1.a The concept of food security is complex and patterns of food security varies spatially

To help introduce students to the concept of food security and what it means to be food secure, students explore the three pillars of food security. Using the example of Nepal, students can contextualise their understanding of the three pillars to a real life example.

To expand this activity further, students could research an alternative example to see how the factors that affect the country’s food security compare with Nepal’s. What are the similarities? What are the differences? Does any one of the three pillars have a greater impact on a countries food security than another? What might be the reasons for this?

1.a The concept of food security is complex and patterns of food security varies spatially 

To help support students understanding of current global trends in food security and those trends overtime, students explore the FAO hunger map to identify global changes in food security from 1990-92 to 2014-16.

Students will need to try and establish the reasons behind the trends in food security by investigating specific countries further. Are the issues with the countries food security social, economic, environmental or a combination? Students should be encouraged to link back to their understanding of the three pillars of food security when assessing the current global trends.

1.b Food is a precious resource and global food production can be viewed as an interconnected system

Students need to recognise the range of elements that make up the global food production system.

As a quick starter activity, students could guess where they think the 5 crops originate from before exploring the “Origins and primary regions of diversity and agricultural crops” map. As a critical reflection activity, question students on if there are any limitations to how the data has been collated and presented. Using the Nourish Food System map students are to complete flow diagrams of the inputs, processes and outputs for the staple food stuffs. How might the production of the food stuffs vary in different parts of the world e.g. an advanced (AC) vs. a low-income developing country (LIDC)? What are the impacts of different production methods?

1.c Globalisation is changing the food industry 

To help establish an overall understanding of how the processes of globalisation have influenced the food industry the National Geographic’s “What the World eats” resource gives a fantastic visualisation. To get students thinking, give them the data on LR4 and get them to question the data to establish which country the data represents and why (China).

As part of an independent research task students could explore different country examples and compare them to others as a consolidation task the following lesson. Where in the world has been most impacted by the globalisation of the food industry? What is the knock on effect of this? (Think social, economic and environmental). Tonga is used as an example to examine the issue of obesity. The World Health Organization (WHO) bulletin “Globalization, diet and health” provides information for additional research.

2.a A number of interrelated factors can influence food security

This activity enables students to explore what land grabbing is and how it affects food security with a focus on Ethiopia.

Working in pairs or in small groups, students research arguments for and against land grabbing in Ethiopia in preparation for a debate “Should land grabbing in Ethiopia be stopped?” As an introduction to the situation in Ethiopia watch the twenty five minute short film “Ethiopia – Land for Sale” and complete Learner Resource 5. As part of the activity students should question the resource in terms of bias. After the activity students return to the question “How is land grabbing affecting Ethiopia’s food security?”

Additional information to investigate land grabbing in Ethiopia; 

• Ethiopia’s land rush: Feed the world but not themselves. Guardian Investigations
• Ethiopians talk of violent intimidation as their land is earmarked for foreign investors 
• The great land rush. Ethiopia: The billionaire’s farm
• Understanding Land Investment Deals in Africa. Country Report Ethiopia

2.a A number of interrelated factors can influence food security

This activity touches upon Ethiopia as the case study example to illustrate how human and physical factors combine to cause issues with food security. The information on the cards draws from a range of resources to try and provide an overview of the food security situation in Ethiopia. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) has a number of key publications for Ethiopia including mapping of large–scale food security emergency projected.

Sort the statements into two columns; human and physical factors. Draw a line to show where physical and human factors could combine to cause issues with food security. On the line explain how the combination of factors could exacerbate food security issues. Alternatively, students could use the statements to create an extended piece of writing linking the human and physical factors.

3.a Risks to food security can be identified to highlight the most vulnerable societies 

Using the Global Food Security Index students are to explore different countries food security across the development spectrum. As a starting point to understand the index watch the EIU Global Food Security Index clip (select videos from the resource library tab and select the video titled The Global Food Security Index).

Use the interactive map to investigate the following countries food security and level of development:

• Bangladesh 
• Burundi 
• Ethiopia 
• India 
• Japan 
• Pakistan 
• Philippines 
• UK 
• USA

3.a Risks to food security can be identified to highlight the most vulnerable societies 

This activity introduces the physical and human causes of desertification and how these factors can interact to cause issues with food security.

To introduce the process of desertification watch the introductory clip from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Annotate the image on LR8a with the human and physical causes of desertification using the UNCCD Causes of desertification fact sheet 2. Use the hexagons on LR8b to explore the links between the human and physical causes of desertification and start thinking about what other factors could exacerbate issues with food security and why?

3.a Risks to food security can be identified to highlight the most vulnerable societies 

This activity touches upon some of the case study requirements for 3.a. The activity focuses on The Sahel region.

