APHUG 5.4

Food Systems

  • Unit 5 Day 4

Objectives

  • Students will be able to:

    • Explain the interdependence among regions of agricultural production and consumption.

    • Explain how agricultural practices have environmental and societal consequences.

    • AP: 5.9, 5.10

Vocabulary

  • Global Supply Chain

  • Commodities

  • Export

  • Global Food Distribution Network

  • Infrastructure

  • World Trade

  • Pollution

  • Land Cover Change

  • Desertification

  • Soil Salination

  • Conservation

  • Slash and Burn Farming

  • Terraced Farming

  • Irrigation

  • Deforestation

  • Wetlands

  • Shifting Cultivation

  • Pastoral Nomadism

A Brief History of Sugar

  • Arabs became major cultivators.

  • Italy controlled the European sugar trade; major contributor to financial success in the Renaissance.

  • Ottoman Empire cut off sugar trade, prompting Italy and Portugal to seek other sources.

Portugal, Sugar and Slavery

  • Key Locations: Madeira and Sao Tome were colonized by Portugal for sugar production.

  • Established ports on the West African coast aiming for India; colonized Goa in India.

  • Ports emerged as significant centers for slave trade.

  • Enslaved people predominantly went to Brazil and the Caribbean for sugar plantation work.

The Not So Sweet Life of Sugar

  • Quote reflecting on the negative consequences of sugar cultivation:

    • "I do not know if coffee and sugar are necessary to the happiness of Europe, but I know well that these two vegetables are a source of misery to the inhabitants of two continents." ~ Bernardin De Saint Pierre 1773

Commodity Definitions

  • Commodity: Tangible goods bought and sold, or exchanged for similar value products.

  • Properties:

    • Produced/sold by various companies.

    • Fungibility: Uniform quality among producers.

    • Examples include: Coal, Gold, Corn, Sugar.

Single Commodity Countries

  • Overview: Many less developed countries rely on a single commodity for over 60% of exports.

    • Examples:

      • Dominican Republic—bananas

      • Rwanda—coffee

      • Uganda—coffee

      • Algeria—crude oil and petroleum products

Imports and Exports: Patterns of World Trade

  • Imports:

    • Goods/services value received globally; corrected for inflation.

  • Exports:

    • Goods/services value provided globally; also adjusted for inflation.

Infrastructure’s Impact on Global Food Distribution

  • Key Straits and Canals affecting global trade:

    • Panama, Dover, Suez, Hormuz, Gibraltar, Malacca.

  • Significant percentages of global imports are routed through these infrastructures.

Political Relationships Affecting Global Food Distribution

  • Current events affecting distribution:

    • Sanctions on Russia impacting trade routes.

    • Ukraine’s war affects global food due to its significant wheat, corn, and barley production.

Historical Examples of Political Impact

  • Irish Potato Famine (1845-1852).

  • Ukrainian Famine/Genocide (1932-1933).

  • Ethiopian Famine (1983-1985).

  • Yemen Civil War (2014-Present).

Consequences of Agricultural Practices

  • Practices outlined:

    • Slash and Burn Farming:

      • Method of clearing land by cutting and burning vegetation.

    • Shifting Cultivation:

      • Cultivating land for 1-3 years before rotating to allow recovery.

    • Terraced Farming:

      • Carving flat steps on hillsides for better water retention.

    • Irrigation:

      • Techniques to deliver water to crops.

    • Pastoral Nomadism:

      • Subsistence agriculture focused on herding animals.

Societal Impacts

  • Women in Agriculture:

    • Data on female agricultural landholders and workforce participation globally, highlighting disparities.

Economic Changes in Commodity Dependent Countries

  • List of countries dependent on key commodity exports, with a focus on small island nations and others.

Environmental Impacts of Food and Agriculture

  • Notable statistics:

    • 26% of greenhouse gas emissions from food.

    • 50% of habitable land used for agriculture.

    • 70% of freshwater used for agriculture.

    • Pollution sources and biodiversity concerns tied to livestock agriculture.

Agricultural Resource Consumption

  • Water Consumption: List of foods ranked by water use per kilogram.

  • Land Use: Foods ranked by land area per kilogram produced.

Global Land Use for Food Production

  • Overview of how Earth's land is allocated to food production versus other uses (forests, shrub, urban).

Agriculture's Impact on Desertification and Deforestation

  • Key risks identified across different regions, emphasizing vulnerability of certain areas.

Exit Ticket

  • Reflect on conservation efforts in agriculture to mitigate negative impacts.