provide an ideal environment for crops to grow. Therefore, arable farming is well developed. 14 Growingseason生長期 Hami哈密 Qingdao青島 Nanning南寧  Farming regions in China We use Hami, Qingdao and Nanning as examples to show how climatic differences affect farming activities in China (Fig. 2.6 and Table 2.1). Hami Qingdao Key Climatic type Temperate monsoon climate Temperate continental climate Nanning O Subtropical monsoon climate 0 525 Tropical monsoon climate km Mountain (highland) climate City * No data for Nan Hai Islands Fig. 2.6 Five climatic types of China Source: SinoMaps Press City Hami, Xinjiang T Qingdao, Shandong Nanning, Guangxi IS Cold and dry Warm and semi-humid Hot and humid Temperature (#C) Rainfall (mm) Temperature (#C) Rainfall (mm) Temperature (#C) Rainfall (mm) 40 40 40 30 300 30 300 30 300 20 20 20 10 250 10 250 10 250 0 0 0 Climatic -10 200 -10 200 -10 200 characteristics -20 -20 -20 and climatic R -30 150 -30 150 -30 150 graph 100 100 100 50 50 50 A 0 0 0 J F M A M J J A SON D J F M A M J J A SON D J F M A M J J A SON D Month Month Month Length of 101 to 150 days 201 to 250 days More than 300 days growing season Major type of Pastoral farming Arable farming Arable farming farming Major farm Livestock and fruit Wheat Rice produce Number of One One to two Two to three harvest per year Table 2.1 Climate and farming activities in Hami, Qingdao and Nanning Interpre ng clima c graphs P.71 Arid乾旱 Xinjiang新疆 Shandong山東 Guangxi廣西 15  2. Relief Relief affects the size of farmland and soil fertility in an area. The relief of China is varying with five major types of landform, namely mountain ranges, plateaux, basins, plains and hills (Fig. 2.7). Mountain range: A steep and rugged Plateau: A large flat region in the high landform that rises high above the ground. Most of the plateaux in China are surrounding land. Most of the mountain above 1 000 m and the Qingzang Plateau ranges in China are taller than 2 000 m. is taller than 4 000 m. Basin: A bowl-shaped flat land enclosed by higher land. Plain: An extensive piece of flat, low land found along rivers and coastal regions. O Hill: A landform that rises above its surroundings, usually less than 500 m. Fig. 2.7 Five major types of landforms in China T These landforms are unevenly distributed in China. Mountain ranges and plateaux IS occupy 60% of the total land area, are mainly found in West and Central China. The rugged relief makes arable farming difficult (Fig. 2.8). In East and South China, however, extensive plains in the region favour large-scale arable farming. For example, the Northeast China Plain is an important farming region with high and diverse farming outputs. Loess Plateau R Middle-lower Chang Jiang Plain 10% 1 Rugged relief Hill A 12% 33% Plain Mountain 4 Slope cut into range terraced fields 2 Larger farmlands 19% Basin 1 Low-lying relief 26% Plateau 3 Dry and infertile soil 3 Sediments brought by the river make Source: www.gov.cn 2 Small and narrow farmland the soil fertile Fig. 2.8 Proportion of the fiver major landforms in China 16 Relief地勢 Soilfertility土壤肥力 Plateau高原 Basin盆地 Plain平原 Hill丘陵  Farming regions in China In conclusion, the relief of China forms a three-step staircase pattern, with altitude decreasing from the west to the east (Fig. 2.9). This shapes different farming regions in China. Northeast China Plain A Inner Mongolian NortheastChina Plateau Plainisfamousfor itshighorganic North mattercontentand Loess Plateau China B highsoilfertility. Plain Qingzang Plateau O Key Altitude (m) Sichuan Middle-Lower Chang Jiang 3 000 Basin 1 000 Plain 500 0 km 380 T Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau Southeast Hills 200 0 IS 8 000 6 000 Altitude (m) 4 000 2 000 Analysingthephysical 0 characteris csofthe R A First step Second step Third step B farmingregionsinChina Fig. 2.9 Relief in China Source: People’s Education Press (2020) usingGoogleEarth P.72 In the next unit, we will discuss the food production in China and problems faced. A Summarise the physical factors that affect the distribution of farming regions in China. Temperature and rainfall decrease from the southeast to the northwest 1. Climate Determine the types of crops grown and the length of the growing season Decreasing altitude from the west to the east 2. Relief Affects the size of farmland and soil fertility QingzangPlateau青藏高原 SoutheastHills東南丘陵 InnerMongolianPlateau內蒙古高原 LoessPlateau黃土高原 SichuanBasin四川盆地 Yunnan-GuizhouPlateau雲貴高原 17  Questionanalysisandanswering. Ananswersheetisprovidedintheworksheet. (Units 1 and 2) Questionsarearrangedinseventypesoflearningskillsto helpstudentsdevelopvariousgenericskills. 