Unit 07
12—15 | Unit 07

Tracing what We Eat

Students will understand the consequences of buying and eating food produced locally versus eating food from far away. The election of the food we eat is linked to how and where food is produced. Food traveling from far away has an impact on CO2 emissions.

Age
12—15
Time requirement
5 lessons (45 min each)
Natural Sciences

Content

The election of the food we eat is linked to how and where food is produced. Food travelling from far away has an impact on CO2 emissions. Industrialised food production has an impact on water usage which causes desertification, and soil exhaustion, which creates poor soil unable to retain water when it rains and provokes soil erosion which increases the flood risk among many other consequences.

The Unit highlights the importance of where the food that we eat comes from, and how this has an impact on climate change and global food chains. It introduces the impacts of climate change on eating food produced far away and the different modes of production. The Unit raises awareness about the harness-intensive agriculture provokes on the landscape and the responsibility it has on accelerating climate change. Students are motivated to develop a critical approach towards food selection and consumption.

The Unit consists of three sections:

  • The first section introduces to the concept of food production, its relation to climate (seasons and location), the different modes of production (intensive / extensive), and the consequences or impacts each of them has in the surrounding landscapes and climate change.
  • The second section focuses on analyzing and unveiling the consequences of agricultural exports and modes of production. The goal of this section is to raise awareness and create an understanding of the deep impact agriculture has in the landscape, soil, and climate change.
  • The third section delves into finding alternative modes of production and reflecting on how we can actively contribute to reducing the agricultural footprint and consequential landscapes of food exports. Students learn about strategies and measures already identified and they discuss, which of them might be of importance in their home landscape.

Pupils will learn that:

  • Global chains of food production have consequences that affect climate change, such as CO2 emissions.
  • Food produced far away tends to be produced in an intensive manner, which leads to monoculture and land exhaustion.

Where does the food that we eat come from? What is the importance of eating locally in terms of climate change? Which are the consequences of eating products from far away?

The election of the food we eat is linked to how and where food is produced. Food travelling from far away has an impact on CO2 emissions. Industrialised food production has an impact on water usage which causes desertification, on soil exhaustion due to monoculture which creates poor soil unable to retain water when it rains and provoking soil erosion which increases the flood risk among many other consequences.

Activities

45 minutes

Activity to understand that the food we eat travels from different places in the world and that different vegetables and fruits are produced in different seasons.

15 minutes

Activities to understand the different modes in which food can be produced by extensive or intensive agriculture and the consequences that the different production methods have on the landscape.

15 (30) minutes

Activities to understand the different modes in which food can be produced by extensive or intensive agriculture and the consequences that the different production methods have on the landscape.

45 minutes

Activity to understand the origins of agricultural products and reflect on the different choices we have when we buy our food.

30 minutes

Activity to understand the distances these agricultural products travel to reach their current location providing a deeper understanding of global agricultural systems.

45 minutes

Activity to encourage students to draw upon their collective knowledge and creativity and propose potential solutions to mitigate this environmental challenge related to global agricultural production.