Published June 22, 2011
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Food Insecurity is a complex and rising problem. It takes many forms, from food scarcity to lack of nutritious food. It plagues people around the globe, spanning continents and crossing borders. The same factors that cause food insecurity: the environment, economics and politics, are also the keys to solving the crisis. Since 2009, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting has reported on the many different aspects of food insecurity, from Guatemala to India and Vietnam to Kenya. These reports are collected in our special Global Gateway, Food Insecurity.
In this lesson plan students will:
Specific Subject Area Connections Science
Student Preparation and Background Information
Have students think about and discuss the concept of food insecurity in small groups and then record their definition of food insecurity. Once students have brainstormed the concepts of food insecurity, have them review, or introduce the background information below.
The World Health Organization:
Have students visit the WHO’s website links provided below, to learn about how the WHO defines food security:
National Public Radio:
Have students listen to NPR’s radio broadcast, “Volatile Food Prices Grab G-20’s Full Attention,” By Eleanor Beardsley, KQED News, June 21, 2011, or read the accompanying article, that discusses the implications of volatile food prices worldwide.
Pulitzer Center Videos:
“Nigeria Families Left Hungry”
PBS Newshour, April 15, 2009, By Fred De Sam Lazaro
“India’s Growing Problem, Food Production”
PBS News Hour, September 14, 2009, By Fred De Sam Lazaro
“Guatemala’s Children Languish from Malnutrition”
World Focus, October 8, 2009, By Samuel Lowenberg
Post-Videos Discussion: After your students have watched the videos, have them look back at their definitions of food insecurity. Have them discuss how accurate their definitions were, how close their conceptions of food insecurity were to the examples of food insecurity they saw in the videos?
Discuss with your students the main factors portrayed in the videos that contributed to food insecurity. Was it lack of government support, environmental degradation, lack of resources (water, seeds, fertilizer, ect), or poverty? Is it a combination of these factors? Which factors have the biggest impact?
1. Explore Food Insecurity in the United States
Ask your students if they think that the United States has problems with food insecurity.
2. RAFT Writing Activity
Role of government in food security
Food insecure families
Environmental degradation caused by agricultural practices
3. Host an Awareness Event:
After watching these videos, and learning more about food insecurity in highlighted countries, your students may be interested in created an awareness campaign at school or within their home communities to publicize one of the issues covered through the Pulitzer Center reporting. This could be done through posters, a short video, or a “public service announcement” on the school’s morning news program or over the PA system.
4. Contact the Journalists:
If your students are interested in learning more about a topic explored in one of the videos in this lesson, the Pulitzer Center offers the opportunity for students to connect directly with journalists via email, Skype, or in-school visits. Go to journalist visits for more information.