SDG 2: Zero Hunger
Hey guys! Welcome back to my blog. Today I'm back with another AP (Action Project), which is a project that brings together all the information we've been learning in the past few weeks. In our class called Food for Thought, we've been learning about food, about its history and where it comes from We did a few online FE's (field experiences) within the past few weeks (because of online schooling.) We did one where a woman named Carrie from Metropolis coffee showed us what "cupping" is. Which is basically coffee tasting, and smelling the, you know, smells of coffee. Before that, we did virtual foraging with Dave Gold, and he found a bunch of plants and such all over his neighborhood that were edible. We also went out on a mini-FE where we went to take a walk and found some plants of our own using this app called Seek. We also did a family tree, got as far as we could, (I got to about 3 generations back), and added their favorite foods. We also learned about ancient civilizations, I learned more about the Aztecs. This AP is a "Position Paper," which is an essay about a certain position that I hold myself. We came up with a 500-word script and spoke about it. My video is below.
My script:
My script:
The SDGs are called Sustainable Development Goals. There are 17 of them in total, and they are basically a blueprint to a sustainable world. The goal is to achieve them by 2030. The one I am focusing on is SDG 2, Zero Hunger, which I think is pretty self-explainable. More specifically, the UN has identified a bunch of specific targets they want to work on to achieve this SDG. I chose target 2.3, which, by 2030, the plan is to double the amount of smaller farmers, pastoralists (animal farmers), and fishers, but they’re particularly focusing on increasing the number of agriculturalists that are of color and women.
The UN (United Nations) has identified SDG2 as a global priority because 821 million people -- one in nine - all over the world go hungry every day. Even more, one in 3 -- have some type of malnourishment. The COVID-19 pandemic could double that number, making 130 million more people hungry by the end of 2020 (World Food Programme,) so this goal is more important now than ever. The number of hungry people was on the decline until 2015. Man-made issues such as climate change are causing more and more people to go hungry every year. But getting agriculture to be sustainable will not automatically solve our world’s hunger problem. “The targets that need to be achieved are incredibly wide-ranging, and call for a delicate balancing of competing challenges: Adapting to the effects of climate change and mitigating further climate change while doubling productivity and incomes.”
An ancient civilization that had agricultural problems were the Mayas. They’re native to Central America, They used more than one farming technique to feed their civilization. For one, they always grew more crops than they needed, in case of droughts or bad seasons. But then the population became a problem, so they came up with a great solution. They used the landscape around them and worked with it. The Mayas had three different types of farming that they did. In the mountains, they did step farming, which is making cuts in the side of a hill and planting crops there. In the swamps, they built raised platforms where they could grow their food. In the forest, they used the slash and burn technique to make a flat surface. Then they’d plant their crops.
When it comes to agriculture, women have it much harder than anyone else. They’ve been oppressed for way too long. Even more so for women in developing countries. The biggest roadblock for women in farming is getting land rights. Only 10 to 20 percent of landholders are women, and in some parts of the world, women still cannot legally own or control land (Maryellen Kennedy Duckett.) Lorie Fleenor, an eighth-generation farmer in Bristol, Tennessee, says: “Even though I run the farm and make the decisions, they [male farmers] don't want to talk to me about when to cut hay, or when to sell cattle, or how much rain we've gotten. They want to talk to a man. I guess being a woman, you have to go above and beyond to prove yourself.” Getting rid of gender-specific obstacles, such as land rights, financing, agricultural training and education, suitable working conditions, and equal treatment would not only make women want to become farmers, but it can also feed more hungry people. Women were very unimportant in history when it comes to hard-working. It was improper for women to be farmers, or do any sort of hard job that requires a lot of strength. Rae Blumberg, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology, says “because few people study ‘deep history,’ i.e., anything before the rise of Greece and Rome, most are unaware that it was only in one type of agrarian society, for less than 3 percent of Homo sapiens history, that women were unimportant as primary producers, adding little to their family’s subsistence.”
