Senior 4: World Geography – A Human Perspective
Hungry for Food Security- The East African Experience
LESSON ONE – TEACHING NOTES
Description:
Introductory workshop presentation using PowerPoint or overhead transparencies
Presentation introduces students to issue of food insecurity in the world, drawing on
specific examples from East Africa and covers: state of food insecurity, causes, health
and development implications, the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach and concrete
interventions.
Planning Notes:
Acquire a copy of the PowerPoint workshop which is available at
www.toolsforlearning.ca (alternatively, print out slides onto overhead transparencies)
Review Teaching notes
Book necessary audio/visual equipment.
Prior Learning Required:
Basic understanding of nutrients needed to live healthy and productive lifestyle and of the
factors affecting access to adequate, safe and nutritious food.
Teaching/Learning Strategies:
1. Using the PPT provided, provide an overview of food insecurity, including case and
effect as well as grassroots solutions – encouraging students to think about the variety
of factors which affect food security at the household and community level in the
developing world
2. Using PPT, nurture ability to think about the connection between issues through
introducing the sustainable livelihoods approach as a best practice in addressing food
insecurity – examining all of factors at the household level which must be addressed
in order to effectively eliminate food insecurity
6. Introduce homework assignment provided in HANDOUTS document which provides
country list, profile template and recommended research sites to prepare for case
studies - Students research key indicators of assigned country in order to brainstorm
the causes of food insecurity
7. Assign half the class to research key indicators for Ethiopia and half to research key
indicators for Malawi – in preparation for group work in lesson two.
NOTE: If students would like to review the information contained in the workshop
presentation, they can download Beyond Hunger a publication of CPAR which provides
an overview food security issues and sustainable livelihoods approach. Download at:
http://www.cpar.ca/whoweare/annual_report/Global_Perspectives_2005.pdf
Senior 4: World Geography – A Human Perspective
Hungry for Food Security- The East African Experience
LESSON ONE – TEACHING NOTES
Slide 1
y
Hungr rity
Secu
d
o
o
F
for
Slide 2
What is Food Security?
…food security entails access, by all people,
at all times, to the safe and nutritious food
that they need to lead healthy lives…
ACCESS
ALL TIMES
ALL PEOPLE
Slide 3
Slide 4
Source: United Nations
(this is the definition most commonly
used when discussing food security from
a global perspective)
SAFE &
NUTRITIOUS
Categorizing Food Insecurity
ACCUTE
CHRONIC
OCCASIONAL
Severe hunger
& malnutrition
to the point
that lives are
threatened
immediately
(as in cases of
famine)
Ability to meet
food needs is
consistently
under threat
(due to either an
inability to
produce enough
food or
purchase
enough food on
a regular basis)
When food
insecurity occurs
due to a specific
temporary
circumstancewhen one would
otherwise be
food secure
Hunger In Our World
•854 million people in are undernourished
•In Sub-Saharan Africa there are over 206
million people who are food insecure
•Every year the number of food insecure
people is INCREASING (with notable
exceptions such as China and India) – but
the percentage is decreasing which can be
misleading
•In Sub-Saharan Africa the number of
undernourished grows by 1 million a year
Source: FAO
This can be described as the “full
spectrum of food insecurity” – with
extreme (famine) on the one side and
occasional etc on the other (occasional
and seasonal can often go unnoticed – but
can have a severe toll on health and
development as well)
This data is from the 2006 SOFI Report
from the Food and Agriculture
Organization. – the report is available
online and is one of the suggested
sources for the homework assignment.
Senior 4: World Geography – A Human Perspective
Hungry for Food Security- The East African Experience
LESSON ONE – TEACHING NOTES
Slide 5
0
10
20
30
40
Co
un
trie
s
in
La
tin
Su
A
m
ber
S
ica
A ah
N
T r or /Ca sia ara
a n th
/P
n
r
i
b
A
A
a
si
t io fric b ea cific fr ic
a
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a
Proportion Undernourished By Region
Slide 6
% (2004 figures)
Implications for Health
& Development
•Hunger & malnutrition are the leading cause
of death in the developing world
•Half of all childhood deaths due to illness
can be attributed to being underweight
•Direct Costs: Caring for the sick, food
interventions etc.
•Indirect Costs: Toll of disease and general
ill-health on productive capabilitieseconomic decline
Slide 7
Food insecurity is a vicious cycle
Food Insecurity – Poor Health – Loss of
Productivity – Decline in Ability to Grow
or Purchase Food
Causes of Food Insecurity In Africa
1. Food Availability
Is there enough food?
2. Food Access
Who has it? Where is it?
Who can afford it?
3. Food Use
Does it meet needs?
Is it useable?
• Factors affecting
agricultural production
(including natural
environmental occurrences
and human caused factors)
• Factors affecting trade
(import of food or export of
food for income)
• Cultural practices
affecting control of food
• Issues about what kind of
food is available? Does it
meet nutritional needs?
