“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”.
UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, 1996

Teaching resources

Food for Life Curriculum Pack: A whole school approach to learning about food and farming Soil Association KS1-2
This comprehensive pack enables pupils to immerse themselves in the issues surrounding food and its production from 'the plough to the plate'.

 

 

 

Around the garden in 80 ways: using plants to raise development issues at KS2 Birmingham DEC with Botanical Gardens Base, 1994 £5 KS2

Case studies suggest some imaginative ways of using plants as a stimulus, for instance a project on industry focuses on cotton and the wages cotton pickers earn; a study of Bangladesh looks at jute, and one school brings the sounds of the rainforest to life by playing musical instruments made from plant materials.



Food & farming, local & global: planting ideas, growing ideas
Birmingham DEC, 2004 £9 KS2-3

Supports children as they learn to make connections between their own community and the wider world. Bananas, strawberries and an African garden provide colourful case studies. Includes full colour photographs and lively teaching ideas

 

Food: who has it? is a toolbox for KS 2-3 from Christian Aid which explores food security in Ghana. Includes class activities and assembly and poster.

Lesotho photopack Send a Cow, 2009 KS2-3
Excellent set of photos of growing and processing food in rural Lesotho. Links to free downloadable resources for activities across the curriculum.

Our Food, Our World: Let's Eat Oxfam, 2006 free download or £17.50 KS1-2

Explore the worlds of five children and the food they eat. Includes 32 colour A4 photocards and a teachers' booklet containing: differentiated reading material about each of the children; curriculum links; activities investigating key themes, including food preferences and habits around the world, how food gets to our table, food as a common need for everyone, and the use of food in celebrations; and resource sheets for literacy, science, and Citizenship.

Rotem Ayalon, Marianne Guilmette, Ismael Hautecoeur and Anna Lee-Popham Roots Around the World Alternatives & the Rooftop Garden Project, 2009 KS2-3
Very good teaching pack written for Canadian primary schools, but can easily be adapted for the UK context. Activities and projects support learning about the production and consumption of food in urban areas all over the world. Over 50% of the world's population now live in towns and cities, so urban agriculture is an important part of ensuring food security for all.

Uganda photopack Send a Cow, 2009 KS2-3
Another excellent set of photos on growing methods (most of which can also be used in the UK), harvesting and processing food in rural areas and Kampala. Links to free downloadable resources for activities across the curriculum.

Where in the World Does Your Food Come From?
Justine Dawson, Life Cycles Project Society, 2002 KS2-3
Another Canadian pack that explores the global food supply chain and the implications for our food security. Looks at Cuba's policy of producing food locally as a blueprint for a low carbon future.

 

 

World Food Crisis Oxfam KS2-4 free download
Explores the causes and impact of the World Food Crisis and examines
possible solutions. Includes image packs and assembly slides.

Background reading

The Atlas of Food: Who eats what, where and why Erik Millstone & Tim Lang, Earthscan, 2003
Clear account of the food chain - from plough to plate - and reveals how it affects our lives around the world. Includes sections on contemporary challenges such as GM, sustainable agriculture, hunger and obesity.

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio, Ten Speed Press, 2007
Provides an overview of what families around the world eat by featuring portraits of thirty families from twenty-four countries with a week's supply of food. The photos provide a starting point for discussing many food-related issues with all ages. A version for children, What the World Eats,Tricycle Press, 2008) is also available.

Low Input Food and Nutrition Security: growing and eating more using less Stacia Nordin, World Food Programme, 2005
A comprehensive manual for teachers who want to develop community and school gardens to improve nutrition. It is written for Malawi, but its permaculture principles are relevant anywhere.

Permaculture Reference Book is published by IDEP Foundation in Bali. Written for SE Asia but it provides fascinating ideas how permacuture principles can be applied in tropical countries. IDEP has designed a 'Learnscapes' curriculum for Indonesian primary schools.

Weblinks

2008 was designated International Year of the Potato by the United Nations. This site includes a wealth of information about the humble potato and its role in bringing food security to a hungry world.

Makutano Junction is an innovative global education project based on a Kenyan soap opera. Include an activity on composting and growing food. KS3-4

Send a Cow is a charity that helps African farmers grow enough food to feed their families, sell produce and develop small businesses. The website include many teaching resources on food production and security, sustainable development, climate change and similarities and differences.

 

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