Resource Management: Food, Water and Energy

Food, water, and energy are the three resources fundamental to human survival and economic development. Their adequate supply is a precondition for health, prosperity, and political stability.

Food:

• Provides calories and nutrients essential for health, growth, and cognitive function
• Food insecurity — insufficient access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food — affects approximately 735 million people globally (FAO, 2022)
• Agricultural production accounts for approximately 70% of global freshwater withdrawals — food, water, and energy systems are deeply interconnected

Water:

• Safe drinking water is essential for human survival; approximately 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water services (UNICEF/WHO, 2022)
• Water is also essential for agriculture (irrigation), industry (cooling, manufacturing), and energy production (hydroelectric power)
• Water stress — when demand exceeds sustainable supply — affects approximately 4 billion people for at least one month per year

Energy:

• Energy powers all modern economic activity: heating, transport, industry, food production, and digital communications
• Approximately 733 million people still lack access to electricity (World Bank, 2022), overwhelmingly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
• Energy poverty constrains economic development: without electricity, children cannot study at night; healthcare facilities cannot refrigerate vaccines; small businesses cannot operate machinery

The resource nexus: Food, water, and energy are interdependent — the "nexus". Food production requires water (irrigation) and energy (farm machinery, fertiliser production). Energy production (hydroelectric, biofuels) requires water and land. Water treatment and distribution requires energy (pumping and purification). Pressures on one resource therefore affect the others.

Resource supply and consumption are distributed highly unequally between countries and between rich and poor people within countries.

Global patterns:

Resource	High-income countries (HICs)	Low-income countries (LICs)
Food	Average ~3,400 kcal/person/day; high meat consumption; ~30% of food production wasted	Average ~2,100 kcal/person/day in some LICs; undernutrition common; limited dietary diversity
Water	Safe drinking water universally available; high per capita use (UK: ~149 litres/person/day)	Hundreds of millions rely on unprotected wells or rivers; women and children spend hours collecting water daily
Energy	100% electrification; high per capita use (UK: ~3,200 kWh/person/year); diverse mix	Large proportion without electricity; reliance on biomass (wood, charcoal, dung) for cooking; indoor air pollution a major health risk

Why are consumption patterns unequal?

• Income: wealthier countries can afford to develop and import resources; richer individuals consume more food, travel more, and use more energy
• Infrastructure: HIC infrastructure (water treatment plants, electricity grids, food distribution networks) is far more developed than in most LICs
• Technology: HICs use high-yield agriculture, efficient irrigation, and modern energy technologies; many LICs lack access to these
• Climate: some LICs in arid or tropical regions face structural resource constraints (low rainfall, extreme heat reducing crop yields)
• Governance: well-governed countries can invest in resource infrastructure and manage distribution more equitably

The trend towards agribusiness: Agribusiness describes the shift in food production from small family farms to large-scale, commercially-run agricultural enterprises, often integrated with processing, distribution, and retail into a single supply chain.

Characteristics of agribusiness in the UK:

• Farm consolidation: the average UK farm size has grown from approximately 65 hectares in 1990 to over 90 hectares in 2023; the number of farms has fallen significantly as smaller holdings are absorbed; in 1950 there were ~450,000 farms; by 2024 approximately 135,000 remain
• Supermarket-dominated supply chains: the UK's four major supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons) control approximately 70% of food retail; they set quality specifications, volume requirements, and prices for farmers through long-term contracts; farmers have limited bargaining power
• Contract farming: farmers grow specific varieties to supermarket specification; predictable income but dependency on a single buyer and little flexibility to respond to market prices
• Mechanisation and technology: large farm machinery (combine harvesters, automated dairy systems, drone monitoring) has reduced labour requirements dramatically; UK agricultural employment fell from 1.1 million in 1980 to approximately 475,000 in 2024

(For detailed study of precision farming, vertical farming, and GM crops as strategies to increase food supply, see the Food Security optional unit — those topics are covered in AQA 8035 3.2.3.2.)

