practicalaction.org/europafricaDCI-NSAED/2010/240-529

Food Connections

Learning aims:

To understand how food and farming are connected across continents.

To understand that there are positive and negative impacts on stakeholders involved in farming, caused by the foods we choose in Europe.

Where does our food come from? Look at a map of Africa and guess which

countries each of these foods have come from:

Where does our food come from?They were grown and exported from:

Egypt Kenya

Uganda South Africa

How much food do we import from Africa?UK imports of African fresh produce have grown rapidly over the last 15 years. We currently import 95% of our fruit and 50% of our vegetables.

From Kenya alone, approximately 350 tonnes of fruit, vegetables, and flowers are exported daily to UK supermarkets.

Six African countries account for 95% of fruit and vegetable imports from Africa:

Impacts for farmers

Student ActivityLook at your dominoes and make a list of the stakeholders involved in bean farming in the UK or Africa.Using the activity sheet think about the positive and negative impacts on people and the environment throughout your domino food story.

Why are we importing foods from Africa?We have imported food to the UK for centuries, but a number of factors have led to an increase.

Subsidies for British farmers have reduced, and the buying power of the bigger food retailers has increased.

Low wages and cheaper land in the developing world means it’s often cheaper to buy imported food.

But what’s the impact of our food choices for farmers in Africa and Europe?

Impacts on people and the environment What are the similarities and differences between the effects on people and the environment between the Africa and UK supply chain?

Is Africa’s land up for grabs? A recent study estimated that nearly 2.5 million hectares of African farmland had been sold to European companies since 2004 in just five countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali and Sudan.

Plenary

Do you think its right that we use African land to grow crops for export to Europe?

What are the alternatives to growing food in Africa for exports to Europe?

ActionWhy not do some of your own research into who’s ‘grabbing land’ in Africa?

Research into food groups in your area who are campaigning to ‘eat locally produced foods.’

DCI-NSAED/2010/240-529