POC (people of color) farmers are also people that don’t really get the recognition that they deserve. This is why the National Black Farmers’ Association (NBFA) was founded in 1995 by John W. Boyd. They’re focused on helping out black farmers and their families in the United States. As of 2012, there were only 44,629 African-American farmers, compared to 3.2 million Caucasian farmers in the United States. “Many black farmers across the nation experienced discrimination in their dealings with U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies in their states. Across the nation, black farmers alleged, and the USDA later agreed, they were denied access to loans and subsidies provided by the government. On a national level, farm subsidies that were afforded to white farmers were not afforded to black farmers. Since they were denied government loans, emergency or disaster assistance, and other aid, many black farmers lost their farms and their homes.”
A solution to these problems could be increasing the amount of smaller-scale farmers. To do that, the people in our world would have to get rid of gender-specific obstacles, such as land rights. Other things that could solve this would be financing, agricultural training and education, suitable working conditions, equal treatment for women, and learning to work with climate change for now, until there is a perfect solution for climate change as well.
Sources:
“ABOUT US.” Nbfa, www.nationalblackfarmersassociation.org/about_us.
Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-11/more-black-u-s-farmers-but-fewer-own-land-or-make-big-bucks.
Bromley, Anne E. “Patriarchy and the Plow.” UVA Today, 23 Aug. 2016, news.virginia.edu/content/patriarchy-and-plow
“Goal 2: Zero Hunger – United Nations Sustainable Development.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger/.
Horst, Megan. “How Racism Has Shaped the American Farming Landscape.” Eater, Eater, 25 Jan. 2019, www.eater.com/2019/1/25/18197352/american-farming-racism-us-agriculture-history.
“Malnutrition, Hunger Plagued Ancient Egyptian Upper Class.” Voice of America, www.voanews.com/science-health/malnutrition-hunger-plagued-ancient-egyptian-upper-class.
“Maya Empire for KidsAgriculture.” Agriculture - The Maya Empire for Kids, mayas.mrdonn.org/agriculture.html.
Perry, Heather, and Jim Richardson. “Empowering Female Farmers to Feed the World.” The Barriers Women Face in Agriculture, 5 Apr. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/03/partner-content-empowering-female-farmers/.
Roser, Max. “Employment in Agriculture.” Our World in Data, 26 Apr. 2013, ourworldindata.org/employment-in-agriculture.
“Racial Diversity in Agriculture.” NAL, www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/racial-diversity-agriculture.
Stringer, Kate. “What Small Farms Need to Compete With Corporate Food.” Yes! Magazine, 27 Apr. 2016, www.yesmagazine.org/democracy/2016/04/27/what-small-farms-need-to-compete-with-corporate-food/.
Xaxx, Jagg. “Problems Faced by Small Farmers.” Career Trend, careertrend.com/list-6714075-problems-faced-small-farmers.html.
“Zero Hunger.” Homepage, www.wfp.org/zero-hunger.
The UN (United Nations) has identified SDG2 as a global priority because 821 million people -- one in nine - all over the world go hungry every day. Even more, one in 3 -- have some type of malnourishment. The COVID-19 pandemic could double that number, making 130 million more people hungry by the end of 2020 (World Food Programme,) so this goal is more important now than ever. The number of hungry people was on the decline until 2015. Man-made issues such as climate change are causing more and more people to go hungry every year. But getting agriculture to be sustainable will not automatically solve our world’s hunger problem. “The targets that need to be achieved are incredibly wide-ranging, and call for a delicate balancing of competing challenges: Adapting to the effects of climate change and mitigating further climate change while doubling productivity and incomes.”
An ancient civilization that had agricultural problems were the Mayas. They’re native to Central America, They used more than one farming technique to feed their civilization. For one, they always grew more crops than they needed, in case of droughts or bad seasons. But then the population became a problem, so they came up with a great solution. They used the landscape around them and worked with it. The Mayas had three different types of farming that they did. In the mountains, they did step farming, which is making cuts in the side of a hill and planting crops there. In the swamps, they built raised platforms where they could grow their food. In the forest, they used the slash and burn technique to make a flat surface. Then they’d plant their crops.