UK reliance on food imports and high-value LIC exports:

• The UK produces approximately 60% of its own food by value; the remaining ~40% is imported
• Major food imports: fruit and vegetables (Spain, Netherlands, Kenya), meat (Ireland, Denmark), cereals, dairy — dependence that creates vulnerability to supply disruption, exchange rate changes, and political instability in exporting countries
• Brexit (2020) has increased trade frictions with EU partners — documentation requirements and port delays have increased costs for fresh produce imports
• High-value exports from LICs: UK consumers demand fresh fruit and vegetables all year round regardless of UK growing seasons; this drives imports from LICs — Kenyan green beans, Zambian sugar snap peas, Ghanaian pineapples; these all-year and out-of-season imports provide export income and employment for smallholder farmers in producing countries, but supermarket pricing pressures and air-freight carbon costs raise questions about fairness and sustainability

Food miles, carbon footprints and local sourcing:

• Food miles measure the distance food travels from producer to consumer; air-freighted products (Kenyan green beans, South American asparagus) have very high food miles and CO₂ emissions per tonne compared to locally produced equivalents
• Growing consumer concern about food miles and carbon footprints has driven demand for seasonal and locally sourced food — farmers' markets, farm box schemes (Riverford, Abel & Cole), and supermarket "locally sourced" ranges have all grown
• Organic demand: consumer demand for organic (pesticide-free, additive-free) produce has grown significantly — from a niche market in the 1990s to approximately £3 billion per year in UK sales (2022); organic farms tend to be smaller and more labour-intensive than conventional agribusiness operations

Changing demand and the southeast deficit: The UK has abundant rainfall overall, but water supply and demand are highly imbalanced geographically.

Region	Rainfall	Demand situation
Northwest England, Scotland, Wales	1,000–3,000 mm/year	Relatively lower population density; supply broadly manageable
Southeast and East England	550–650 mm/year (comparable to Istanbul or Madrid)	Highest population density; highest demand; classified seriously water stressed by the Environment Agency

• Southeast England's population is projected to grow by approximately 1.5 million more people by 2030, increasing demand further
• Many water mains in the UK were laid in the Victorian era; leakage rates average approximately 20–25% of treated water — around 3 billion litres per day lost before reaching customers

Water transfer to maintain supplies: Where local sources cannot meet demand, water is transferred from regions of surplus to regions of deficit. The Elan Valley Aqueduct has transferred water from reservoirs in mid-Wales to Birmingham since 1904 (73 miles by gravity). Kielder Reservoir (Northumberland) can release water into northern rivers for redistribution southward. Proposals exist for a national water grid transferring water from the wetter northwest of England and Scotland to the water-stressed southeast, but these projects involve high construction costs, energy use for pumping, and disruption along pipeline routes.

(For detailed study of large-scale transfer schemes, desalination, and demand-side technologies, see the Water Security optional unit — those topics are covered in AQA 8035 3.2.3.3.)

Water quality and pollution management: Ensuring water is safe to use is as significant as providing sufficient quantity. Several pollution pressures affect UK water quality:

• Agricultural run-off: fertilisers (nitrates and phosphates) drain from fields into rivers and groundwater; high nitrate concentrations cause eutrophication — algal blooms deplete oxygen in rivers and lakes, killing fish and other aquatic life; in groundwater, nitrates above safe thresholds make water unsuitable for drinking without treatment
• Sewage overflows: UK water companies are legally permitted to release untreated or partially treated sewage into rivers during heavy rainfall when sewer capacity is exceeded (combined sewer overflows — CSOs); in 2022, water companies discharged raw sewage into English waterways for over 1.75 million hours; rivers such as the Wye, Avon, and Thames are heavily affected; the Environment Act (2021) requires water companies to reduce overflow events significantly by 2035
• Microplastics and industrial pollutants: microplastics from road surfaces, clothing, and packaging enter rivers through stormwater run-off; industrial effluent (chemicals, heavy metals) from manufacturing and mining can contaminate rivers and aquifers
• The Environment Agency (EA): the government body responsible for regulating water quality in England; sets legal standards for river and groundwater quality; prosecutes polluters; monitors bathing water quality at beaches and rivers; issues abstraction licences to limit over-extraction

UK rivers have improved significantly since the 1970s (when many were severely polluted by untreated industrial discharge), but sewage overflow and agricultural run-off remain persistent water quality challenges.

The changing UK energy mix:

Energy source	2000 share of electricity	2023 share	Trend
Coal	~32%	~1–2%	Sharp decline — last coal power station due to close 2025
Natural gas	~36%	~38%	Still significant but targeted for reduction
Nuclear	~22%	~15%	Stable/declining — ageing fleet; Hinkley Point C under construction
Offshore/onshore wind	~1%	~30–35%	Rapid growth — UK world leader in offshore wind
Solar, hydro, bioenergy	~9%	~15–17%	Growing

The chart below shows the transition: coal collapses while wind surges between 2000 and 2023.

