The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is a public-private partnership that seeks to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and protect the environment by creating a thriving global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions. Continue reading
The advantage of bringing global perspectives to history, geography, civics and citizenship, humanities, art, drama, physical education, social education, philosophy, literacy-in fact, to all learning areas not defined is being noticed by increasing numbers of educators. So what dispositions are being developed? Continue reading
We are in the last year of a fifteen year program, the Millenium Development Goals. In the year 2000, eight goals including the alleviation of poverty, education for all children until year 6 and the eradication of HIV AIDS and malaria were agreed to by 192 member nations of the United Nations.
The latest report examines the progress towards achieving the MDGs. It can only be said that the MDGs have made a profound difference in people’s lives. Global poverty was halved by 2010. It is believed poverty can be eradicated within the next generation. Ninety per cent of children in developing regions now enjoy primary education, and enrolment of girl has increased. Remarkable gains have also been made in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis, along with improvements in all health indicators. The likelihood of a child dying before age five has been nearly cut in half over the last two decades. We also met the target of halving the proportion of people who lack access to improved sources of water, although that is not uniform across the globe.
Family farming is inextricably linked to national and global food security. As the International Year of Family Farming comes to a close I want to mention climate change and family livelihood from the land.
Did you know that there are 570 million farms around the world and 500 million of them are owned by families?
These families live in both developing and developed countries.
Did you know that floods that occurred every 100 years are predicted to occur every 25 to 50 years?
So it makes sense to not only acknowledge the work these families do, but to also think about the ways we can continue to support them to continue feeding themselves and us.
When you plan a unit of inquiry around food, add a global perspective and look at families, farming, affect of the climate and our connections. In this way we can foster insight, understanding, empathy and the learning needed to find sustainable ways to overcome the challenges that face us.
Take a Virtual Farm Visit linking to the Australian Curriculum Year 4 – 7 Technologies Curriculum and Year 4 and 5 Geography
Activities for Investigating agriculture in Australia can be found at AgriFoods
Behind the brands explores the connection between big companies, sugar and land grabs
Food for thought is a game for learning about small scale farmers and fairness in the global food system
Take action at Aussi Smart
-Keep me posted with your units centred around food. Dig deeper, think wider and send me your global reach with your unit of inquiry.