Slide 8
Human actions are playing more and
more of a role in causing severe food
crises – often times exacerbating existing
food challeges
Senior 4: World Geography – A Human Perspective
Hungry for Food Security- The East African Experience
LESSON ONE – TEACHING NOTES
Slide 9
Natural Causes
Naturally occurring environmental factors
leading to a decline in food production
Even
“natural” factors are exacerbated by
Drought
human actions….
… a protracted period of deficient
precipitation resulting in extensive
Drought on its own does not result in acute
damage to crops and loss of yield…
food insecurity or famine.
How frequently do
droughts occur?
How long does the
drought last?
Was the drought
expected?
Slide
10
Human Economics
Can an economy/community/household
withstand shocks to food production?
• Are there food stores?
• Can food be purchased using saved income?
Malawian Example:
• Malawi prone to seasonal droughts
• Government sells off grain stores in order to
meet other financial obligations (debt etc.)
• Seasonal drought becomes famine
• NGO’s like CPAR have to intervene with food aid
Slide
11
Slide
12
Human Wars
Wars cause/exacerbate food insecurity by:
• Causing damage to land and disrupting trade systems
• Displacing people from their land (IDPs & Refugees)
• Diverting $ for military expenditures
Ugandan Example:
• 19 year civil war
• Rebels staging raids on villages & laying mines
• 1.4 million forced to relocate to IDP camps
• Malnutrition rates in IDP camps 20% and 40% for
children under 5 vs. 15% national average
IDP = Internally Displaced Persons
Senior 4: World Geography – A Human Perspective
Hungry for Food Security- The East African Experience
LESSON ONE – TEACHING NOTES
Slide
13
Slide
14
Environmental Degradation
Damage to the natural environment
through deforestation, over-cultivation,
overgrazing etc. causes:
• Soil Erosion
• Decline in soil fertility
• Depletion of water tables
• Decline in rainfall
• Destruction of alternative sources of
food and income
Slide
15
Slide
16
HIV/AIDS
25 million Africans have HIV/AIDS.
2 million die every year.
13 million children have been orphaned.
AIDS is devastating to household food security:
• Agricultural workers sick and dying = ↓ production
• Excess income diverted to care for sick and pay for
funeral expenses = ↓ household ability to purchase food
• Widows and orphans with no land tenure rights are left
particularly vulnerable
• As are guardian households with more mouths to feed
• Lack of nutrients can shorten incubation period of HIV
and causes AIDS to progress more quickly
Senior 4: World Geography – A Human Perspective
Hungry for Food Security- The East African Experience
LESSON ONE – TEACHING NOTES
Slide
17
Slide
18
Solutions?
Sustainable Livelihoods Approach:
Examining the variety of factors that affect
ability to meet food needs including:
• Ability to produce food
• Ability to purchase foods
• Ability to withstand shocks
to food supply
• Cultural factors influencing
access within household
Slide
19
• Sustainable intensification of
agriculture (drought resistant
crops, irrigation, tree planting
etc)
• Diversifying food production
(at agricultural and household
level)
• Income generation
(diversifying income sources)
• Challenging inequality
• Coping with broader issues
(peacebuilding, HIV/AIDS
interventions etc)
Solutions on the ground…
Tree planting can help revitalize
agricultural land by increasing soil
fertility, encouraging rainfall and
preventing soil erosion…
Trees can also provide fuel for cooking
and be an important source of nutritious
food…
Slide
20
These examples are all drawn from
CPAR’s work in East Africa.
Senior 4: World Geography – A Human Perspective
Hungry for Food Security- The East African Experience
LESSON ONE – TEACHING NOTES
Slide
21
Slide
22
Solutions on the ground…
Improved agricultural practices
which are environmentally and
socially appropriate can help to
improve crop yields…
Slide
23
Slide
24
Solutions on the ground…
Backyard farming is a great way to
diversify household food supply and
is ideal for vulnerable households
who have limited access to land and
other resources…
Senior 4: World Geography – A Human Perspective
Hungry for Food Security- The East African Experience
LESSON ONE – TEACHING NOTES
Slide
25
Slide
26
Solutions on the ground…
Through skills training and small
scale loans, individuals can diversify
their income and protect their
households from shocks to food
supply…
Slide
27
Slide
28
These approaches really
do work!
Meet some of the people
who have become more
food secure…
Senior 4: World Geography – A Human Perspective
Hungry for Food Security- The East African Experience
LESSON ONE – TEACHING NOTES
Slide
29
Slide
30
Slide
31
Slide
32
These stories from participants in CPAR
projects. Their stories were obtained by
CPAR field staff during project visits and
have been shortened and translated into
English by CPAR staff.
Senior 4: World Geography – A Human Perspective
Hungry for Food Security- The East African Experience
LESSON ONE – TEACHING NOTES
Slide
33
A food secure world, free from
hunger, really is possible!