Global Food Insecurity

1. Global Food Insecurity Effects on Children

2. What the World EatsPhoto Essay • View the photo essay “What the World Eats” http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519_1373664,00.html • As you go through the pictures jot down some observations, such as; • Family size and economic status • Amount of food that appears store bought, homemade or locally produced • Nutritional quality and diversity of food • Costs of food in Developed vs Developing countries • What does food reveal about standard of living, socio-economic status and cultural traditions

3. A New Way to Measure • With 100 million people on the brink of abject poverty, the cost of food will not be measured in the price of wheat and rice, but in the rising number of infant and child deaths across Africa. —Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary-General

4. Child Statistics • 150 million children are chronically malnourished • 11 million children under the age of five die a year in developing countries • Half of those deaths are related to malnutrition • 1 in 4 children in the developing world are underweight • 1 in 3 have stunted growth

5. Rights of the Child • Right to Health -access to nutritious food, health services and other needs for healthy development • Right to Education –access to free education so they can develop as a whole person • Right to Protection –from abuse, neglect, child labour and all types of exploitation • How does food insecurity jeopardize these rights? • Even temporarily depriving children of the nutrients they need to grow and thrive can leave permanent scars in terms of stunting their physical growth and intellectual potential. —Andrew Thorne-Lyman, WFP nutritionist

6. Impacts on the Child • Health • Malnutrition leads to: • Stunted growth and development • Lower resistance to illnesses • Lack of energy • Child’s health also suffers when her family cannot afford access to medical care or life-saving medicines • Education • Trouble concentrating in school because of lethargy and poor attention spans • Children may be forced to drop out of school in order to work for food money • Girls expected to sacrifice their education to earn an income, or to take over family responsibilities while parents work

7. Impacts on the Child • Protection • Forced to work in hazardous or dangerous jobs to earn extra money • Girls may be subject to sexual abuse, sex trade or to become child brides • Countries in conflict, children may be recruited to war as child soldiers • May be forced to beg on the streets making them vulnerable to exploitation or abuse • If we can conquer space, we can conquer childhood hunger. —Buzz Aldrin, former US astronaut

8. Proven Solutions • Helping to conquer Food Insecurity in Malawi • Attempting to reduce deficiencies of vitamin A and iron in local diet • Iron and essential vitamins are mixed into local maize mill • Targeting anemic women and children • Providing women with chickens and rabbits • Each women must give away the first born animal to another family

9. Textbook QuestionsNew Text (pages 151-160) Old Text (pages 154-164) • Define the Green Revolution, and explain successes and concerns it has encountered. • What are three positives to using “high yield varieties of grain crops? • Outline each of the following food production issues for the future: • Loss of Genetic Diversity • Corporate Farming • Land Reform • Agricultural Subsidies • Role of Women in Agriculture