Food
and Our Earth
Subject Area
This activity
was designed to complement Unit 7, the Food Market (core unit)
of the Food and Nutrition Science (NZD 3G1) curriculum. This material
has been designed to explore objective A on page 74
of the Food and Nutrition Sciences Curriculum Guideline for the
Senior Division, August 1988.
Learning
Outcomes
Teaching,
learning and evaluation will focus on the students ability
to:
- Recognize
and describe the limitations of the Earths capacity to
provide food for its human population;
- Identify
the variables that influence the worlds capacity to provide
for humanity;
- Formulate
strategies to make the best possible use of the Earths
resources.
Classroom
Development
- Students
working in small groups will complete the Apple Exercise
to demonstrate the capacity of this planet to provide food.
- In the
same groups, have students brainstorm a list of factors that
influence the worlds food supply. List ideas on the worksheet
and share them with the class.
- Have
the class as a whole discuss strategies for making the best
use of the Earths food production capability and food
supply. List strategies on the attached worksheet.
Timing
One 75
min period should be necessary for students to complete this activity.
Additional time would be required for extension activities.
Resources
Direction
sheet for teacher to lead class in the apple exercise.
The
Canadian Green Consumer Guide. Pages 3033.
The Canadian Junior Green Consumer. Pages 5961.
Design for a Livable Planet. Pages 210211.
The Green Consumer. Pages 8587.
The Green Lifestyle Handbook. Pages 111117.
Green Future (Canadian statistics given). Pages 89105.
Lappe, Frances Moore and Joseph Collins. World Hunger: Twelve
Myths. Materials from the Institute for Food and Development Policy.
New York: Grove Press, 1986.
Extension
Activity
Students
could investigate creating balcony containers or small gardens.
A garden could be started at school as a class project. With the
permission of the School and board, students may wish to produce
food for the school.
Cross-disciplinary
Links
History,grade
9, 10dust bowl.
GeographyHuman Geography, grade 11, generalUnit I,
Section C.
Apple
Exercise
Organization
Students
work in small groups.
Materials
Each student
group will need:
- a cutting
board
- a knife
- an apple
Directions
Guide students
through the following steps:
- Place
the apple stem side up on the cutting board. Explain that this
apple represents the whole planet earth.
- Place
the apple stem side up on the cutting board and cut it into
four equal piecesquarters.
- Set aside
three of the quarters (They represent the part of the planet
covered by oceans.).
- Place
one of the quarters on the cutting board. It represents the
dry land of this planet.
- Cut the
quarter into two equal pieces lengthwise to create two eighth
pieces.
- Set aside
one of the eighths. This represents the land too cold, too high
or too hot for humans to live.
- Place
the remaining eighth on the cutting board. This piece represents
the land suitable for people to live.
- Very
carefully slice the eighth lengthwise into four equal piecesfour
thirty-seconds.
- Set aside
three of the thirty-second pieces. They represent the land too
wet, steep or cold for food crops.
- The remaining
thirty-second piece represents the land suitable for food production.
- Carefully
peel the skin from the last thirty-second piece. This represents
the thin layer of topsoil that can support life.
- Students
divide the pieces equally, eat the whole earth and complete
the student worksheet.
This activity is adapted from Green Teacher.
Complete
the following table:
Factors that Decrease the Earth's Capacity
to Provide Food |
Strategies to Make the Best Use of the
Earth's Food Resources |
|
|
Answers:
Factors that Decrease
the Earth's Capacity to Provide Food
|
Strategies to Make
the Best Use of the Earth's Food Resources
|
Erosion by wind and water |
Plough by contour, not in straight
lines; plant covering crops and ground cover to protect the
soil. |
Desertification (expansion of
deserts) |
Limit overgrazing by domestic
animals; plant covering crops and ground cover to reestablish
vegetation. |
Increase costs of fossil fuels,
pesticides, fertilizers and transportation |
Decrease the use of non-organic
fertilizers; concentrate agriculture close to population centres
to decrease transportation costs. |
Urbanization of agricultural
land |
Protect productive agricultural
land from urban development, so that food can be produced
close to population centres. |
Depletion of nutrients |
Avoid inorganic fertilizers;
rotate crops; plant soil enriching crops such as legumes. |
Soil contamination |
Implement strict laws protecting
the environment from the impact of landfill sites, nuclear
facilities, chemical industries... |
Natural disasters |
Store nonperishable foods like
grains for emergency supplies. |
Increase in world population |
Support the global rise in the
standard of living. The higher standard of living almost always
results in a lower birth rate. Allow people a choice in limiting
their fertility. |
|