This mini-lesson covers the OCR Resource Reliance topic: the challenge of food, water and energy security, why demand outstrips supply, the theories of Malthus and Boserup, and sustainable ways to achieve food security.
Work through each screen, answer the questions as you go and collect ⭐ stars. Press Start when you're ready.
Resources under pressure
Will we run out of resources?
Food, water and energy are three of the most vital resources — and demand is rising faster than supply. Reasons include:
Population growth — more people to feed, water and power (heading toward 9–10 billion).
Rising wealth — richer people consume more meat, water and energy.
Uneven distribution — some places have surplus, others are resource-poor.
Humans modify environments to get resources: mechanised farming and fishing (food); deforestation and mining (energy); reservoirs and water-transfer schemes (water).
Food security
What is food security?
Food security means everyone having reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food. It is affected by:
Human factors — poverty, conflict, technology, trade and infrastructure.
World patterns are shown by measures like the Global Hunger Index and average daily calorie consumption — food insecurity is worst in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Key term — food security: when all people, at all times, have access to enough food. Food insecurity is the opposite — not having reliable access.
Quick check
What is food security?
?Which statement best defines food security?
Population & food
Malthus vs Boserup
Two theories about population and food supply:
Malthus (pessimistic): population grows faster than food supply, so eventually demand outstrips supply, leading to famine, disease and war that cut the population back ("checks").
Boserup (optimistic): when population rises, human invention increases food supply — "necessity is the mother of invention" — through new technology like irrigation, fertilisers and machines.
Remember: Malthus = pessimist (we'll run out); Boserup = optimist (we'll invent our way out).
Match it
Match the term to its meaning
Tap a term on the left, then tap its correct description on the right.
Quick check
Whose theory?
?"As the population grows, people will invent new farming technology to grow more food." Whose view is this?
Located case study
Case study: achieving food security
OCR requires a case study of one country attempting food security. A widely-taught example is Ethiopia (or Ghana):
Local scale: urban gardens, allotments and community food schemes help families grow their own food.
National scale — past attempt: the Green Revolution spread high-yield crop varieties, fertilisers and irrigation, boosting harvests (though with costs to soil and water).
National scale — present attempt: global food trade, GM crops, irrigation and improved storage aim to raise supply and reduce waste.
Sustainable futures
Sustainable ways to feed people
How sustainable are these strategies? OCR groups them:
Ethical consumerism — fair-trade goods and cutting food waste.
Food production — organic methods (fewer chemicals) vs high-yield intensive farming.
Technology — GM crops and hydroponics (growing without soil).
Bottom-up approaches — urban gardens and permaculture, run by local communities.
Explain it
Your turn — the Green Revolution
✎Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of the Green Revolution for food security. Use the words yield, fertiliser and environment.
Model answer
Advantage: high-yield crop varieties, irrigation and fertiliser greatly increased harvests, helping feed growing populations and improving food security.
Disadvantage: heavy use of fertiliser and water can harm the environment — polluting rivers, depleting groundwater and damaging soil over time.
It also often favoured richer farmers who could afford the inputs, increasing inequality.
Sort it
Which resource is being provided?
Tap a strategy, then tap the resource it mainly provides.
🍞 Food
💧⚡ Water / Energy
Sort it
Sustainable strategy?
Is each approach a more sustainable way to boost food security?
Quick check
Malthus's warning
?What did Malthus predict would happen if population grew faster than food supply?
Quick check
Growing without soil
?Which technology grows crops without soil, using a nutrient-rich water solution?
Recap
The key ideas to know
Pressure: population growth & rising wealth push demand for food, water & energy above supply.
Food security: reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food; measured by hunger index & calories.
Theories: Malthus (pessimist) vs Boserup (optimist — invention raises supply).
Case study: one country (e.g. Ethiopia) — local schemes, Green Revolution, GM crops & trade.