Can we feed ten billion people?

Answer each question with 2–3 sentences.

1. How much food do you throw away?
2. Do you know where your food comes from?
3. Would you eat less meat to help the planet?
4. What would you eat if meat became very expensive?
5. Have you ever grown your own food?
6. Is food waste a big problem in your country?

Read each word and the example. Then say a sentence about food or farming.

Choose the word that fits.

1. The amount of crop produced per hectare is the .
2. Farmers add to the soil to help crops grow.
3. Supplying land with water through channels or pipes is called .
4. A severe lack of food across a region, causing many deaths, is a .
5. Cattle, sheep and pigs are examples of .
6. Growing a single crop over a very large area is called .
7. A long period without rain is a .
8. A lack of proper nutrients in the diet is called .

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

1. a yield is the amount of crop
   importedproducedeaten
2. fertiliser helps plants
   travelsleepgrow
3. irrigation supplies land with
   lightwaterheat
4. a famine is a severe lack of
   moneyfoodmusic
5. livestock are
   farm toolsfarm animalsfarm buildings
6. a drought is a long period without
   windsunrain

Use these phrases to give emphasis to the most important point.

• Of particular concern is...Особливе занепокоєння викликає...Of particular concern is the loss of fertile soil.
• Hardest hit are...Найбільше постраждали...Hardest hit are smallholder farmers.
• Gone are the days when...Минули часи, коли...Gone are the days when food was cheap.
• Central to the problem is...Центральним у проблемі є...Central to the problem is waste.
• Also important is...Також важливим є...Also important is access to water.
• Equally worrying are...Не менш тривожними є...Equally worrying are the effects of drought.
• Added to this is...До цього додається...Added to this is the cost of fuel.
• Such is the scale of...Такий масштаб...Such is the scale of the problem that no single measure will solve it.

Read the text. Hover over the dotted words for help.

1. The text says the population is expected to approach ten billion later this century.
   TrueFalse
2. The text says that famine is as common today as it was in the past.
   TrueFalse
3. Roughly a third of food is estimated to be lost or wasted.
   TrueFalse
4. The text says the problem today is mostly a lack of food in the world.
   TrueFalse
5. The text suggests that no single solution is likely to be enough.
   TrueFalse

1. Is food waste a bigger problem than food production?
2. Should rich countries eat less meat?
3. Would you eat insects or lab-grown meat?
4. Who should pay for better farming in poorer countries?

Common mistakes: after the fronted word put the verb be + subject, without extra it. Make the verb agree with the real subject that follows. ✗ Of particular concern it is the loss of soil → Of particular concern is the loss of soil. ✗ Hardest are hit farmers → Hardest hit are farmers. ✗ Are gone the days → Gone are the days. ✗ Equally worrying is the effects → Equally worrying are the effects.

1. Of particular concern it isOf particular concern is
   the loss of soil.
2. Hardest are hitHardest hit are
   smallholder farmers.
3. Gone areAre gone
   the days of cheap food.
4. Central to the problem isCentral to the problem it is
   waste.
5. Also is importantAlso important is
   access to water.
6. Added to this areAdded to this is
   the cost of fuel.
7. Equally worrying areEqually worrying is
   the effects of drought on harvests.
8. Such isSuch it is
   the scale of the problem that nobody can ignore it.

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

1. Of particular concern it is the loss of soil. →
2. Hardest are hit smallholder farmers. →
3. Are gone the days of cheap food. →
4. Central to the problem it is waste. →
5. Also is important access to water. →
6. Such it is the scale of the problem that nobody can ignore it. →

Answer in detail. Use fronting and passive reporting structures.

1. Of particular concern to you, what is the biggest food problem?
2. Hardest hit by food prices, who would you say suffers most?
3. Gone are the days of cheap food. Do you agree?
4. What is central to the problem of waste?
5. Equally worrying, what other effects of climate change threaten farming?
6. What would be of most help to a poor farmer?

Three people discuss food for the future. Compare them. Who trusts technology most? Who trusts changes in diet most? Whose view is closest to yours?

Your teacher will time you.

1. Plan for one minute, then speak for one or two minutes.
2. Part 1: describe the biggest challenge in feeding the world.
3. Part 2: use at least two fronted structures (for example Of particular concern is... and Hardest hit are...).
4. Part 3: say what changes you would make in your own diet or country.

1. How often do you waste food?
2. Do you eat meat every day?
3. Would you try new foods such as insects?
4. Do you buy local food?
5. Do you read food labels?
6. Have you ever grown vegetables?
7. Would you pay more for sustainable food?
8. What is your favourite staple food?

1. Who cooks in your family?
2. Who throws away the most food at home?
3. Who taught you to cook?
4. Who grows food near you?
5. Who should help farmers in poorer countries?
6. Who in your life follows a plant-based diet?

1. Is meat necessary for a healthy diet?
2. Should supermarkets be forced to give away unsold food?
3. Is genetic modification a good solution?
4. Will lab-grown food become normal?
5. Is hunger a problem of supply or of money?