OCR GCSE Geography B (J384) — Resource Reliance
Every time you walk through a well-stocked supermarket, it is easy to forget that global food distribution is highly unequal. While current global agricultural production is sufficient to feed the world's population of roughly 8 billion, food is not shared evenly across the globe.
Globally, around kilocalories (kcal) are harvested per person every day. However, because a vast amount of food is lost or wasted, the actual global average consumption (the food finally eaten) is only approximately kcal.
Geographers divide countries into three distinct categories to analyse unequal food supply trends. While the global average daily calorie supply has risen from kcal in 1961 to approximately kcal in 2020 (a growth of roughly kcal since the mid-1960s), this growth varies drastically by region.
Many LIDCs rely on diets that are up to 75% cereals and tubers, which have lower nutritional value than protein-rich diets. This lack of dietary diversity contributes heavily to Malnutrition, which stunts child growth, weakens immune systems, and traps communities in a cycle of poverty.
Understanding how diets shift alongside economic growth explains why many developing nations now face obesity and starvation simultaneously. The Nutrition Transition is a five-stage model describing how diets shift from traditional, fibre-rich foods to modern, processed foods as a country urbanises and incomes rise.
During this transition, some rapidly developing nations experience a Double Burden, where both undernutrition (wasting) and overnutrition (obesity) exist within the same country at the same time.
Analysing long-term statistical trends in calorie availability highlights the contrast in food security between an AC and an LIDC.
| Feature | UK (Advanced Country) | Tanzania (Low-Income Developing Country) |
|---|---|---|
| Calorie Trends | Fluctuated over time: rose from ~ kcal (1940s) to ~ kcal (1960s). Current average is kcal (including snacks and takeaways). | Increased steadily from kcal in 1964 to kcal in recent years. |
A single percentage figure can reveal whether a country's food supply is keeping pace with its population. Geographers frequently calculate percentage change to analyse these long-term statistical trends.
Calculate the percentage increase in the average daily calorie consumption of a developing nation, which rose from kcal in 1980 to kcal in 2020.
Step 1: Identify the values.
Step 2: Substitute into the equation.
Step 3: Calculate the final answer.
Students often confuse 'calorie supply' with 'calorie consumption'. Calorie supply refers to the food available at the retail level, which is always higher than actual consumption because a significant amount of food is wasted in households.
Always use the OCR-specific classifications of AC, EDC, and LIDC in your exam answers; do not use older terms like HIC, NEE, or LIC.
In data analysis questions, examiners award marks for quoting specific figures and identifying anomalies, such as the rapid increase in East Asia's calorie consumption (+1,000 kcal) compared to the stagnant trends in Sub-Saharan Africa.
When discussing undernourishment in LIDCs, explicitly state its knock-on effects (e.g., stunted growth and weakened immune systems), and explain how this locks populations into a cycle of poverty.
Food Security
When all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.
Food Insecurity
Being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food, leaving individuals vulnerable to hunger.
Calories per capita
The average number of kilocalories (energy) consumed by each person in a specific country or region per day.
Advanced Country (AC)
A wealthy, highly developed nation that typically experiences high food security, a food surplus, and high daily calorie consumption.
Emerging and Developing Country (EDC)
A rapidly developing nation experiencing industrialisation, a growing middle class, and transitioning dietary habits.
Low-Income Developing Country (LIDC)
A poorer nation that frequently faces food deficits, undernourishment, and heavily relies on staple cereals and tubers.
Food Surplus
When a country or region produces and/or imports more food than its population strictly requires.
Food Deficit
When the total available food supply (produced and imported) is less than the population’s dietary requirements.
Undernourishment (Undernutrition)
A condition where a person's food intake does not provide enough daily energy (below roughly 2,000 kcal) to maintain a healthy, active life.
Malnutrition
A lack of proper nutrition caused by not having enough to eat, eating the wrong types of foods, or being unable to properly absorb nutrients.
Nutrition Transition
The shift from traditional, fibre-rich diets to modern, processed diets high in sugars and fats as a country undergoes economic development.
Double Burden
The coexistence of undernutrition (stunting/wasting) and overnutrition (obesity) within the same country or household.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for Geography B
Food Security
When all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.
Food Insecurity
Being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food, leaving individuals vulnerable to hunger.
Calories per capita
The average number of kilocalories (energy) consumed by each person in a specific country or region per day.
Advanced Country (AC)
A wealthy, highly developed nation that typically experiences high food security, a food surplus, and high daily calorie consumption.
Emerging and Developing Country (EDC)
A rapidly developing nation experiencing industrialisation, a growing middle class, and transitioning dietary habits.
Low-Income Developing Country (LIDC)
A poorer nation that frequently faces food deficits, undernourishment, and heavily relies on staple cereals and tubers.
Food Surplus
When a country or region produces and/or imports more food than its population strictly requires.
Food Deficit
When the total available food supply (produced and imported) is less than the population’s dietary requirements.
Undernourishment (Undernutrition)
A condition where a person's food intake does not provide enough daily energy (below roughly 2,000 kcal) to maintain a healthy, active life.
Malnutrition
A lack of proper nutrition caused by not having enough to eat, eating the wrong types of foods, or being unable to properly absorb nutrients.
Nutrition Transition
The shift from traditional, fibre-rich diets to modern, processed diets high in sugars and fats as a country undergoes economic development.
Double Burden
The coexistence of undernutrition (stunting/wasting) and overnutrition (obesity) within the same country or household.
| Security Status | High food security. Produces 58% of its own food and imports 42–46%. It relies on 33 countries for 90% of that imported supply. | Ranked 89th out of 116 on the Global Hunger Index ("Serious" insecurity). Undernourishment remains high at 33%. |
