Food production is the process of turning raw materials into food that can be eaten

Processing means making changes to a food’s natural state. An example is cooking beans in a tomato sauce and preserving them in tins

Distributing is delivering something out to where it is needed

Retailers are people or businesses that sell goods

If something is produced commercially it is made for the purpose of making money

The geography of food

Geography

Changes in the foods we eat

Sourcing our food

The distance food travels

Making our food

World food supplies

Food and climate change

The future of food production

This unit provides a foundation for 'Global trade: How do we get our stuff?'.

It builds on 'South America: Why does the Amazon matter?', 'Land use: How diverse are local and UK landscapes?', 'UK region: Why is the Lake District a National Park?' and 'Europe: How diverse are its landscapes and places?', extending and deepening pupils’ understanding of economic activities through investigating food production, processing, distribution and consumption at a range of scales.  

This unit explores how food is produced and distributed, both locally and globally. Pupils investigate where different foods come from, how diets are changing, and what environmental and social factors shape food production and supply.

Farms and factories: where does our food come from?

The place of origin is the place where something first comes from

Goods that are imported are brought in from another country

Greenhouse gas emissions are gases that are released and trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere

In season means the time of year when a food is naturally ready for harvesting

Climate is an average of weather conditions (e.g. rain, sun, wind) in a place taken over a long period of time (usually 30 years or more)

When a crop is harvested it is picked, cut or gathered ready for use

Out of season means the time of year when a food is not naturally ready for harvesting

A hemisphere is half of Earth, usually divided into the Northern or Southern Hemisphere by the Equator, or Eastern and Western hemispheres by a line that runs through the poles

Goods that are exported are sent out to another country

A carbon footprint is a measure of the total amount of greenhouses gases that are released as a result of our actions

Greenhouse gas emissions are the release of gases into Earth's atmosphere that trap heat and contribute to climate change

Food miles measure the distance between where a food is grown or made to where it is eaten

Intensive agriculture is farming that uses more machines, workers and chemicals so that as many crops or animals as possible can be farmed on the space available

Lines of latitude are imaginary lines on Earth showing position north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees

A supply chain is every step a product goes through to be made and delivered to the customer

A manufacturer is a person or company that makes goods to sell

A cooperative is a business or group that is run by the people who work for it

Malnutrition is caused by not having enough of the right foods that your body needs to be healthy

Starvation is suffering or death caused by having not enough or nothing to eat

Climate change is a large-scale and long-term change in the planet’s climate, including weather patterns and average temperatures

Poverty is not having enough money to afford basic human needs such as food, clothing or somewhere to live

The atmosphere is the layer of gases that surrounds Earth. It includes the oxygen we need to breathe, so it is essential for life on Earth

An emission is something that is released into the world. An example is the release of carbon dioxide when we breathe out

Agriculture is the science and practice of cultivating soil and farming

Pesticides are substances that are added to soil or                  sprayed on plants to protect the plants from pests such as insects

Fertilisers are substances that are added to soil or sprayed on plants to help them grow

Yield is the amount of food produced from a crop or from a number of animals reared

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the technology that makes machines or computers think more like humans

Farms and factories: where does our food come from?

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