FOODSECURITY Geography 2016 Food Security Definition Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to enough safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle. (World Food Summit, 1996) To be food secure means that: food is available How? food is affordable How? food is utilised How? What is the impact of food insecurity? For the 842 million people in the world who do not get enough healthy food regularly, ill health and a shorter life expectancy are real risks. Children, and especially very young children, who suffer from food insecurity will most likely be smaller and be less able physically and intellectually. FOOD For THOUGHT Fast facts about global food production and food security Read the above food fact statements. All statements are factually correct, but not all are relevant to answering the question: Can the world produce enough food to feed everyone? Select those that are relevant and cut and paste them in order onto a new blank sheet of paper. Put them in a logical order to write a paragraph to answer the question. Why is there food insecurity? Create a mind map Take notes from the next slides Povert y ? ? Wh y ? ? ? Why is there food insecurity? Poverty Poor people lack access to sufficient resources to produce or buy quality food. Farmers who lack sufficient equipment cannot grow enough produce and may be forced to farm less productive land. This could lead to further environmental deterioration and continue the cycle of poverty. Addressing poverty is critical to ensuring that all people have sufficient food. Health A lack of sufficient calories and nutrients has huge effects on a person’s health. A hungry mother will give birth to an underweight baby, who then faces a future of stunted growth, frequent illness, learning disabilities and reduced resistance to disease. A hungry community will struggle to work and produce enough food. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has reduced food production in many affected countries as productive adults become ill or die. Lacking the labour, resources and know-how to grow staples and commercial crops, many households have shifted to cultivating survival foods or even leaving their fields, further reducing the food supply. Addressing health issues will improve utilisation and availability of food. Water & the environment Food production requires massive amounts of water. It takes one cubic metre (1,000 litres) of water to produce one kilogram of wheat and 3,000 litres of water to produce one kilogram of rice. Producing sufficient food is directly related to having sufficient water. Where water is scarce and the environment fragile, achieving food security may depend on what has been called ‘virtual water’, that is, importing food from countries with an abundance of water. Water Usage in Food Production Producing adequate food supplies is directly related to the availability of sufficient water. Agriculture consumes 85% of the world’s fresh water. 1 kg of rice= 3400 litres of water Rain fed agriculture = 80 % of cultivated land globally Q. What happens when rainfall is erratic? How does this affect food security in those regions Q. What about water pollution? Water Footprints of Food The water footprint of food is water taken in production as well as from the land. 1 pot of tea = 90 litres (750 ml) 1 500g pack cane sugar = 750 litres 1 litre of milk = 1000 litres 1 block of cheese = 2500 litres 1 Hamburger = 2500 litres 1 steak= 4650 litres Gender Equity Women play a vital role in providing food and nutrition for their families through their roles as food producers, processors, traders and income earners. Yet women’s lower social and economic status limits their access to education, training, land ownership, decision-making, credit, and consequently their ability to improve their access to and use of food. Food utilisation can be enhanced by improving women’s knowledge of nutrition and food safety and the prevention of illnesses. Increasing women’s involvement in decision-making and their access to land and credit will in turn improve food security as women invest in fertilisers and better seeds, labour-saving tools, irrigation and land care. Facts: Facts: Case Study: Nestle Ivory Coast https://www.youtube.com/embed/-W-Ca JZLHB8 Gender Equity: Articles You will be given 1 of 2 journal articles regarding agriculture and gender equity Read your article with a partner and answer the following: 1. What surprised you in the article...ie, what was new information? 2. What ideas from the article relate to food security? 3. Add any other interesting points Disasters and conflicts Droughts, floods, cyclones and pests can quickly wipe out large quantities of food as it grows or when it is in storage for later use. Likewise, seeds can be destroyed by such environmental dangers. Conflict can also reduce or destroy food in production or storage as farmers flee to safety or become involved in the fighting. Previously productive land may be contaminated with explosive debris and need to be cleared before it can again be used for food production. Stored food, seeds and breeding livestock may be eaten or destroyed by soldiers, leading to long-term food shortages. Governments need to prioritise spending on food security in the aftermath of conflict. Disaster and Conflict Task Choose an event from the list on the Whiteboard Identify “ what “ happened in this event Identify how the event affects Food Security Mind map or list your answers Population and urbanisation Population growth increases the demand for food, placing greater pressure on productive land. Poor harvests and higher costs lead many poor farmers to migrate to cities to look for work. Expanding cities also spread out across productive land, pushing food production further and further away from consumers. This increases the cost of all the activities associated with producing and transporting food, and decreases the food security of the poor in cities. Trade Many poor countries can produce staples more cheaply than rich nations but barriers to trade, such as distance from markets, quarantine regulations and tariffs make it difficult for them to compete in export markets against highly subsidised farmers in rich countries. This deprives poor farmers of income and entire countries of the agricultural base that they need to develop other sectors of the economy. In addition, trade imbalances prevent poor countries from importing agricultural products that could enhance their food security. North South Gap While globalisation and transnational companies are bringing the world together in terms of trade there is a widening gap between the economically wealthy and the poorer countries of the world. This gap between the richer and poorer countries is often referred to as the North-South Gap, or divide. The North ( or developed) countries are mainly in the northern hemisphere ( USA, Europe Japan). These countries have a high levels of industrial development, high standards of living, and are home to most of the transnational companies. Agree or Disagree? Support your opinion The South The Southern countries are mainly developing countries ( South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia) and are the poorer countries. These countries have less industrial development , lower standards of living , and weak workplace protection laws. Decide whether Australia is a northern country or a southern country...provide evidence to support your answer. Is China part of the North or the South? Why? Do the concepts of North South Gap still apply to the trade patterns of these countries? Is it relevant?