Food Security (UoA)

The course will examine the geographical components of food security globally in the historic, modern and post-modern eras. Case studies will be drawn from Australian and international contexts to examine humanity's changing relationship with the systems of production, supply, ecology, economy and society fundamental to the provision of and access to sufficient, nutritious food. The roles of food and agriculture in the context of historical societal development will also be discussed. The types of issues that will be introduced include: pre-modern or traditional agriculture; the origin and development of agricultural biodiversity; the relationship between food supply and cultural identity; the agrarian transition/Green revolution; modernisation and the creation of marginalisation; agriculture and environmental management; new technological developments and their application; famines; the political-ecologies of agriculture; the emerging alternative roles of agriculture to food production; and the future roles of alternative systems based on diversity and location. Students will be guided through the development of an in-depth critique of the historical processes relating to a food commodity, system or a region of their choice. The outcomes of these investigations will be presented in written form in a series of short reports and in oral form as a presentation to their peers. A final examination will allow students to present on their understanding of the course's major themes.