How has the number of people on earth changed over the past 200 years?

It has increased dramatically. From 1 billion humans in 1820, to 8 billion today. 

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Give 3 reasons that food production has had to increase over the past 200 years. 

  1. There are more people consuming food.
  2. Each person, on average, consumes more calories of food each day.
  3. The average person's diet is more resource intensive to produce as it contains more meat and dairy, and fewer grains and vegetables. 

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Give 5 ways that humans have managed to increase food production to meet demand.

  1. Clearing of forests and other natural lands to provide land for agriculture.
  2. Application of fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals.
  3. Selective breeding.
  4. Genetic modification.
  5. Improved irrigation.


(you could also say mechanisation, such as tractors, but this isn't covered in the course)

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What is a genetically modified organism?

Genetically modified organisms, also known as GMOs, are organisms whose genome has been modified by genetic engineering.

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Name as many traits that can be improved by genetic modification as you can. 

There are many others, but examples include:


  1. Increased yield.
  2. Increased drought resistance.
  3. Herbicide tolerance.
  4. Virus resistance.
  5. Production of specific proteins.
  6. Pesticide resistance.
  7. Increased nutrients.
  8. Flood resistance

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What is golden rice?

Golden rice is a type of rice that has been genetically modified to produce a chemical that is converted to vitamin A in the body.


This is helpful in regions of the world where lack of this vitamin can often cause deficiency diseases, such as blindness.

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What is a pesticide?

A pesticide is a chemical that kills pests (such as insects).

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