( The original concept was coined in 1980) Fair Trade Trade based on buying and selling of products (usually from poorer nations) that have been mined , grown ,and manufactured under humane working conditions with appropriate wages for the workers and minimal environmental impact Fair Trade Origins 1940: Edna Blyler discovered Puerto Rican linen needlework: started selling to friends and neighbours 1952: Edna takes the craft global 1964: Oxfam begins marketing handicrafts from developing countries aiming to give small scale producers fair prices , training, advice, and funding. 1988: Labelling starts on products in the Netherlands 1997 : Fairtrade International starts as an umbrella organisation to regulate Fair trade certification. Write some Fair trade Products you know... Fair Trade products Food products: bananas, coffee, cocoa, dried fruit, fresh fruit, honey, herbs and spices, tea, quinoa, rice, nuts, wine, sugar, beans Non food products: Cotton, cut flowers, sports balls, ornamental plants Activity: Fair Trade Benefits Part 1: Worksheet: Who Benefits the most from Fair Trade? Fill in the grid based on what we have discussed in class Part 2 : Written Reflection : 1 paragraph for each prompt: The Fair Trade Movement has been able to make trade between richer and poorer countries fairer How does supporting the Fair Trade movement help maintain food security for the farmers or growers that produce the goods we are buying? (You can refer to earlier notes for help) HUNGER GAMES On the World map annotate with 3 colours to determine each countries Nourishment Requirements Under Nourished Red Nourished Orange Over Nourished Green Compare your map with others and discuss why you have selected these countries. Then using the 2013 Hunger map on V drive, compare with your own interpretation of the question. Hunger Games(cont.) Answer the following questions: 1. On what basis did you select the countries you thought were food secure or food insecure? What influenced your thinking? 2. Were these assumptions accurate? 3. Analyse the difference between your map and the 2013 Hunger Map. Give specific examples. 4. What are some characteristics of the countries which are not food secure? (Think about their economic, social, political, and environmental situations. Include reference ideas such as climate, culture, human modification of environments, soil fertility, landforms, technology, labour and demand. Also look back at your mind-map for hints. 5. Zoom in to find Haiti. What category does it fall in, why? 6. How would this map look different if the data was collected today rather than a few years ago? The Food Index Explore the interactive snapshot of 125 countries showing the best and worst places in the world to eat, and the challenges people face getting enough of the right food. Around the world, one in eight people go to bed hungry every night, even though there is enough food for everyone. This graph illustrates how overconsumption, misuse of resources and waste are common elements of a system that leaves hundreds of millions without enough to eat. Visit this site that looks at global food levels in 125 countries across the world, to determine whether a country has food security. Food Wastage Youtube Clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoCVrkcaH6Q Agree or Disagree (or somewhere in between..) ‘The Howqua Community does its best to ensure food wastage is minimised’ Write a short response to the statement in your book. Which biomes are able to produce food? Compare the map of Land Used for Agriculture (on the next slide & found on the V drive)with your map of biomes Which biomes are mostly used for cropland? Which biomes are mostly used for pasture, i.e. animal grazing? Which biomes produce the least food? Is there an interconnection between biomes and land used for agriculture? Give examples to illustrate your answer. Major Challenges to Food Production 1) CLIMATE CHANGE Complete the Faces of Climate Change Worksheet. The videos can be access on the V drive in the folder ‘Faces of Climate Change’ 2) Competing for land use Introducing Land Grabs Read this article. In your own words, write an explanation of what you think the term “land grab” refers to. It’s not necessarily a problem when wealthy companies invest in agricultural land in poor countries for commercial use. But when families are kicked off the land or less food is grown as a result, that’s a very big problem indeed. And since the food price spikes of 2008, that’s been happening more and more. Demand for land has soared as investors look for places to grow food for export, or to grow biofuels, or simply to gain in value. But in many cases, land sold as ‘unused’ or ‘undeveloped’ is actually being used by poor families to grow food. These families are often forcibly kicked off the land. Promises of compensation are broken. And then, to add insult to injury, the land is left idle, despite promises to the contrary. Source: Oxfam Australia website LAND GRABS Since the food price increases that occurred in 2008 during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), large food-producing companies have expanded their farming practises across the world in an attempt to make greater profit from growing food. In some cases, the way this has been done has resulted in small-scale farmers being forcibly removed from their land. This often results in people losing their homes and finding it difficult to feed their families, and can also impact on the ability to educate children and have access to health care. Watch these videos to find out more: https://youtu.be/5GL54O0QthE - animation on Land Grabs https://youtu.be/JsTi8LrTLFg - does your sugar come from Land Grabs What is the message portrayed in each clip? What methods are used to portray this message? What clip was more affective to you? Why? Study the pie graph of land areas that have been “grabbed”. On which continents do 75 per cent of the land grabs occur? Suggest why fewer land grabs occur in Europe. Complete worksheet Land Grabs in Asia Land grabs around the globe Activity 2 Improving Food Security – Choose 1 of the below Case Studies CASE STUDY # 1 Aquaculture in Thailand What were the factors hindering food production in north-east Thailand? How was the problem solved? Why were fish identified as the food supply to solve the food security issues? Case Study # 2 Sweet potato biodiversity in Papua New G uinea What was the aim of the 'sweet potato project' in Papua? Why were women considered a key factor affecting the success of the project? How did the project impact on food security in the Madang region? CASE STUDY # 3 Fixing Food Security with Forage Legumes in West Timor Why is there a food security problem in West Timor? How can the production of legumes solve this issue? How has Australia assisted with this problem?