Academic English-Diet and sustainability key to feeding the world

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Text 5a

Diet andsustainabilitykey to feedingthe world:

A foodsecurity report

One of the greatest problems the world faces is food security. Starvation,malnutrition and associated health andwelfare problems can best be addressed by a systematic policy of education and research.

Grave concerns about food security havesurfaced for a number of reasons. Firstly,there has been

a population explosionAccording to the Royal Society, between1930 and 2010 the world's

population grewfrom 2 billion to 6.8 billion now, with aprojected peak of 9 billion by 2050 (Black,2010). A further major cause for concern isthe impact on food production of climatechange, brought about by global warming.Population growth and climate changewill mean there is an increasing shortageof water and of land for food production,and therefore more competition for theseresources.

While threats to global food security arenumerous and affect both economically developed and less-developed countries,it is the people of the latter who are likelyto feel the most impact.

Vast numbers lackbasic food requirements: at least 1 billion people are undernourished and

2 billion suffer from micronutrient deficiency. Conversely, 1.2 billion are overweight.

An environmental example of the impact of food production mismanagement on ecosystems, and the wider implicationsof this, can he clearly seen in the caseof drastic declines in bird species. Forexample, in Europe and North Americapopulations of "specialist" bird species-those that are adapted to live in specificenvironments-have fallen by an estimated30% over 40 years. This has been attributedat least partially to the impact of farming,especially when this involves a single croptype being grown over a large area.

In fact, a study by Stanford Universitybiologists (Sekercioglu, Daily&Ehrlich, 2004)concluded that by 2100，10%ofall bird species were likely to disappearand another 15%could be on thebrink of extinction. This dramatic lossis expected to have a negative impacton forest ecosystems and agricultureworldwide, and warned that it might evenencourage the spread of human diseases. The latter point is supported by reportsof a dramatic fall in vulture numbers in India, allowing an upsurge in numbers ofrats and feral dogs, which spread diseasesthat affect humans (see Swan et al., 2006;BirdLife International, 2008)，The vulturepopulation crash is attributed mainly to poisoning by high concentrations of diclofenac, a drug used to treat farm animals. The birds ingest the drug when they feed on the animals’ carcasses.

The challenges involved in addressing theproblem of food security are complex. Partof the solution is increasing the potentialof food yields, but the approach must besustainable.Producers and consumers offood must play a major role in all this andtake responsibility in terms of choosing howfood is "produced, used and consumed".

Reducing the amount of waste in the foodproduction system is one approach toimproving foodsecurity. However, in futurethe "journey fromarm to plate" also needsto be organised

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moresystematically andglobally. A particular problem area here isthe importing into economically developedcountries of exotic fruit and vegetables.This can have a negative impact on foodsecurity in two ways. Firstly, importing (andespecially air-freighting) fresh producefromoverseas locations can significantly increasethe carbon footprint of food production, contributing to global warming and itsassociated problems。Secondly, if growersin less economically developed countriesswitch to producing fruit and vegetablesfor export, this could displace local staplecrops, resulting in worsening diets forwhat may be an already malnourishedpopulation.

A further solution is to manage cropproduction to boost yields of some cropsin countries with

temperate climates. However, climate change could also causeshifts in seasonal patterns that put crops

out of rhythm with the insects that pollinatethem, or could increase the likelihoodof extreme weather events damaging thedeveloping flowers that are essential forthe crop .There is a strong likelihood thatdiets will increasingly be dependent onanimal sources of protein, but farmers donot necessarily adopt practices that lead tothe fulfilment of potential yield.

Helpingthem become more efficient offers a furthermeans of addressing the food security issue.

An integrated，systemic approach tothe problems of food security has to bedeveloped. This includes encouraging agri-food research, with themost technologicallyadvanced countriesdirecting their attentionand research focustowards dealing with theproblem. In addition, a globalapproach is needed and specialist research initiatives will need to help with integrating the food-security research undertaken by non-specialist institutions.

References

BirdLife International (2008; April 30). Vulture crisis deepens. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from /news/news/2008/04八ulture dedines.html

Beddington, J. (ed.) (2011).Foresight report: The future of food and farming. Challenges a nd choices for globalsustainability. London: Government Office for Science. Retrieved December 22, 2011，from www.bis.gov.uk/assets/bispartners/foresight/docs/food-and-fa rming/11-546-future-of-food-and-farming-report.pdf

Black, R. (2010, July 12). Global population study launched by Royal Society. BBC News. Retrieved December 21, 2011, from www.bbc.co.uk/news/10578484

Sekercioglu, C. H., Daily, G. C.&Ehrlich, P R. (2004). Ecosystem consequences of bird declines.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 101(52),18042-18047.