1. What is farming? (1) 7. The figure below shows the climatic It is the activity of growing crops and rearing livestock. graph of an area in China. Why is farming not common there? (2) 2. Which three parts does a farming Temperature (#C) Rainfall (mm) 40 300 system include? (3) 30 Inputs / processes / outputs 20 250 10 0 200 3. List the types of farming classified by -10 -20 150 the following criteria. a. Use of outputs (2) O 100 Subsistence farming / commercial farming Interpre ng 50 clima c graphs P.71 0 J F M A M J J A S O N D b. Type of outputs (3) Month Arable farming / pastoral farming / mixed farming T Cold and dry climate / most months have temperatures below 10°C / short growing season / annual rainfall is low and concentrated in summer, which is unfavorable to crop growth (any 2) IS c. Amount of inputs per unit area (2) Intensive farming / extensive farming 8. The figure below shows the farming regions in China. 4. a. Where are farmlands in Hong Kong found? (2) R They are located on the low-lying flat land in the northern and northwestern New Territories / such as Kam Tin, Fanling and Sheung Shui Y b. What are the characteristics of farming in Hong Kong? (2) A Small in scale / intensive farming / modern technologies are used / farmlands are small X and narrow / vegetables are the major outputs (any 2) 5. What is a farming region? (2) 0 650 Z It is an area where the types of farming activities km and farm produce are similar. a. Identify farming regions X, Y and 6. Which two factors affect the distribution Z. (3) of farming regions in China? (2) X: Qingzang Plateau Climate / relief Y: Northern arid and semiarid region Z: Southern China 18  Let’s review (Units & ) b. In which of the following farming Rainfall: Hohhot has a lower annual rainfall regions can the outputs be found? (about 400 mm) than Dongguan (about 2 000 mm) (3) b. Identify the farming activity shown Farm output Farming region in Figure 3. (1) Rice Z Pastoral farming / sheep farming (any 1) Highland barley X c. Which city is more suitable for Dairy products Y the farming activity stated in (b)? Why? (3) Hohhot / mild climate favours sheep rearing / extensive grassland provides food for O 9. Figures 1 and 2 are the climatic graphs livestock (or other reasonable answers) of Hohhot and Dongguan respectively. Figure 3 shows a farming activity. Figure 1 Figure 2 Temperature (#C) 40 30 20 10 Rainfall (mm) Temperature (#C) 300 40 30 250 20 10 Rainfall (mm) 300 250 T 10. ‘Hong Kong has to import farm produce to meet its food demand.’ Do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. (4) IS 0 200 0 200 -10 -10 Agree / with limited types and amount of locally -20 150 -20 150 produced food, Hong Kong has a low food self- sufficiency rate and has to import food from other countries / more than 90% of eggs, vegetables, 100 100 fruits and livestock as well as 100% of rice are imported / most of its fresh food comes from 50 50 Mainland China / it also imports food from countries such as the USA and Japan (any 3) 0 0 J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D Month Month R Figure 3 11. Hold a tomato-growing activity in class. Record the patterns of irrigation, A use of fertilisers and the growth of the tomatoes. Find out the best way for growing them. a. Refer to Figures 1 and 2. Compare 12. Browse the Internet to explore how the climate of Hohhot and non-governmental organisations help Dongguan. (2) develop and promote new farming Temperature: Hohhot has a lower annual methods in Hong Kong and the mean temperature / larger annual range of temperature than Dongguan / colder winter with temperatures below 0ºC, while difficulties they meet. Dongguan has temperatures above 10ºC all year round (any 1) 19  Objective: Skills: Tolearntheproblems Figuresinterpretation : My story facedbyfarmersinChina Datainterpretation Activity 1 In the past, my I’m a piece owner used to let me of farmland in rest for a few weeks after Guangdong. each harvest. I was zz very healthy. z z O But since my owner began to raise the number of harvest, I have no breaks at all. My productivity has reduced. T IS There’re also more factories nearby now. They release a lot of waste gases and sewage that R make me sick. 1. Describe the characteristics of farming in Guangdong in the past. A Farmers mainly relied on manual labour and animal power. There were few technological inputs. 