A farmer grows of grain. This grain is entirely consumed by a herd of cows, which build up of biomass. Calculate the efficiency of biomass transfer.
Step 1: Identify the biomass at each level.
Step 2: Substitute the values into the equation.
Step 3: Calculate the final percentage.
Students often define food security purely as having enough food to eat, but you must also include 'access' and 'affordability' (cost) to secure the marks.
When explaining why food chains are short or why meat consumption reduces food security, always name specific pathways of biomass loss: respiration, egestion, and excretion.
For 6-mark questions evaluating biofuel production, explicitly state both sides: they provide a renewable energy source but create a 'food vs fuel' land conflict that reduces food availability.
When asked about the impacts of global warming on agriculture, link the environmental change (e.g., rising temperatures) directly to an outcome (e.g., altered weather or pest migration) and state that it reduces overall yield.
Food security
Having reliable access to an adequate quantity of safe, affordable, and nutritious food to maintain a healthy life.
Biomass
The total dry mass of living material in a specific organism or across a particular trophic level.
Trophic level
The position an organism occupies in a food chain, such as a producer or primary consumer.
Intensive farming
An agricultural method that maximises yield by densely restricting animals in controlled environments to minimise energy lost to movement and temperature regulation.
Monoculture
The agricultural practice of growing a single crop species in a large area, which reduces biodiversity and increases vulnerability to disease.
Biofuel
A renewable fuel derived directly from living or recently living organic matter, such as crops or agricultural waste.
Sustainability
Meeting the needs of the current population without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Agricultural inputs
The resources used in farm production that require financial capital, such as fertilisers, pesticides, seeds, and machinery.
LEDCs
Less Economically Developed Countries; nations with a lower standard of living and less industrial development, often more vulnerable to food insecurity.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for Biology
Food security
Having reliable access to an adequate quantity of safe, affordable, and nutritious food to maintain a healthy life.
Biomass
The total dry mass of living material in a specific organism or across a particular trophic level.
Trophic level
The position an organism occupies in a food chain, such as a producer or primary consumer.
Intensive farming
An agricultural method that maximises yield by densely restricting animals in controlled environments to minimise energy lost to movement and temperature regulation.
Monoculture
The agricultural practice of growing a single crop species in a large area, which reduces biodiversity and increases vulnerability to disease.
Biofuel
A renewable fuel derived directly from living or recently living organic matter, such as crops or agricultural waste.
Sustainability
Meeting the needs of the current population without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Agricultural inputs
The resources used in farm production that require financial capital, such as fertilisers, pesticides, seeds, and machinery.
LEDCs
Less Economically Developed Countries; nations with a lower standard of living and less industrial development, often more vulnerable to food insecurity.