Food insecurity occurs when a population does not have reliable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. In many developing countries, food productio...

(a) Projected population of the country in 2030 [1]

50 million [1]

(b) Trends shown in the data between 2010 and 2030 [3]

1. The population is growing rapidly, more than doubling from 25 million in 2010 to a projected 50 million in 2030. [1]
2. Total food production is increasing only slowly, from 8 million tonnes to a projected 11 million tonnes (a 37.5% increase over 20 years). This rate of increase is far slower than population growth. [1]
3. As a consequence, food production per person is declining sharply, from 320 kg in 2010 to a projected 220 kg in 2030. The percentage of underweight children is rising from 18% to 30%, indicating worsening malnutrition and food insecurity. [1]

(c) Why food production per person is declining despite rising total production [2]

1. Although total food production has increased from 8 to 11 million tonnes (a 37.5% increase), the population has doubled from 25 to 50 million (a 100% increase). [1]
2. Because the population is growing much faster than food production, the amount of food available per person decreases. In mathematical terms: \(\frac{11\,000\,000}{50\,000\,000} = 0.22\) tonnes = 220 kg per person, compared with \(\frac{8\,000\,000}{25\,000\,000} = 0.32\) tonnes = 320 kg per person in 2010. [1]

(d) Strategies the government could use to improve food security [5]

1. Agricultural research and technology: Investing in the development and distribution of higher-yielding crop varieties suited to local climate and soil conditions, increasing the output from existing farmland. [1]
2. Irrigation infrastructure: Building dams, canals and drip-irrigation systems to ensure reliable water supply for crops, particularly in drought-prone areas, increasing yields in dry regions. [1]
3. Reducing post-harvest losses: Building better storage facilities (grain silos, cold stores) and improving transport links (roads, refrigerated vehicles) to ensure that more of the food produced actually reaches consumers. [1]
4. Family planning programmes: Implementing education and access to contraception to slow the rate of population growth. Reducing the rate of increase in demand gives food production a chance to keep pace. [1]
5. Protecting agricultural land: Introducing planning regulations that restrict the conversion of productive farmland to urban development. Encouraging vertical construction in cities (apartment buildings rather than suburban sprawl) preserves the land area available for food production. [1]