2. Describe the changes of the farmland in the following aspects. Aspect Change Soil fertility Increase / Decrease Soil moisture Increase / Decrease Productivity Increase / Decrease Farm size Increase / Decrease 20  In recent years, my skin often cracks as it is raining less. Poor me! Bad luck never ends… Three years ago, people covered part of me in concrete for building roads. O 3. Why have the above changes occurred? Urban and industrial development is rapid in Guangdong. Many farmlands have been used for building houses, roads and factories. The population of China has been harvest to increase The risk of climate change. T food production natural hazards rising.. Farmers raise the number of such as droughts has also increased due to IS 4. How do these problems affect food production in China? Food production in China may be reduced / China may not be able to produce enough food to meet the demand of its large population Constructknowledgebyconnectingnewconceptswiththosethat havebeenlearnedinthepreviousunitsintheformofamindmap. R 5. Find the key concepts of this unit from the pages listed below. Climate A Farming Factors regions Relief in China Decreasing food self-sufficiency Food rate Farming system Farming production Concerns Increasing Types in China reliance on imported food Farming in Hong Kong Rapid urban development Lack of arable land Limitations Improper farming methods Water shortage Low levels of mechanisation Frequent natural hazards Low prices of imported food P.24-25 Physical Human P.26-29 21 Food production and Can China produce enough food limitations in China to feed its growing population? ScantheQRcodeonthecontentspage.AvideothatsummariesthekeyconceptsofUnit3isprovided. Study Fig. 3.1. In 2017, could local food production satisfy food demand in China? What percent of the total food supply was imported? Study Fig. 3.3. Describe the status of food imports in China between 2000 and 2018. China has only 7% of the farmland in the world but 20% of the global population. Can China produce enough food for the whole country? AccordingtotheFAO,Chinaisthe O leadingproducerofmanymajor farmproduces.Ithasbeenthe largestproducerofrice,wheat, Food supply and demand cotton,peanut,tomato,and potatointheworldformanyyears. Today, China is able to feed its population because its total food supply is enough to meet T its total food demand. However, the amount of food produced locally is slightly lower than the total demand. Thus, China has to import food to fill the gap (Fig. 3.1). IS Local production: Local consumption: 618 million tonnes 631 million tonnes + + Imports: 131 million tonnes Exports: 3 million tonnes Food supply: Food demand: 749 million tonnes 634 million tonnes R *Food includes grains, beans and tubers A Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China, General Administration of Customs of China Fig. 3.1 Food supply and demand in China, 2017 In 2017, local food production (could / could not) satisfy food demand in China. 131 000 000 749 000 000 !100%"17.5% 17.5% of the total food supply was imported. Foodproductionpercapitahasbeendecreasingfrom482kgin2015to472kgin 2018inChina. Concerns AccordingtotheNationalBureauofStatisticsofChina,theannualincreaseinfood productioninChinawas0.3%in2017,whichwaslowerthanitspopulationgrowth rateof0.5%.Therisingfooddemandwasmetbya14%increaseinfoodimports. In recent years, food production in China has been increasing but at a slower rate. As a result, its food self-sufficiency rate is declining. The country has to import more food to meet the rising demand. Concerns about its food security have been raised. 22  Food production and limitations in China 1. Decreasing food self-sufficiency rate The food self-sufficiency rate of Key China has been decreasing. Since 92 Food self-sufficiency rate 14.1 90.3 2012, it has even fallen below the 90 Population 14.0 88.4 world’s standard of 90% (Fig. 3.2). 