World Food System

Course manual 2018/2019

Course content

Future Planet Studies is about coming up with solutions to challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. One such challenge is how to feed the world’s population. In fact, the fulfillment of many basic human needs is directly or indirectly connected to the production of food. This is self-evident for the human need for food itself. However, the basic needs for water, a healthy and stable environment, and safety and security are also strongly linked to food production. The course ‘World food system’ takes a multi-disciplinary approach to these issues. The first primary objective is to offer insights into the concepts, mechanisms and drivers of the world food system and into agricultural policies affecting food production and trade. The second primary objective is to acquire competencies in Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for assessing land use and food production. In a final assignment students will apply their knowledge and competencies to the case of India.

Study materials

Literature

• Southgate, D., Graham, D. H., & Tweeten, L. (2011). The world food economy. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN-13: 978-0470593622.

• Articles on Canvas

Objectives

Gain insight in the concepts, mechanisms and drivers of the world food system, and agricultural policies affecting food production and trade:

• the historical development of worldwide demand for food and supply of food
• the principles of economic trade theories that are relevant for the world food system
• trade organizations and  trade policies: WTO, GATT, CAP
• the concepts of food security and food sovereignty 
• the influences of agriculture on the environment and vice versa
• the industrial organization of the food producing sector

Acquire capacities to critically reflect on (the normativity of) various conceptualizations and theoretical perspectives related to the world food economy.

Acquire competencies regarding Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for assessing land use and food production:

• Acquire familiarity with the basic principles of cartography, RS and GIS
• Develop the know-how to interpret and critically assess a simple chart, to make a thematic map with gathered (field) data and to handle these data as input for RS and GIS
• Ability to execute simple geographical analyses with the help of RS and GIS

Understand how to make optimal use of scientific insights, in spite of incomplete data and uncertainty of knowledge, in the context of urgent food related issues that need to be addressed.

Teaching methods

• Hoorcollege
• Werkcollege
• (Computer)practicum
• Zelfstandig werken aan bijv. project/scriptie
• Lecture
• Seminar
• Computer lab session/practical training
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis
• Self-study

The course consist of weekly lectures. In addition there are four tutorials in which the topics will be further discussed and finally there are five computer practicums dedicated for GIS and RS.

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):

• In case of practical sessions, the student is obliged to attend at least of 90% of the sessions and to prepare himself adequately, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. In case the student attends less than 90%, the practical sessions should be redone entirely.
• In case of tutorials/seminars with assignments, the student is obliged to attend at least 90% of the tutorials/seminars and to prepare himself adequately, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. In case the student attends less than 90%, the course cannot be finished

Additional requirements for this course:

Attending the lectures is not compulsory but is strongly recommended. The MC exam is based on the information provided during the lectures.

Attending the tutorials and computer practicals is compulsory. Unapproved absence may lead to exclusion of further participation in the course. You are not allowed to miss more than one tutorial or one practical.

Assessment

Assessment diagram

Students that were enrolled in the course in previous years

Inspection of assessed work

Up to 20 working days after the announcement of the result students have the right of inspection of their work (all forms of assessment). The student can request a copy of his/her work by e-mailing the teacher/course coordinator.

A Collective Assessment Evaluation meeting will be scheduled. During these meetings you can ask the examiner questions about the assessment. Please note: you lose the right of feedback from the examiner when you don’t attend the Collective Assessment Evaluation without good reasons. For more information about the right of inspection, please refer to OER part A FNWI, article 4.9.

After the above mentioned 20 working days have expired the entire exam package must be handed over to the IIS Service Desk after which the work will be archived.

Assignments

To be announced.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Additional information

Attending the lectures is not compulsory but is strongly recommended. The MC exam is based on the information provided during the lectures.

Attending the tutorials and computer practicals is compulsory. Unapproved absence may lead to exclusion of further participation in the course. You are not allowed to miss more than one tutorial or one practical.

Last year's course evaluation

In order to provide students some insight how we use the feedback of student evaluations to enhance the quality of education, we decided to include the table below in all course guides.

Contact information

Coordinator

• prof. dr. Marc Davidson

Staff

• J. Groot
• J.V. Rothuizen
• dr. A.C. Seijmonsbergen