Subject guide
An overview of global patterns and trends in the availability and consumption of land/food, including changing diets in middle-income countries.
An overview of global patterns and trends in the availability and consumption of land/food, including changing diets in middle-income countries.
| food_consumption.pptx |
what the world eats
|
|
Global food production
To feed the growing population more food will have to be produced, either by using more land or through more intensive farming techniques. The problem is that as population numbers increase, the amount of space per capita is decreased and our cities and towns expand, often into prime agricultural land. That leaves the need for the intensification of farming which in many areas of the world leads to land degradation.
Global food consumption
|
Geographic implications of the NGMC's nutrient transition
Key word: Nutrient transition A change in diet from staple carbohydrates towards meat, fish and proteins and dairy products. This typically happens when incomes rise from US$2 a day to US$10 a day. •Based on the articles and TED Talk the textbook page, in what ways are the diets of the rising middle class changing? •What is meant by "Food homogenisation"? Give evidence that it is occuringin the NGMC. •Explain the impact of the changing diets of the rising middle class. •How do the articles suggest that climate change is likely to compound these issues? | ||
Case studies: China and Brazil
Now form a pair. One of the pair should use the links and video below to investigate changing diet in Brazil and the other should focus on China. Prepare a mini case study for your country and then share it with your partner. It should include:
- Evidence of changing dietary trends and the nature of the change
- Causes of the changes - economic, demographic, social
- Consequences of the changes - economic, environmental, health, social
Key Extract from the New York Times Brazil article - Lots of synthesis in these few sentences that link together large parts of this IB DP course.
The story is as much about economics as it is nutrition. As multinational companies push deeper into the developing world, they are transforming local agriculture, spurring farmers to abandon subsistence crops in favor of cash commodities like sugar cane, corn and soybeans — the building blocks for many industrial food products.
In places as distant as China, South Africa and Colombia, the rising clout of big food companies also translates into political influence, targettingpublic health officials seeking soda taxes or legislation aimed at curbing the health impacts of processed food.
The same trends are mirrored with fast food, which grew 30 percent worldwide from 2011 to 2016, compared with 21 percent in the United States, according to Euromonitor. Take, for example, Domino’s Pizza, which in 2016 added 1,281 stores — one “every seven hours,” noted its annual report — all but 171 of them overseas.
The story is as much about economics as it is nutrition. As multinational companies push deeper into the developing world, they are transforming local agriculture, spurring farmers to abandon subsistence crops in favor of cash commodities like sugar cane, corn and soybeans — the building blocks for many industrial food products.
In places as distant as China, South Africa and Colombia, the rising clout of big food companies also translates into political influence, targettingpublic health officials seeking soda taxes or legislation aimed at curbing the health impacts of processed food.
The same trends are mirrored with fast food, which grew 30 percent worldwide from 2011 to 2016, compared with 21 percent in the United States, according to Euromonitor. Take, for example, Domino’s Pizza, which in 2016 added 1,281 stores — one “every seven hours,” noted its annual report — all but 171 of them overseas.