Resource provision
Compare food and energy systems, explain uneven access and evaluate strategies for secure, sustainable resource supply.
Section Paper 2 · Human Geography · Topics 6–10
Exam scope and assessment notes
Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Geography 0976, 2027–2029 syllabus, Topic 10. The syllabus does not prescribe one universal set of named detailed specific examples: centres select places suited to their learners. Sixteen optional StudyForA evidence packs now cover all sixteen example objectives, but the centre's choices are unconfirmed. Match each pack to your centre's chosen place and replace any mismatch before treating the course as complete. Original StudyForA explanations and self-check practice are not Cambridge papers, official grades or teacher-marked coursework. Map, graph and written answers are not automatically assessed. Paper 4 practice uses supplied or invented data and cannot certify safe fieldwork, equipment use or real data collection. Centre-set coursework and specialist teacher review remain pending. This is the separate 9–1 qualification. Cambridge limits this 9–1 syllabus to certain zones: in June it is available in Administrative Zone 3 and for centres in Oman and the UAE; in November it is available in Zone 3 only. Confirm the exam series and entry with your centre. Cambridge also says an entry cannot be switched from 9–1 to A*–G after the entries deadline.
Before you begin
- No previous Geography course is assumed. Use the supplied map, data or scenario; distinguish observation from explanation and support conclusions with evidence.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which is a renewable energy source: coal or wind?
What you will learn
- Compare farming types and food-system inputs/outputs
- Explain food supply patterns, insecurity and strategies
- Evaluate food aid, soil management and desertification responses
- Compare energy sources, security, impacts and national energy mixes
Food systems include different production types
Subsistence farming mainly supports the producer's household; commercial farming produces for sale. Arable, pastoral and mixed farming describe crops, livestock or both. Aeroponics, aquaponics and hydroponics use different systems to grow plants without conventional soil; they still need inputs such as energy, water, nutrients and capital.
A farming system has inputs (land, labour, seeds, water, machinery), processes (cultivation, animal rearing, irrigation, harvesting) and outputs (food, fibre, income and waste). Calorie intake varies with income, access, conflict, climate, infrastructure, prices and distribution.
Food security depends on access as well as production
Food supply changes with population, diet, technology, climate, trade and transport. Globalised supply chains can widen choice and smooth shortages but may create dependence on imports and exposure to price or transport disruption. Food insecurity can result from drought, flood, conflict, poverty, weak storage, unequal access or high prices.
Strategies include irrigation, improved seeds, soil conservation, storage, transport and diversified livelihoods. Food aid can prevent immediate shortages but may be poorly timed, undermine local producers or fail to address causes. Soil erosion and desertification management may use terracing, vegetation cover, contour ploughing and grazing controls; judge local suitability and participation.
Energy supply trades off reliability, cost and impacts
Renewable sources include biomass, geothermal, HEP, solar, tidal, wave and wind; non-renewables include coal, gas, oil and nuclear. Fuelwood can be renewable or non-renewable depending on regrowth and harvesting. Energy demand is influenced by population, income, industry, technology and climate. Energy security depends on reliable access, affordability and resilience to disruption.
Energy sources differ in reliability, emissions, land use, cost, waste and local effects. Increasing supply may involve new generation, grid connections, efficiency or demand management. A named-country energy mix should connect source shares to physical conditions, development, imports and policy, then assess sustainable management.
Pause and explain
Why can adding a new energy source fail to improve energy security for every community?
Worked example
A country uses 60% of its energy from domestic gas, 25% from imported oil and 15% from renewables. Give one energy-security strength and one vulnerability.
Show the worked solution
- Domestic gas reduces dependence on imports for that share.
- Reliance on gas still exposes the system to fuel depletion, price or infrastructure risks.
- Imported oil adds exposure to international supply disruption; renewable reliability depends on mix and storage.
Answer Domestic gas may improve supply control, but dependence on gas and imported oil creates price and infrastructure vulnerabilities. The full energy mix and backup capacity matter.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
A farm produces 2 400 tonnes of food, imports 600 tonnes and exports 500 tonnes. Find the amount available before storage losses and explain why this does not show household food security.
Give me a hint
Add production and imports, then subtract exports.
Compare my reasoning
- Available amount = 2400 + 600 − 500 = 2500 tonnes.
- This is a national-level supply estimate before losses.
- Household access still depends on income, prices, transport and distribution.
2 500 tonnes are available before losses in this simplified balance. It does not show whether households can afford or access the food.
Look for these in your work
- Balance calculated
- Loss caveat retained
- Supply and access distinguished
A dry region faces soil erosion and irregular rain. Compare terracing and drought-resistant crops, including one limitation of each.
Give me a hint
Terracing changes slope runoff; crop choice changes water demand or tolerance.
Compare my reasoning
- Terraces can slow runoff and reduce soil loss on suitable slopes, but require labour, maintenance and land shaping.
- Drought-resistant crops can reduce harvest losses under water stress, but seed access, taste, markets and local suitability matter.
- Combine soil and crop strategies with evidence on rainfall, slope, costs and farmers' priorities.
Terracing addresses runoff and soil loss; drought-resistant crops address crop sensitivity to water stress. Both need locally suitable design and maintenance, so compare costs, slope, seed access and farmer preferences.
Look for these in your work
- Mechanisms distinguished
- Limitations stated
- Context and evidence used
A country plans a new hydropower dam to reduce fuel imports. Evaluate one security benefit, two possible costs and evidence needed before deciding.
Give me a hint
Consider dispatchable supply and import exposure alongside displacement, ecosystems and river flows.
Compare my reasoning
- Domestic generation may reduce dependence on imported fuels and provide electricity when water is available.
- Reservoirs can displace people, alter river ecosystems and depend on rainfall or upstream flows.
- Compare demand, drought risk, affected communities, lifecycle costs and alternative sources.
Hydropower may diversify supply and reduce fuel imports, but can create social and ecological costs and may be vulnerable to water variability. A decision needs site-specific evidence on demand, displacement, river impacts and alternatives.
Look for these in your work
- Security benefit stated
- Social and environmental costs included
- Evidence and alternatives identified
Common mistakes
- Equating food production with food access
- Assuming all technology is affordable or appropriate locally
- Calling fuelwood renewable without checking harvesting and regrowth
- Comparing energy sources on emissions alone
What can you explain now?
How can a country produce enough food overall while some households remain food insecure?
Compare with the explanation
Food may be unaffordable or inaccessible to some people despite sufficient total supply
Availability, access, utilisation and stability are distinct dimensions of food security.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
How do availability, access and stability differ in food security, and what makes an energy mix secure?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.