Activity One - Discuss

In the previous lesson we explored the idea of being malnourished we are now going to investigate what it means to be food insecure.

• • 1. Define the words in the key terminology box.

    2. Using the graph in the 'Useful Resources' box describe the trend of the chronically hungry. Don't forget to use data in your answer. 

    3. Watch the first YouTube clip and write down the causes of hunger. 

    4. In which countries in the world do people suffer from food insecurity/hunger the most?  Watch the second YouTube clip to help you answer this question. 

    5. Using the FAO article, where are people suffering from hunger in 2020?

    6. Using the infographic 'Hunger Pandemic', outline why a lack of food is now being classed as a pandemic.  The FAO article can also help you answer this question (healthy diets are out of reach...).

    7. In the 'To read' section, read the first article and outline the two general types of food insecurity. 

Useful Resources

Activity Two - Food Aid

We are now going to explore how food aid can lift people out of the clutches of death. It is not a simple decision to give food aid though as some areas can become dependent on it. Answer the following questions using the YouTube clip and the articles in the 'Useful Resources' box.

• • 1. What is food aid? 

    2. Using a pencil and a ruler, copy and complete the table below outlining the advantages and disadvantages of food aid. You will need to watch the YouTube clip and read the second article on 'Food Aid - Global Issues' to do this. (The YouTube clip is 13 minutes and 31 seconds long and outlines how good intentions can lead to disaster - 'friendly fire'.)

Useful Resources

Activity Three - Watch and Note Taking

We can deny that chronic hunger and famine exists but we often forget is that food insecurity can be felt in every country. People who live in high income countries such as Switzerland, USA, UK, etc also suffer from food insecurity. Food insecurity is when someone does not have either access to a variety of nutritious food sources, can not afford it (not accessible) or the food chain is not sustainable.  While we often suggest that everyone who falls below the relative poverty line may be food insecure it impacts some groups of people more than others. In the UK children are often the most at risk group of people and mothers in single parent families tend to put their children's needs before their own. See the quotes from the UK, USA and Switzerland concerning food insecurity.

 We are lucky to have various support networks to allow us to survive in times of trouble but this is not always the case. 

• • 1. Watch the YouTube clip and write down who is impacted by food insecurity.

    2. How has the video impacted your views concerning people who suffer from food insecurity?

Useful Resources

Activity Four - Poverty and Hunger - Europe - Food Banks

As we have already discussed poverty is something that happens in all countries and continents of the world. It is clearly difficult to measure on a global scale as the cost of living in each region is different. You spend 14CHF on a lunch in the cafeteria but this could feed and house you for a day and night in Morocco, Myanmar, or even Turkey.  Therefore now we have looked at the concept of food insecurity and what food aid is we are going to focus this now on Europe. You are going to discover who is at risk of poverty in the EU and how food banks are trying to assist the most deprived. 

1. Using the Euro Food Bank link in the 'Useful Resources' box and state how many people are at risk of poverty in Europe in 2018.

2. Describe what the fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived aims to do.

3. Created a detailed example for the European Food Bank. See below for an outline of what is expected from a detailed example.

• Mark off half a page in your notes with a coloured line (remember to use a ruler).

• Write a heading 'Food Banks in the EU'.

• Create bullet-pointed notes on the following using the information in the 'European Food Bank Implementation Report' in the 'Useful Resources' box below.

  • • • When was the European Food Bank (EFB) established?

      • What does the EFB aim to do?

      • How can the European Member States use the funding?

      • How much food is coming into the banks and from where?

      • How many people are benefiting from the food banks?

      • What challenges do the food banks face?

      • How has COVID-19 impacted the running and use of the food banks?

Useful Resources

Euro Food Bank 

European Food Bank Implementation Report 

Activity Five - Food Banks in Practice

Food banks have become a vital life line for people to access food. There is often a common misconception that anyone can go to a food bank and as many times as they like. This is not true. They are often very regulated places. People often have to be referred to them by a health practioner, someone at the job centre or another form of social welfare service. Once you have been referred then you would get approximately three days worth of emergency food. It is a life line but not a long term solution. As food banks are charities and operate outside of the normal government safety net they rely on donations from the public. While many supermarkets have charity food bins to collect food there are other ways to promote the giving of food. In the UK that is often done through social media and importantly through music. 

1. Watch the first YouTube clip and outline how the Trussell Trust and food banks work.

2. Watch the second YouTube clip and write down how the video is encouraging people to give to the Trussell Trust. 

Useful Resources

Activity Six - Food Alternatives

We have now going to explore other methods to help reduce food insecurity as giving out free food does not work long term. Other solutions that consider the nexus are more likely to succeed long term. To highlight the different strategies to address food aid you are going to create an informative poster.  The poster will be create by hand. It will need to be eye catching, colourful and informative. Statistics often encourage people to make a change. 

Useful Resources