When it comes to agriculture, women have it much harder than anyone else. They’ve been oppressed for way too long. Even more so for women in developing countries. The biggest roadblock for women in farming is getting land rights. Only 10 to 20 percent of landholders are women, and in some parts of the world, women still cannot legally own or control land (Maryellen Kennedy Duckett.) Lorie Fleenor, an eighth-generation farmer in Bristol, Tennessee, says: “Even though I run the farm and make the decisions, they [male farmers] don't want to talk to me about when to cut hay, or when to sell cattle, or how much rain we've gotten. They want to talk to a man. I guess being a woman, you have to go above and beyond to prove yourself.” Getting rid of gender-specific obstacles, such as land rights, financing, agricultural training and education, suitable working conditions, and equal treatment would not only make women want to become farmers, but it can also feed more hungry people. Women were very unimportant in history when it comes to hard-working. It was improper for women to be farmers, or do any sort of hard job that requires a lot of strength. Rae Blumberg, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology, says “because few people study ‘deep history,’ i.e., anything before the rise of Greece and Rome, most are unaware that it was only in one type of agrarian society, for less than 3 percent of Homo sapiens history, that women were unimportant as primary producers, adding little to their family’s subsistence.”
POC (people of color) farmers are also people that don’t really get the recognition that they deserve. This is why the National Black Farmers’ Association (NBFA) was founded in 1995 by John W. Boyd. They’re focused on helping out black farmers and their families in the United States. As of 2012, there were only 44,629 African-American farmers, compared to 3.2 million Caucasian farmers in the United States. “Many black farmers across the nation experienced discrimination in their dealings with U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies in their states. Across the nation, black farmers alleged, and the USDA later agreed, they were denied access to loans and subsidies provided by the government. On a national level, farm subsidies that were afforded to white farmers were not afforded to black farmers. Since they were denied government loans, emergency or disaster assistance, and other aid, many black farmers lost their farms and their homes.”
A solution to these problems could be increasing the amount of smaller-scale farmers. To do that, the people in our world would have to get rid of gender-specific obstacles, such as land rights. Other things that could solve this would be financing, agricultural training and education, suitable working conditions, equal treatment for women, and learning to work with climate change for now, until there is a perfect solution for climate change as well.
Sources:
“ABOUT US.” Nbfa, www.nationalblackfarmersassociation.org/about_us.
Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-11/more-black-u-s-farmers-but-fewer-own-land-or-make-big-bucks.
Bromley, Anne E. “Patriarchy and the Plow.” UVA Today, 23 Aug. 2016, news.virginia.edu/content/patriarchy-and-plow
“Goal 2: Zero Hunger – United Nations Sustainable Development.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger/.
Horst, Megan. “How Racism Has Shaped the American Farming Landscape.” Eater, Eater, 25 Jan. 2019, www.eater.com/2019/1/25/18197352/american-farming-racism-us-agriculture-history.
“Malnutrition, Hunger Plagued Ancient Egyptian Upper Class.” Voice of America, www.voanews.com/science-health/malnutrition-hunger-plagued-ancient-egyptian-upper-class.
“Maya Empire for KidsAgriculture.” Agriculture - The Maya Empire for Kids, mayas.mrdonn.org/agriculture.html.
Perry, Heather, and Jim Richardson. “Empowering Female Farmers to Feed the World.” The Barriers Women Face in Agriculture, 5 Apr. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/03/partner-content-empowering-female-farmers/.
Roser, Max. “Employment in Agriculture.” Our World in Data, 26 Apr. 2013, ourworldindata.org/employment-in-agriculture.
“Racial Diversity in Agriculture.” NAL, www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/racial-diversity-agriculture.
Stringer, Kate. “What Small Farms Need to Compete With Corporate Food.” Yes! Magazine, 27 Apr. 2016, www.yesmagazine.org/democracy/2016/04/27/what-small-farms-need-to-compete-with-corporate-food/.
Xaxx, Jagg. “Problems Faced by Small Farmers.” Career Trend, careertrend.com/list-6714075-problems-faced-small-farmers.html.
“Zero Hunger.” Homepage, www.wfp.org/zero-hunger.
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