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Year 9 - Geography

A solution: genetically modified crops

Natural resources: Can Earth meet our needs?

Unit Summary

This unit teaches pupils about the growing demand for natural resources and the different renewable and non-renewable ways humans try to meet their needs. Pupils will learn the impact of overexploitation and some of the ways natural resource exploitation can be managed.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to assess the advantages and challenges of genetically modified crops in tackling global food issues and environmental pressures.

Key Notes

  • GM crops are plants whose genes have been altered in a lab to give them improved traits.
  • GM crops offer higher yields, pest resistance, nutrition, climate resilience, longer shelf-life, and lower costs.
  • Bt maize improved food security and income for many rural communities.
  • Concerns include breeding super weeds, long term health issues, resistant pests and big businesses control.
  • Bollworms developed resistance to Bt cotton in India.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • GM crops: plants whose genes have been altered in a lab to give them improved traits
  • yield: the amount produced, especially in farming
  • pesticide: substances that are added to soil or sprayed on plants to protect the plants from pests such as insects
  • herbicide: substances that are added to soil or sprayed on plants to protect the plants from weeds

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • All the tests run on GM crops have found that they create no health issues.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.

GM crops are plants whose genes have been altered in a lab to give them improved traits. GM crops offer higher yields, pest resistance, nutrition, climate resilience, longer shelf-life, and lower costs.

2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'GM crops'

plants whose genes have been altered in a lab to give them improved traits.

3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.

Mistake: All the tests run on GM crops have found that they create no health issues. Correction: Most major scientific bodies find no conclusive evidence of harm from approved GM foods, which have all been tested. However, some animal studies raise questions, and critics argue that long-term human studies are limited.

More Lessons In This Unit

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