87.8 Food self-sufficiency rate (%) 88 13.9 Population (100 million) 86.1 86 13.8 This is because with rapid 84.5 84 83.5 13.7 82.9 economic development and better 82.3 82 13.6 standards of living, the demand 80 13.5 for meat, dairy products and 78 13.4 biofuels has risen. Thus, more 0 0 farmlands are used to grow fodder 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 O Year and fuel crops instead of food. Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China Fig. 3.2 Food self-sufficiency rate and population of China, 2011-2018 2. Increasing reliance on imported food China has been importing more food in the past decades, especially soybean and grain T (Fig. 3.3). However, relying heavily on food imports put national food security at risk. IS Food supply may become unstable when there are changes in the global supply and prices of food. This may even trigger food crisis. 10 Soybean is the major Key type of imported food in China. 8 Imports (10 million tonnes) Soybean The amount of imports has R Grain 6 Wheat increased from 10 million tonnes in 2000 to 88 million 4 tonnes in 2018. The percentage increase was 780 %. A 2 88 000 000$10 000 000 !100%"780% 0 10 000 000 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 Year Fig. 3.3 Food imports in China, 2000-2018 Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China The current food supply in China is able to meet its food demand. There are growing concerns about its decreasing food self-sufficiency rate and increasing reliance on imported food. Biofuel生物燃料 Foddercrop飼料作物 Fuelcrop燃料作物 Foodcrisis糧食危機 23  What are the physical factors limiting food production in China? Study Table 3.1. Compare the arable land per capita of China with the world’s average in 2018. Study Fig. 3.4. Which two farming regions face serious water shortage? Food production in China is limited by the following physical factors. 1. Lack of arable land Arable land is land suitable for farming. In China, 13% of its land is arable. With a O huge population, however, arable land per capita averages 0.09 hectare only, which is far below the world’s average (Table 3.1). The arable land per capita of China is only about half of the world’s average in 2018. Arable land per capita (hectare) World’s average 0.18 T China 0.09 India 0.12 USA 0.48 Australia 1.24 IS Table 3.1 Arable land per capita of selected countries, 2018 Source: World Bank 2. Water shortage Water scarcity is a major threat to the farmlands in the North China suffers from water shortage. and Northeast China. Its water resources per capita R are only a quarter of the world’s average. Many farmlands lack irrigation water, which limits the A amount of food they can produce. Moreover, water resources in China are unevenly distributed. 0 525 Most of them are found km in the south. In contrast, Key Northeast China where most Boundary of farming region Water shortage food is produced is short of Northwest China and Mild Severe face North and Northeast China water (Fig. 3.4). serious water shortage. Arableland可耕地 India印度  Fig. 3.4 Distribution of water shortage in China Source: China Water Risk 24 Waterresource水資源  Food production and limitations in China 3. Frequent natural hazards China is frequently hit by natural hazards, such as drought, flooding, typhoons, frosts and pests. In 2020, they destroyed about 20 million hectares of farmland and led to an economic loss of over RMB 370 billion. Most of the damages are caused by droughts, which often lead to serious losses in food production (Fig. 3.5). Teachermayaskstudents whatextremeweather eventswillaffectfood productioninHongKong. Typhoons,heavy rain,andfrost O T IS 0 410 km Key Typhoon Drought Flood Frost R Source: People’s Education Press (2019) Fig. 3.5 Distribution and examples of natural hazards in China In the next section, we will discuss the human factors that limit food production in A China. Physical factors that limit food production in China: Lack of arable land Shortage of water resources, which are unevenly distributed Frequent natural hazards with drought causing the largest damage Naturalhazard自然災害 Drought旱災 Flooding氾濫 Typhoon颱風 Frost霜凍 Pest蟲害 Wildfire森林大火 Yunnan雲南 Zhejiang浙江 25  What are the human factors limiting food production in China? Study Fig. 3.9. How have the proportions of the rural and urban populations in China changed respectively over the past 40 years? What are the pull factors leading to such changes? In addition to physical factors, food production in China is limited by human factors. 