• Coal has been effectively phased out: from 32% of UK electricity in 2000 to under 2% in 2023; the last coal-fired power station (Ratcliffe-on-Soar) is due to close in 2025
• The UK government target: decarbonise electricity generation by 2035

(For detailed study of specific renewable energy strategies and examples of local energy schemes in LICs/NEEs, see the Energy Security optional unit — those topics are covered in AQA 8035 3.2.3.4.)

Economic and environmental issues of energy exploitation: Extracting energy resources involves significant economic costs and environmental impacts.

• North Sea oil and gas: the North Sea has been the UK's primary domestic energy source since the 1970s; production peaked in 1999 and has declined steadily; new wells require deeper drilling and more complex technology, making costs per barrel significantly higher than in the 1970s; decommissioning ageing platforms will cost an estimated £20 billion over the next 30 years
• Environmental damage from extraction: offshore drilling risks oil spills (Deepwater Horizon 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico is the most prominent example globally; the Bravo blowout in the North Sea in 1977 caused major environmental damage); gas flaring at platforms releases CO₂ and methane; seabed disturbance during construction affects marine ecosystems
• Fracking (hydraulic fracturing): a technique for extracting shale gas by pumping high-pressure water, sand, and chemicals underground to fracture rock; potential for large onshore UK gas reserves in northern England and elsewhere; economic argument: could reduce gas import dependence and lower energy prices; environmental arguments: linked to induced seismicity (minor earthquakes — fracking operations were suspended in the UK in 2019 after a 2.9 magnitude event near Blackpool); potential groundwater contamination; methane leakage from wells; land use and HGV traffic in rural areas; the UK imposed a moratorium on fracking in 2019, reversed briefly in 2022, then reinstated
• Coal decommissioning: former UK coalfields have left contaminated land, subsidence, and waterlogged mine shafts; remediation of derelict mining land is expensive and ongoing

Energy security: Energy security is a country's ability to meet its energy demand reliably and affordably from stable sources. The UK faces energy security concerns:

• North Sea production is declining; the UK imports approximately 50% of its gas (from Norway, Qatar — LNG tankers)
• Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine caused European gas prices to spike sharply, demonstrating vulnerability to global supply disruptions; UK household energy bills approximately doubled in 2022–23
• Diversifying the energy mix (more wind/solar, new nuclear, hydrogen) reduces dependence on imported fossil fuels and improves energy security
• Renewable energy (wind, solar) is domestically generated and free of geopolitical supply risk, but is intermittent — energy storage and grid balancing remain challenges

1. Treating resource management as only about developing countries

The spec explicitly requires knowledge of the UK's food, water, and energy challenges. UK-specific content — agribusiness, southeast water stress, sewage pollution, the energy transition — is examined directly. Do not limit answers to global patterns and LIC examples.

2. Confusing agribusiness with sustainable farming

Agribusiness means large-scale, commercially-integrated food production dominated by contracts, mechanisation, and supermarket supply chains. It is distinct from small-scale farming and from sustainable farming methods. Agribusiness is efficient in yield per worker but can reduce biodiversity, increase reliance on chemical inputs, and weaken smaller farmers' bargaining position.

3. Describing water stress as purely a rainfall problem

The southeast of England has low rainfall — but it also has the highest population density, the oldest infrastructure (highest leakage rates), and the fastest projected population growth. All four factors combine to create a structural water deficit. Rainfall alone is an incomplete answer.

4. Ignoring water quality as a separate issue from water quantity

Water stress is about quantity (not enough water). Water quality pollution (sewage overflows, agricultural nitrates, microplastics) is about contamination of the water that exists. Both are UK water challenges on the spec. Do not conflate them — address each separately.

5. Describing renewables as solving energy security without qualification

Renewable energy reduces dependence on imported fossil fuels and therefore improves energy security in one sense. But wind and solar are intermittent — when it is not windy or sunny, output falls. The UK still depends on gas imports for backup capacity. A complete answer discusses both the benefits of renewables for energy security AND the intermittency challenge that requires energy storage or gas backup to manage.