Chapter 5: Uneven Development and Global Inequalities

what is development

the process by which economic prosperity (and quality of life?) changes; improvement in material conditions of life such as food, housing, income, technology

what is development usually seen as

the size and strength of an economy

• jobs, growth of industry, capitalist and developmentalist

development is less about ___ and more about ___. give examples

the size of an economy (wealth), what is done with the economic wealth to improve living conditions

• food and nutrition, access to education, access to healthcare, equality of opportunity

GDP

gross domestic product: market value all goods and services produced in a country in a year

GNP

gross national product: market value all goods and services produced in a country + produced by individuals/corporations elsewhere in a year

GNI

gross national income: market value goods and services produced in a country + income from overseas investments over a year

ethnocentric

thinking your own culture is better than another culture

ethnocentrism

to apply one’s own culture as a frame of reference in order to judge other cultures, practices, behaviours, beliefs, and people, instead of using the standards of the particular culture

what is developmentalism

growth through stages of development

what are the five stages of

1. traditional society: subsistence agriculture and domestic product

2. preconditions for take off: colonialism, transnational corporations; export based economies

3. take off to sustained growth: exploitation of major resources; rapid political change

4. drive to maturity: diverse industrial economy and increased trade

5. age of high mass consumption: as evident in today’s more developed regions

what is purchasing power parity PPP

a tool that measures the relative cost of a common market basket of goods and services for comparing the cost of living between countries

what is human development index HDI

focuses on the ability of a country to satisfy basic human needs (united nations development programme)

what components does the HDI compare between countries

• life expectancy (health)

• education (years of schooling)

• income (GNI per capita)

what does the united nations define famine as

• 20% or more of the pop get less than 2100 calories daily and/or

• acute malnutrition in more than 30% of children in a pop and/or

• 2 deaths/10,000 pop daily and/or

• 4 deaths of children/10,000 pop daily

deaths are due to starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease

when was the last declared famine

in 2017 in south sudan

how is food security defined

food security exists when all people at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life

what is the most severe phase of food insecurity

famine

how many people globally are experiencing severe food insecurity they are on the brink of famine

45 million people

what is undernutrition

lack of food of quantity

• best known as hunger situations as attract international media

• cannot sustain normal, healthy life - stunting

what is malnutrition

lack of food quality

• nutrient deficiency disease and chronic conditions

• through too little, too much or wrong balances of foods

is world hunger declining or rising

after decades of decline, world hunger has been slowly on the rise since 2015

why is world hunger on the rise

• world market changes: grain price increases, bad harvests, input price increases, economic contraction after 2008-2009 global economic crisis, pandemic and supply chain issues, war and unrest, especially in key agricultural areas like ukraine

• around 2 billion people do not have access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food - around 8% of north america and european populations

what are the classic explanations of food shortages

• overpopulation 

• inadequate distribution of supples

• localized physical or human circumstances (climate change, drought, war)

what are the political and economic explanations of food shortages

economic pressure for profits, favouring:

• export production over local food production

• large (multinational) farms and corporations historically favoured over small farmers and local firms, though this is slowly changing - ex: norfund in africa

how does the role of bad government affect food shortages

• lack of rights and ability to challenge government

• underinvestment in rural areas

• political instability, leading to violence

• disease, affecting productive capacity

• high population growth

how does providing food aid affect food shortages

• it can alleviate a specific food shortage/avert humanitarian crisis but does not address the root causes

• can aggravate existing social inequalities - can undermine local food production (black markets) and can become embroiled in complex political relations; vulnerable to corruption

how has the un sustainable development goals improved food security

• the proportion of undernourished people in poorest developing countries was reduced almost by half

• now key focus on the unsdg - 17 goals - #2 zero hunger: end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

in 2022, how many people had insufficient food

780 million, 9.2% of the population

what increases food insecurity

pandemics, wars, and climate change

what is agroecology

at plot, farm and landscape scales, can help increase farmers’ incomes, improve food security and nutrition, use water more efficiently and enhance nutrient recycling, conserve biodiversity

what else do agrifood systems need to include

urban areas with opportunities to ensure everyone has access to affordable healthy diets

what two key strategies are needed to ensure long-term food security

• increase the resilience of food systems

• promote sustainable land management