1. Rapid urban development O China has experienced rapid urban development over the past decades. The area of farmland and rural labour force have both decreased as a result. a. Land use changes T Inthelast30years,therehasbeen7timesmoreurbanlanduses inChina,butarablelandpercapitahasbeendecreasing. Rapid urban development has led to strong competitions for land resources. Many IS farmlands have been changed into urban land uses, such as houses, factories and roads. This has resulted in a loss of farmlands (Fig. 3.6). Factories are built on former farmlands for industrial development R Farmlands are lost to housing development A Recreational facilities like sports grounds are built to meet the needs of the rising population The town keeps expanding. The area of farmland keeps Roads are built shrinking. Fig. 3.6 Land use changes of farmlands 26 Labourforce勞動力 Landuse土地利用  Food production and limitations in China b. Pollution Large amounts of industrial, commercial and domestic sewage have been released into rivers and lakes. The water quality has become too poor for irrigation. Heavy metals produced by industrial activities have also contaminated Key the soil. This reduces Amount of heavy metal released (kg) the productivity of 30 000 0 600 O 9 000 km farmlands and lowers food production. Fig. 3.7 Release of heavy metals in China Source: China Water Risk Excessiveuseofchemicalfertilisersand pesticidesalsopollutesfarmlandsandrivers. c. Shortage of rural labour force T Urban development has widened the income gap between the urban and rural populations in China. Many farmers therefore move to cities to seek better jobs and higher income. In IS 2019, for example, an urban resident earned three times the income of a rural resident. Such rural-urban migration has led to a reduction in rural labour force. Theproportionof ruralpopulationhas decreasedfrom82.1% Key Drawinga I earn to41.2%between My annual income bar graph 1.0 Rural population RMB16 020 1978and2017. P.74 a year. is RMB 42 360. Urban population R 0.8 Population (billion) 0.6 0.4 A 0.2 0 1978 2019 Rural resident Urban resident Year Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China Fig. 3.8 Annual average income of rural and urban Fig. 3.9 Rural and urban populations in China, residents in China, 2019 1978 and 2019 The proportion of the rural population has (decreased / increased) while the proportion of the urban population has (decreased / increased). The pull factors include more job opportunities and higher income in urban areas. Pollution污染 Sewage污水 Heavymetal重金屬 Productivity生產力 Rural-urbanmigration城鄉遷移 27  2. Improper farming methods In order to meet the rising demand for food, many farmlands have been over-cultivated. Groundwater resources have also been heavily exploited. These improper farming methods have long-term impacts on food production. a. Over-cultivation Farms in China are cultivated intensively to maximise crop yields. Sometimes, even marginal land is opened up for farming. Such practices of over-cultivation deplete soil nutrients. As a result, the soil becomes infertile and more prone to erosion (Fig. 3.10). Erosionreducestheavailabilityofwater,nutrientsand organicmatterofsoilwhichslowsdownthegrowthofplants. Trees are cut down to open up marginal land Loose soil is easily carried O away by wind and rain Soil erosion is serious Intensive farming is practised T Soil becomes loose and infertile when nutrients are used up Crops cannot grow in dry and infertile soil IS Fig. 3.10 Over-cultivation causes soil erosion AccordingtotheMinistryofWaterResources,morethan1cm b. Overuse of groundwater surfacesoilofNorthLoessPlateauislosingannuallyduetosoil erosion. Many farmers, especially those in North China, use groundwater to irrigate their farmlands. However, the excessive use of groundwater has resulted in the decline of the water table. Groundwater resources may even be exhausted. R Serious soil erosion and reduction in groundwater have lowered the productivity of farmlands. In 2019, about 70% of the farmlands in China are of low to medium productivity, which significantly affects food production (Fig. 3.11).