Half of Food Produced Is Available for Human Consumption
Articles/Websites
Grades9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, Geography
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Project Drawdown
What it is
- This article explains how using cropland for livestock feed and biofuels has led to an inefficient agricultural system.
- Students will learn about the tradeoffs of producing these crops instead of using the land to grow crops directly for human consumption.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This article doesn't put too much pressure on individual choices, which is great for students who don't have much control over what they eat.
- The article includes graphs and images that help students access the information.
Prerequisites
- It may benefit students to have background knowledge on climate change and the impact that biofuels and agricultural practices have on the climate.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Students can demonstrate their understanding of this article by writing a one-paragraph summary to describe the biggest contributors to cropland inefficiency and the solutions to this problem.
- Students can create posters asking others to change their diets to be more climate-friendly. This video can help students get a better idea of dietary changes that can be implemented to help the climate.
- This article can be used to make connections to Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger.
From the scientist review
This article explains how agriculture has a large impact on the climate, and how about half of the food grown is not used for human consumption. The article explores where the food goes, how this impacts hunger across the world, and what can be done to make agriculture as a whole more sustainable. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
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