Swan, G., Naidoo, V, Cuthbert, R., Green, R. E., Pain, D. J., Swarup, D.…&Wolter, K. (2006).

Removing the threat of diclofenac to critically endangered Asian vultures. PLoS Biology. 4(3), e66.

Tiffin, R. (2011，January 24). Diet and sustainability key to feeding the world. [Press rele ase]. Reading: University of Reading. Retrieved October 31, 2011, from www.reading.

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ac.uk/about/newsandevents/releases/PR345098.aspx

Source: John Slaght, ISLC, University of Reading, UK, based on the references cited.

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Focus task:

You are going to read a selection of texts in order to produce a set of notes that will help you complete the following assignment:

The global population has increased from two billion to seven billion in the past 80 years. In the next 40 years it is predicted to rise to nine billion. What are the challenges and what measures can be most effective in feeding such a rapidly expanding population?

Text 5a summarises the key issues relating to food security that are covered in greater detail in the three other texts in the unit. These come from a review paper by UK government scientists, which maintains that good nutrition and sustainability are essential in order to ensure global food security.

Task 1 Surveying the text

It is important that students in higher education make decisions about how to make use of an academic text because of the large amount of reading required on some courses.

Study tip: Remember that Surveying features of the text before going into detailed reading can save time and provide important insights into the content and value of the text. Features to look for include the title and any figures or graphs.

1.1 Analyse the title of Text 5a by examining it in sections. In the table below the title is divided

into six separate parts. Complete the column with appropriate deductions.

1.2 Now consider what you can deduce from the photograph about the contentof the text.

Discuss your ideas with another student.

1.3 Look at the references at the end of the text. What useful information dothese give?

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Task 2 Search reading: Practising fast, accurate reading

2.1 Read Text 5a quickly, but carefully, to answer questions 1-12.

Scan the text quickly to find the information you need to answer thequestions. Then read the information carefully to answer accurately.

1. What solutions for achieving food security are identified in theintroductory material?

2. What two major causes of starvation。。。global scale are identified?

3. These two factors have resulted in there bcitig Iess

4. The population "explosion"is predicted to level offin...

5. Approximately how many people intotal arc faced withinsufficient foodand nutrition?

a. 1 billion

b. 2 billion

c. 3 billion

6 .What year does the Stanford University research relate to?

7.The dramatic decrease in vulture numbers in India has led to....

8. What is the negative impact of developed countries importing exoticfruit?

9. What could be the negative impact of poorer countries exporting exotic fruit?

10. Where can the impact of climate change be most effectively managed?

11. In future, animals may well be the main source of...

12. Which form of research is recommended for dealing with future foodinsecurity?

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Task 3 Identifying functions of the text: Annotating the text

A useful approach to understanding the organisation,purpose and value of a text is to identify the

functionssection by section, paragraph by paragraph and ifnecessary, sentence by sentence.

One way of doingthis is by annotating the text in the margin.

Study tip: Clear annotation of the text can provide useful reference for revision or further study.

3.1 Look at the two examples of annotations for lines 6-20 of Text 5 a. Thenhighlight the parts

of the text relevant to the other two annotations.

AnnotationsText extract(lines 6-20)

further info.

another reason+cause

implication

3.2 Go through the rest of the text making brief annotations in the margin. Usea pencil in case

you decide to make changes.

Identify which sections of the text have the following functions (not all ofthese functions might be used in this text):

●background information, e.g., giving detail of the overall situation

●general problems/implications

●exemplification, i.e., examples

●explication, i.e., further information to develop a point

●solution

●evaluation, e.g., of ideas

●viewpoints, i.e., writer's recommendations or suggestions

●conclusion

3.3 Complete the table on the next page using the annotations you made in Ex3.2.

In the extra comments column you might write comments such as relevantto the focus task or

check this source.

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Task 4 Examining the writer's choice of language for emphasis

The writer's choice of language can also perform a particular function, for example, toindicate the seriousness or importance of the information or ideas being described. Theuse of adjectives or adverbs can play an important role in putting the writer's messageacross effectively. It can also help the reader identify examples of the writer's attitude orbias towards the topic.

4.1 Look at lines 1-29 and identify two more examples of language that thewriter uses to

convey the seriousness of the topic.

grave concerns (line 6)

4.2 Look at lines 30一G3 and list furtherexamples of strong descriptive languagethewriter uses

to emphasise the problems.

Brink of extinction (line 48)

4.3 Look at the words and phrases inthe table below and find words andphrases in the text

with a similarmeaning.

Study tip: Taking an interest in features of the text such as the writer's choice of language will not only help your understanding of the text, but will also help to develop your reading research skills in the long term.

Complete the table with the word orphrase, its word class and the numberof the line where it appears.Note thatthe definitions are listed in the sameorder as the relevant words in thetext.

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