Lesson Plan: Teaching “Climate Change and Food Security” and “Climate Change and Agriculture”

As a high school or undergraduate Social Sciences or Environmental Sciences teacher, you can use this set of computer-based tools to help you in teaching topics such as Food Security, Agriculture, Climate Change and Food Security, and Climate Change and Agriculture.

This lesson plan helps students understand the various aspects of food security, and the challenges faced in food security and agriculture at different locations across the world. The activities explore the two-way relationship between agriculture and climate: the impact of food production on the climate, and the possible effects of climate change on agricultural production through location-specific examples.

Thus, the use of this lesson plan allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core topic in Social Sciences or Environmental Sciences.

Global Food Security Index

GFSI

Questions

  Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:

  1. Define food security.
  2. What are the climate-related factors that influence crop yield?
  3. How might agricultural practices and livestock farming contribute to climate change?
  4. How could climate change affect global food security?
  5. Identify actions that could reduce the impact of food production on climate change.

Climate change and food security

About Lesson Plan

Grade Level High School, Undergraduate
Discipline • Social Sciences
• Environmental Sciences
Topic(s) in Discipline • Food Security
• Agriculture
• Climate Change and Food Security
• Climate and the Food System
• Climate Change and Agriculture
Climate Topic • Climate and Food
• Climate Change and Food Security
• Climate Change and Agriculture
Location • Global
• Africa
Languages English
Access Online, Offline
Approximate Time Required 90 – 130 min

Contents

Micro-lectures (video)

(~26 min)

Two micro-lectures that introduce the concept of food security, explain the factors that impact food security globally, and provide examples to explain the link between food production and climate change.

Video Part 1

Video Part 2

Teaching Module

(high school)

(~55 min)

 

For high-school level:

A teaching module to explain the relationship between the food system and climate change, and to determine actions that can reduce the impact of the food system on climate change.

Go to the Lesson

Go to the Lesson Slides

Go to the Hand-out

Classroom/ Laboratory activity

(undergraduate)

(~90 min)

For undergraduate level:

A classroom/laboratory activity that uses the example of cocoa production in Africa to help students explore suitable climatic conditions for a crop and to determine how climate change may affect food production.

Go to the Activity

Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.

1.Introduce the topic by playing two micro-lectures (videos)
2. Conduct the activities in a teaching module

(high- school level)

OR

2. Conduct a classroom/laboratory activity

(undergraduate level)

  • • For undergraduate level:
  • • Next, explore the topic further though a hands-on activity, “Climate Change and Food Security”, compiled by Russanne Low (Institute for Global Environmental Strategies), Rebecca Boger (Brooklyn College), and Amy E. Potter (Armstrong State University).
  • • In this activity, students will learn about the relationship between climate change and food production through the case study of cocoa production in Africa. They will create maps by using the ArcGIS Online tool.
  • • Go to https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/food_security/unit3.html
  • • Download the teaching materials available.
  • • Conduct the activities described in the Study Unit.

 

Mapped Sustainable Development Goal(s), apart from 4 and 13

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