Food process, ethical considerations and farming

Why would a consumer buy free range eggs over caged eggs

• As the eggs are a better quality

• Free range eggs will taste better

• They are ethically minded and support fair treatment of hens

• Because there is no difference between caged and free range eggs

1.       Explain why biodiversity is important for the environmental sustainability of primary food production. (4 marks)

Which one of the following is a practical step that an individual could take when considering their food choices and the environmental impact of these choices?

• Consume food according to the recommendations of the ‘Australian Guide to Healthy Eating’ (part of the ‘Eat for Health’ program).

• Select food packaging that can be sent to a landfill site.

• Use leftover vegetables to make soup.

• Purchase only convenience foods.

One of the disadvantages of organic food production is that

• biodiversity is easier to maintain

• the salinity levels of waterways decrease

• more land is required to produce a yield that is equal to that of conventional farming

• soil health improves due to the reduction in the use of synthetic chemicals, which can be found in fertilisers and pesticides.

Which one of the following activities is most likely to contribute to loss of biodiversity?

• consuming imported food products

• monitoring the quality of water

• clearing land for agriculture

• transporting food

A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare states that up to half of all food produced worldwide is wasted.

a. Describe the environmental effects of food wastage.

Answer explanation

Food waste contributes to an increase in greenhouse gases

• resources used to produce the food (activities in the food system), such as land, fuel, pesticides, fertilisers and transportation are wasted

• contributes to landfill

• loss of biodiversity – i.e. overfishing

Which one of the following poses a risk to the biosecurity of Australia?

• introduction of non-native species to increase biodiversity

• quarantining and inspecting animal goods arriving in Australia

• establishing permits for the commercial importation of fresh fruit and vegetables

• prohibiting food products that do not comply with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code

Which one of the following is an example of low-impact farming?

• native pasture being cleared for the sowing of cereal crops

• hormones administered to animals to help promote growth

• removing the stubble from the previous year’s crop to enrich and stabilise the soil

• introducing a legume crop through crop rotation to increase the level of nitrogen in the soil

Explain how the choice of animals for farming could have a positive influence on the environmental sustainability of primary food production

Answer explanation

A suitable response could have included the following:

- choice of smaller animals because less trampling of soil and less manure/less methane and therefore less greenhouse gas emissions

-smaller animals require less pasture, space, water and soil

-breeds suitable for environment (e.g. native animals such as emus, dorper sheep that are able to eat native flora such as saltbush) means no pasture planting and less use of fertiliser and water to grow the pasture

-a more sustainable animal production such as fish farming may help to mitigate the production of methane, lessening the impact of global warming.

Students were required to include how the choice of animals could impact on the surrounding environment and describe the positive influence on environmental sustainability for full marks.

The following is an example of a high-scoring response. The choice of animals for farming could have a positive influence on the environmental sustainability of primary food production due to the selection of specific breeds of goats and sheep. Dorper sheep are highly drought tolerant and are able to feed on native pasture such as saltbush that only grows is mostly arid regions of Australia. As a result excess water and agricultural chemicals are not necessary to produce feed for livestock that will only consume specific pasture. Similarly, goats are also very hardy animals that can survive the harsh climate in Australia as well as consume native and naturally growing pasture such as saltbush. These two animal breeds are essential in positively impacting the environmental sustainability.

Which one of the following reflects the activities of a food system?

• affordability, transport and marketing of food

• food accessibility, and agricultural inputs and outputs

• food availability, individual accessibility and affordability

• production, processing, transport and consumption of food