give 5 factors that affect food security
human population size
number of pests and pathogens
global warming and climate change
wealthier parts of the population requiring a larger variety of food
the high cost of farming methods
what is hydroponics
growing plants in nutrient mediums other than in soil, most often water
what is biological control
controlling pests by deliberately introducing natural predators of the pest
how can gene technology help agriculture
beneficial genes for pest resistance or the ability to grow in harsher conditions could be introduced
how can fertilisers and pesticides help agriculture
pesticides kill pests that could harm the growth of the plant
fertilisers provide the plant with all the nutrients it needs so that it can grow more quickly
describe how selective breeding is carried out
animals with the desired traits are chosen
these animals are breed together
repeat the process until the offspring have the desired traits
what is genetic engineering
altering the genome of an organism
how are new genes introduced into an organism
the organisms are cut using restriction enzymes to create sticky ends
the dna from a bacterium is also cut to produce sticky ends
the gene is inserted into the bacteria along with an antibiotic resistance gene
antibiotics are used to remove the bacteria that do not have the new genes
what is a transgenic organism
an organism that contains foreign dna
give 2 advantages of genetically modified crops
better crop yields
food will last longer and taste better
give 2 disadvantages of genetically modified crops
the new genes can easily spread to other plants in the environment
we don’t know what long term effects GM crops cause on health
