Alleviating Food Shortages IB Geography II

Objective By the end of this lesson, students will be able to evaluate the relative importance of technological and socio-economic solutions to alleviating food shortages.

Bell Ringer For each of the statistics on the next slide, answer the following in your notebooks: – What is you immediate reaction to this data? – Is there a solution to this problem? What would you suggest?

#1 In 2009, the number of chronically hungry had surpassed 1 billion for the first time in history. This statistic shows that the world is very far from achieving the Millennium Development Goal for reducing malnourishment.

#2

#3 While Australian households spend only 17% of their budget on food, Nigerian families spend 73% of their budgets to eat, Vietnamese 65%, Indonesians 50%. - NY Times

#4 In Bangladesh, food consumes more than half most people’s earnings and rent takes up almost all the rest. -UK Guardian

#5

Elbow Partner Pair Share Discuss each of the 5 data points with your partner, with the purpose of discussing these guiding questions: – What is you immediate reaction to this data? – Is there a solution to this problem? What would you suggest?

Solutions to Food Security Technological Solutions – GM Crops – Expanding Irrigation – Seeds and Fertilizer – Sustainable Practices Socioeconomic Solutions – Agricultural Investment – Food Aid – Improved Infrastructure – Trade Reform – Fair Trade

As we go through the following solutions to food insecurity make a table in your notebook like this: SolutionPositive ImpactsPotential Drawbacks GM Crops Expanding Irrigation Seeds and Fertilizers Sustainable Practices Agricultural Investment Food Aid Improved Infrastructure Trade Reform Fair Trade

Technological Solutions

GM Crops Agriculture experts at the UN and in LEDCs do not expect GM crops on their own to radically improve yields. GM Crops have mostly been devoted to richer countries.

Expanding Irrigation Perennial irrigation systems: water is supplied all year in accordance with the crop requirement.

Seeds and Fertilizers Rural poor need help planting next season’s crops Millions have been forced to eat next season’s seeds to survive Price of fertilizer have increased (largely dependent on oil)

Sustainable Practices Using local knowledge and appropriate technology, and avoiding pollution will help conserve resources (soil and biodiversity) for future generations.

Socioeconomic Solutions

Agricultural Investment Experts believe yields in Africa can be increased with help. 40% of Asian agriculture is irrigated, only 4% in Africa Average Asian farmer uses 110 kgs of fertilizer a year. In Africa only 4 kgs. At least 1/3 of crops in Africa are last after the harvest because farmers cannot get them to the markets in time.

Food Aid The World Food Programme can only reach 80 million of the 800 million more chronically hungry people in the world. Food Aid can alleviate emergency famine situations, but it is not a long-term solution: why?

Improved Infrastructure Improving roads, railway, electricity, and water supply

Trade Reform Free trade, lowering farm subsidies in the US and undoing protectionism (like CAP in the EU) could help poor farmers in the long term.

Fair Trade Ethical trade is trade that attempts to be socially, economically, and environmentally responsible. It is trade where the company takes responsibility for the wider impact of their business. Fair trade helps farmers get fairer prices for their products as well.