Students will need to consider the information to investigate the following question. Why is food security at risk in The Sahel? The information should be consolidated in the Venn diagram to form the beginnings of the case study. This could then be extended by focusing in upon a particular country in The Sahel region. Finally students come together for a class discussion about why food security is at risk for people living in The Sahel? 

The Sahel - Additional information:

• Al Jazeera - Interactive: Mapping the Sahel drought 
• Al Jazeera - Explaining the Sahel drought problem 
• FAO - Crisis in the Sahel 
• WFP – Sahel crisis 
• The Guardian – Sahel 
• UNEP: Climate Change and Variability in the Sahel Region 
• Care – Sahel Hunger crisis

3.b The food system is vulnerable to shocks that can impact food security 

This activity begins to explore how climate change is leading to an increasing frequency of extreme weather by focusing on El-Nino events and how these events can affect food production.

To start watch the Met office clip El Nino – What is it? After watching the clip a “think, pair, share” activity could be completed to start making links between El-Nino events and the potential impacts on food production around the world. Ask students where in the world do they think will be most affected and why? What evidence do they have to support their answers? Use the images in the Aljazeera article El Nino’s effects continue to be felt globally to start to try and visualise some of the impacts. 

Using the FAO Preparedness and Response Situation Report 2016 which can be downloaded as a pdf, and the Aljazeera article above, map the locations that have been impacted onto a blank world map (or using GIS). In each case annotate the map to show how El-Nino has impacted on food production. 

Additional information: www.fao.org

3.b The food system is vulnerable to shocks that can impact food security

This activity draws on the 2015 earthquake in Nepal to explore how the earthquake has impacted on the countries food security.

As a short introductory activity students should complete Learner Resource 11a to get students thinking about the possible impacts (social, economic and environmental).Using the World Food Programme document Nepal - A report on the food security impact of the 2015 earthquake students complete Learner Resource 11b. Following the activities students should assess which factors create the greatest risk to food security for the people of Nepal and why.

3.b The food system is vulnerable to shocks that can impact food security

This activity touches upon the case study for 3.b by looking at the Nunavut of Northern Canada in terms of their indigenous farming techniques and what is threatening their traditional ways life and therefore food security.

Using the graph on page 4 from Action Canada’s document Hunger in Nunavut and a map of Canadian provinces, why do you think that the Nunavut have such high food insecurity compared to other provinces? Rank the nine statements in Learner Resource 12 according to the threat that they pose to food security. For each of the statements use the following resources to add additional case study detail. 

• The food desert of the north 

• Hunger in Nunavut 

• Nunavut food security coalition

• Feeding Nunavut

4.a Imbalance in the global food system has physical and human impacts

This activity begins to explore how attempts to increase food production and security have impacted on the physical environment by looking at the production of Soya in the Cerrado region of Brazil.

For this activity students need to complete a briefing sheet to inform the Brazilian government on how the production of Soya is impacting the physical environment. For additional ideas on writing a government briefing sheet read: How to Write a Briefing Note 

Use the following WWF resources as a starting point for your research. 

• Soya and the Cerrado: Brazil’s forgotten jewel 

• Environmental and social impacts of soy

5.a Food is a geopolitical commodity; a number of key players will continue to influence the global food system 

This activity starts to investigate the role that different key players have in influencing the global food system.

Before students complete the main activity, students should have an understanding of what is meant by the global food system (The Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food defines it as the production, processing, transport and consumption of food). 

Working in pairs (or small groups) each pair is allocated a different key player. Each pair (or small group) carries out research using the links provided as a starting point, to establish what role and responsibilities their key player has in influencing the global food system and present their findings to the rest of the class. As they listen to the other pairs (groups) they make notes on Learner Resource 14 to establish which key player has the most influence on the global food system. 

Agribusiness – Monsanto 

Trans-National Corporation – Unilever

Food retailer – Tesco

Fair trade organisation – Fairtrade Foundation

5.b There is a spectrum of strategies that exist to ensure and improve food security

This activity introduces a range of techniques that attempt to increase food security from donkey ploughs to biotech seeds.

For activity 1 use the web links for Practical Action, Sustainable Table and Monsanto to complete table 1 on Learner Resource 15 that covers a range of techniques that attempt to improve food security. Classify each technique according to if it is large-scale technological or small-scale bottom up techniques. 

For activity 2 you will need to score each technique to assess its overall sustainability to complete table 2. 

For activity 3 rank each technique on the continuum line justifying the reason for your decision. 

As a follow up activity pose the question “Are top down approaches to improving food security better than bottom up?” Don’t forget to consider countries across the development spectrum.