First, let's understand the major issues with food & farming...
As the world population continues to increase (we're projected to have 9 billion people living on planet Earth in 2050, 2 billion more than in 2020!), how we feed all of those people raises some challenging questions. Even now, we have major disparities when it comes to food and nutrition. Some people and nations have ready access to abundant, healthy food, while others do not (the WHO says that as of July 2019, 820 million people on the planet are hungry and do not have enough to eat: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/15-07-2019-world-hunger-is-still-not-going-down-after-three-years-and-obesity-is-still-growing-un-report). In developed nations, there is disparity between wealthy individuals and communities and poor communities, with many people living on low incomes lacking access to anything but fast food and empty calories.
As agriculture practices shifted over the last 150-ish years from family farms to big corporate-owned operations with industrial scales and practices, our relationship to food has also changed. There are more people living in cities now than in rural areas on our planet, and many people are deeply disconnected to their food. Urban dwellers may have never visited a farm or met a farmer, and this makes it easier to buy and eat food without thinking about the consequences and ripple effects of our choices.
What are the problems that exist with industrial agriculture? The main ones, and the ones that will make it unsustainable to maintain feeding a growing population on the planet, are these:
* depletion of soil, soil erosion and desertification * water contamination and water loss (this is tied to soil erosion, as water cannot be absorbed by soil that has been denuded) * biodiversity loss & deforestation * widespread use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides (poisoning the land and organisms; this is also tied to biodiversity losses, as seen in the death of so many bees: https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/why-are-bees-vanishing-pesticides-disease-other-threats) * monoculture crops * fossil fuel use (both in the farming of large industrial plots of land and in transporting food outside of local food systems) * packaging and waste * climate change: almost all of these issues connect as causes to climate change and the agricultural industry is one of the biggest in terms of production of CO2 (the most harmful greenhouse gas): https://www.lifegate.com/people/news/agriculture-and-climate-change-causes-effects-impacts
In this unit, after checking out the websites above and below to understand why we need sustainable farming and food practices for the future, you will engage in core tasks. Each task is outlined below. Enjoy learning about this, and throughout the unit, think about your own food habits and how these connect to what you are learning.
Before moving on, explore the content from these websites and articles and then write a 3-5 page reflection (double-spaced) in response to this question: "To what degree are you concerned about industrial agriculture and what aspects of industrial agriculture most concern you in terms of planetary sustainability?"
Topic 1: The Implications of Eating Meat (this topic should take about 8-10 hours to complete)
After watching the video (above), please do some additional research about the environmental impacts of eating meat. Please look specifically for connections to climate change, as well as impacts related to land and water use/misuse. Beef is definitely the biggest offender here. Carefully read the two sources below (these will be included in your quiz at the end of this topic). The second source (Meat Atlas) is long but sooooo informative.
Okay, after reading those two sources, please complete the content quiz on Canvas before moving on.
Once that's done and you've received a passing grade (over 90 %), your job is to watch the movies Food Inc. and Cowspiracy.
After watching those films, you might feel differently about meat farming and meat consumption. Your final task to do some research into some innovative alternatives to eating meat as a protein source. Vegetarians and vegans know you can get enough protein from eating things like tofu, rice and beans, nuts and dark green vegetables (among other things). There are also some cool projects on the go where researchers are coming up with innovative alternatives to meat. Check out the few listed below and others if you like. Also check out Z-Rou, a new company here in Shanghai that is offering meat-free options: www.thatsmags.com/shanghai/post/30713/interview-franklin-yao-of-z-rou-meat-on-his-plant-based-pork-company
Then you're ready for your final task: write a 1000- to 1500-word article OR video or podcast in response to the following question: "How, and to what extent, must our approaches to eating meat change radically if we want to sustainably feed a growing human population on our planet?" Your article should be polished and ready to publish (workshop this with Mrs. Lav); your podcast or video should, likewise, be carefully edited and ready for publication on Citizen C and/or other digital platforms. In approaching your article or podcast/video, think about answering the question through a personal lens. What have you learned so far and why does this issue matter to you? Use personal examples, hook your reader/listener, use persuasive rhetorical devices and strategies to create an engaging piece (engage those AP Language & Composition skills).
Topic 2: Sustainable Alternatives for Food & Farming (this topic should take about 5 hours to complete)
In this topic, you'll get to explore some hopeful and sustainable approaches to farming and eating. If we change our paradigm for food production, allowing for practices that maintain soil health, environmental diversity and more, we have a chance to feed the human population and save our environment from destruction. First, you'll explore organic and regenerative agriculture, then hydroponics and urban farming. At the end of of the topic, you'll submit a written reflection on your visit to the Biofarm (a local organic farm out by the airport; we'll go there on a class trip).
Let's get started by learning about why organic farming methods are important and what regenerative farming can look like. Organic farming means avoiding the use of all chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and food additives for livestock. For the videos you're going to watch, please take notes as you watch and be prepared to have a discussion with me (Mrs. Lav) when you're done. These videos just introduce these concepts; please feel free to do some additional reading and research.
Interesting, right? Now, you live in an urban environment, and you might wonder how this connects with you. Can you grow food in the city? What types of urban gardening projects might we need to consider for a sustainable future, considering that so many humans now live in cities? Keep notes as you watch these videos and be ready to create an infographic about the merits and possibilities of urban gardening as a beneficial trend for the future. Have a conversation with Mrs. Lav. before you create your infographic so you can reflect on what you've learned so far.
I hope you were inspired by what you learned about hydroponics, vertical gardening, urban gardening, and the Sunqiao Urban Agricultural District project in Shanghai! Your final task for this topic is to watch a movie called "The Biggest Little Farm". You can rent this on iTunes or see Mrs. Lav. After watching that movie, your assignment is to do some research and find 10 sustainable food options in Shanghai. These can be restaurants, farms that deliver produce, etc. If you can, go and visit some of these places and check them out. Then you'll be able to give your personal recommendations!
To complete this topic, you should have done the following: 1) Taken notes on several videos and had a conversation with Mrs. Lav. 2) Talked to Mrs. Lav. about urban gardening and created an infographic. 3) Researched and submitted a report of your top 10 list for sustainable food options in Shanghai (these will be compiled into a resource bank for our community) 4) Written and submitted a reflection about your visit to the Biofarm and what you learned.
Topic 3: Sustainable Soil (this topic should take about 3 hours to complete)
You probably have gleaned from the sources so far that healthy soil is the key to healthy food and healthy ecosystems, so now you get to learn a bit more. The TedTalks below is an excellent overview of why soil health is key to sustainable farming for the future, and the John Liu example from the Loess Plateau here in China is inspiring.
For both videos, please take notes as you watch. For the TedTalks, please take specific notes about the five principles of Nature's Way of farming. To complete this topic, you will use your notes from the films to have a conversation with Mrs. Lav about what you've learned.
During this last part of Unit 3, you also need to keep a detailed food log for one week. You need to write down everything you eat and drink for an entire week, and then analyze the food log in terms of how much meat you're consuming, how much local/organic food you're eating, and your thoughts overall. Mrs. Lav can supply an exemplar for you here.