practicalaction.org/europafrica
DCI-NSAED/2010/240-529
Food Connections
Learning aims:
 To understand how food and farming are
connected across continents.
 To understand that there are positive and
negative impacts on stakeholders involved
in farming, caused by the foods we choose
in Europe.
Where does our food come
from?
 Look at a map of Africa and guess which countries
each of these foods have come from:
Where does our food come
from?
They were grown and exported from:
Egypt
Uganda
Kenya
South Africa
How much food do we import
from Africa?
UK imports of African fresh produce have grown rapidly over
the last 15 years. We currently import 95% of our fruit and
50% of our vegetables.
From Kenya alone, approximately 350 tonnes of fruit,
vegetables, and flowers are exported daily to UK
supermarkets.
Six African countries account for 95% of fruit and vegetable
imports from Africa:
Impacts for farmers
Student Activity
 Look at your dominoes and make a list of the
stakeholders involved in bean farming in the UK or
Africa.
 Using the activity sheet think about the positive and
negative impacts on people and the environment
throughout your domino food story.
Why are we importing foods
from Africa?
We have imported food to the UK for centuries, but a
number of factors have led to an increase.
Subsidies for British farmers have reduced, and the
buying power of the bigger food retailers has increased.
Low wages and cheaper land in the developing world
means it’s often cheaper to buy imported food.
But what’s the impact of our food choices for farmers in
Africa and Europe?
Impacts on people and the
environment
What are the similarities and differences between the
effects on people and the environment between the
Africa and UK supply chain?
Is Africa’s land up for grabs?
A recent study estimated that nearly 2.5 million
hectares of African farmland had been sold to
European companies since 2004 in just five countries:
Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali and Sudan.
Plenary
 Do you think its right that we use African
land to grow crops for export to Europe?
 What are the alternatives to growing food in
Africa for exports to Europe?
Action
Why not do some of your own research into
who’s ‘grabbing land’ in Africa?
Research into food groups in your area who
are campaigning to ‘eat locally produced
foods.’
DCI-NSAED/2010/240-529