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You are what you eat

Introducing students to some of the wide ranging topical issues related to food and food production

  • Key Stage Three,
  • Module,
  • Natural resources and energy
  • Overview
  • Where does food come from?
  • Hunger and malnutrition
  • Importing and exporting food (case study Kenya)
  • Organic vs intensive farming methods
  • Plenty more fish in the sea?
  • Biofuels: exploiting farmland and the natural environment
  • Rising food prices

This module has two aims: firstly to introduce younger students to the methodology of producing food. Where does their food, often processed and unrecognizable, actually come from?; secondly, to introduce students to some of the wide ranging topical issues related to food and food production.

This is, without doubt, a vast and complex topic which, at Key Stage 3 (KS3), teachers can only scratch the surface of, but in doing so they will provide a background for further study at GCSE and beyond. For those studying geography only at KS3, this topic raises awareness of issues which have local and global implications. Students can play an active part in shaping their future by having a better understanding of these complex and challenging food-related issues.

Where does food come from? Lesson one starts by looking at where our food actually comes from - who produces it and how. It asks students to think about what processed foods are made from, introduces students to the two principle types of farming and to the idea that the foods we eat in the UK comes from all over the world.

Hunger and malnutrition It is a distressing fact that the world produces more than enough food to feed the six billion plus people on planet earth and yet large numbers continue to be malnourished and in some cases starve. How is this possible in the 21st century? Lesson two aims to tackle this difficult and emotive topic through exploring both the causes of malnutrition and where the problem of undernourishment is most severe.

Importing and exporting food Lesson three looks at the issues around rich counties importing food from poorer, less economically developed countries. In recent times the media has made much of the fact that in the UK and other similar countries, we now depend for much of our food on farms in developing countries such as Kenya, Chile and Vietnam. A study of this issue raises a number of dilemmas ranging from using land in poorer countries to feed us rather than the people living there, through to increasing ‘food air miles' which threaten to exacerbate the global climate change problem. As with so many of these food issues, people are, in general, uncertain as to what to do for the best. Providing a better understanding will help the young students to make informed decisions as they grow up.

The government would like us to eat a healthy and balanced diet, and part of that process involves thinking about the type of food we eat. Lessons four and five relate to this but from very different angles.

Organic food vs intensive farming methods Lesson four looks at the value of growing food organically versus intensive farming methods which undoubtedly are needed to provide sufficient food to feed a growing population. It considers the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

Plenty more fish in the sea? Lesson six looks at the oceans where fish stocks are dwindling fast due to over-fishing on a massive scale; we currently have enough fishing capacity in the world to fish the equivalent of four planet earths! It asks the question ‘should we ban all fishing or should we rely instead on moving to a system of farming fish?'. There are no easy answers but part of the solution to both these issues lies with consumers and students need to be in a position where they can play their part. Much of this work is about possible, probable and preferable futures.

Biofuels - a green option? Lesson six takes a hot topic which is likely to remain in the news for some considerable time to come: biofuels. These were seen by some as the saviour of a world dominated by fossil fuels, a chance to get away from resources which were finite and close to running out, controlled by a minority of countries and which were polluting our planet and leading to global climate change. As farmers across the world were encouraged by government initiatives to grow these biofuels, it was quickly realised that it was all going horribly wrong. The recent rapid increase in basic food prices for staples such as rice and wheat were at least partly attributable to growing demand for biofuels. This has lead to increased hunger and riots in some parts of the world. Additionally, in the rush to produce palm oil and other valuable biofuels, countries in parts of SE Asia and elsewhere, set out to clear some of the few remaining rainforests and other precious habitats. Now, no one knows how to stop a process that was started with good intentions but is leading to all sorts of unforeseen consequences for the world.

Rising food prices Lesson seven looks at the impact of rising global food prices and how this impacts in different ways in various ways in different countries across the world. The module provides opportunities to focus on particular places such as the UK, Kenya and Indonesia but also deals with global issues. It demonstrates the importance of understanding how we live in world where interdependence is a vital concept - everything we do as individuals and as a country has an impact on other countries and on the world. There are many examples of how our human actions impact on the natural environment and that sustainable development, whilst a laudable goal, is extremely difficult in practice to achieve. Finally, the module demonstrates that people's values and attitudes do vary across the world and as such, have a powerful influence on the issues that we are confronting on a daily basis.

Weblinks

  • OneWorld Food Guide

  • Action Against Hunger 

  • Guardian - organic food

  • Guardian - organic food is better

  • Biofuels Q and A

  • Feeding cars not people

  • Oil Palm Schemes in SE Asia

  • Oil Palm - food or fuel?

  • Palm Oil Fact Sheet

  • Oil for Ape Scandal (Friends of the Earth)

Where does food come from?

Hunger and malnutrition

Importing and exporting food (case study kenya)

Organic vs intensive farming methods

Plenty more fish in the sea?

Biofuels: Exploiting farmland and the natural environment

Rising food prices

Downloads

  • You Are What You Eat Module Overview (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Module Overview (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Module Plan (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Module Plan (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Factsheet (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat UK Government Food Report 2008 (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat UK Government Food Report 2008 (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 1 Teacher's Notes (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 1 Teacher's Notes (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 1 Arable and Pastoral (.ppt)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 1 What Am I Eating (.ppt)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 1 Multi Ethnic Food (.ppt)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 1 Fruit & Veg Quiz (.ppt)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 2 Teacher's Notes (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 2 Teacher's Notes (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 2 Wordle Food Security (.ppt)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 2 South America Map (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 2 Africa Map (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 2 Asia Map (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 2 Undernourishment (.xls)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 2 Why Are People Hungry? (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 2 Why Are People Hungry? (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 3 Teacher Task Sheet (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 3 Teacher Task Sheet (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 3 British Empire (.ppt)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 3 KGB Who Is Interested? (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 3 KGB Who Is Interested? (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 3 Kenya Fruit and Veg Data (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 3 Kenya Fruit and Veg Data (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 3 Imported from Africa- Additional Information (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 3 Imported from Africa- Additional Information (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 4 Teacher's Notes (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 4 Teacher's Notes (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 4 Organic or Not? (.ppt)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 4 Is Organic Food Better? (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 4 Is Organic Food Better? (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 4 Who Is Your Farmer? (.mp3)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 5 Teacher's Notes (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 5 Teacher's Notes (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 5 Fish Farms or Commercial Fishing? (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 5 Fish Farms or Commercial Fishing? (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 5 Types of Fish (.ppt)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 6 Teacher's Notes (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 6 Teacher's Notes (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 6 Soybean Bus (.ppt)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 6 Lumbered Cartoon (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 6 Lumbered Cartoon (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 6 Biofuels Statement (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 6 Biofuels Statement (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 7 Teacher's Notes (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 7 Teacher's Notes (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 7 Prices (.xls)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 7 Impact of Changes (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 7 Impact of Changes (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 7 Causes of Changes (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 7 Changes of Changes (.pdf)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 7 How Much Can I Save? (.doc)
  • You Are What You Eat Lesson 7 How Much Can I Save? (.pdf)
  • Download all

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