In this module, you will become familiar with the course, your instructor, your classmates, and our learning environment.

Introduction from Your Instructor

Welcome to ACES 298! This course is an introduction to the topic of food security in low income countries and the relationships between food security and nutritional health in developing country settings.

My name is Alex Winter-Nelson. I am a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. I also serve as Director of the Office of International Programs at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

I have been at the University of Illinois for over 20 years and have spent my time here doing research and teaching related to international development. Most of my work has examined the impacts of different policies, programs and technologies on poverty and food security in Eastern and Southern Africa. This class is designed to focus on the links between agricultural development and nutritional health outcomes. It is being launched in an online form in the hopes that it can eventually become a forum in which students at the University of Illinois can explore these topics and relationships with students in developing countries.

Be warned. This is a new course and there are likely to be some glitches along the way. Please be patient and please let me know whenever you run into a problem.

Time

This module will last 2 days and should take approximately 3 hours of dedicated time to complete.

Goals

My goals for the course are that you:

• understand basic concepts related to the meaning and measurement of food security.
• become familiar with food security status of people and places around the world.
• understand the relationships between agricultural, food, and nutritional interventions and food security and nutritional outcomes.
• gain skills in analyzing and interpreting data to develop potential interventions to address food insecurity.

Tips for Success

To do well in this course, remember the following:

This is a fast-paced course. (You have assignments due on the second day of class.)
Also realize that while the Orientation Module starts on the first day of class, Module 1 does, too.
Log in frequently to manage your messages on a near-daily basis. If you let them pile up for three to four days, you might be overwhelmed. You should start working on new module content right away, on Monday of each week.
Consider using a word processing application to create and save all your work so that you have an automatic backup copy of all your assignments. This will also be useful in the unlikely event that our server goes down and we are unable to access course submissions. In this situation, you are still required to keep current on all your tasks and must be prepared to submit completed materials as soon as submission capability is restored.
It is very important that you communicate throughout the course, especially during group projects. If you are having difficulties with something or are going to be away from the computer because of illness or a family emergency (or similar difficulties), please inform your group and the instructor as soon as possible. This will keep the instructor from worrying about your whereabouts and your group members from resenting the fact that the work delegated to you is not being done.
When possible, provide tips and suggestions to your peers in this class. As a learning community, we can help each other learn and grow. One way of doing this is by helping to address the questions that your peers pose. By engaging with each other, we’ll all learn better.

For this course, we will be using the knowledge sharing platform, CGScholar, where you will be undertaking three main kinds of activities:

In the "Community" app within Scholar, you will be viewing and commenting on updates made by the instructor.
Also in Community, you will be making updates for other students to view and comment on.
In the "Creator" app, you will be develop a project, peer review others' projects, and revising ready for publication. When published, we can all view and discuss each other's projects.

CGScholar has features which work like social media and cloud-shared docs. So, if you are familiar with these, you shouldn't need any instructions - just watch out for updates in your activity stream in Community, and notifications in the top messages bar.

If you do get stuck, though, you can find out more in this tutorial.

Because everyone will be making updates, there will be a lot of activity, so here's a tip: to filter just for admin updates (which are essential), go to the updates menu and filter "admin" or you can click on the "Shares" link that says "Admin Updates."

Scholar Tour

How to Use Creator

 

Welcome to Week 1. This week emphasizes definitions of concepts related to food security. We will examine the definition for food security itself and then appraise ways in which different aspects of food security are measured. In the process you will review the status and trends of certain factors contributing to food security.

Time

This module will last 7 days and should take approximately 12 to 14 hours of dedicated time to complete, with its readings and assignments. There are 4 activities (assignments) in this module and one quiz. Please DO NOT try to do all the assignments in one sitting.

Goals and Objectives

At the end of this week, you will be able to :

• Define food security and its four dimensions.
• Define food availability and food access.
• Explain the strengths and weaknesses of specific methods for measuring food availability and food access.
• Interpret national data on food availability and food access to analyze the food security situation in specific countries.

Instructional Activities

Below is a list of the activities and assignments you must complete in this module. Click on the name of each activity for more detailed instructions.

Start Here - Course Orientation

• Read and review Syllabus section
• Complete the Getting to Know Your Classmates activity
• Complete the LSHTM Registration Activity
• Complete the orientation quiz

Tips for Success

To do well in this module, I recommend that you do the following:

1. Review the lessons a number of times to gain a solid understanding of the key questions and concepts introduced this week.
2. Do each activity after you complete the related lesson. Do the Food Balance Sheet activity immediately after lesson 2 on food balance sheets. Do the second activity immediately after lesson 3 and the last two activities after lessons 5 and 6, respectively.
3. When possible, provide tips and suggestions to your peers in this class. As a learning community, we can help each other learn and grow. One way of doing this is by helping to address the questions that your peers pose. By engaging with each other, we’ll all learn better.
4. Do at least a little every day!
5. Take notes while you read the materials for this module. By taking notes, you are interacting with the material and will find that it is easier to remember and to understand. With your notes, you’ll also find that it’s easier to write your assignments.

 

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Comment: 
Food Insecurity can be widespread and quite persistent.. Talk about reasons why we should be concerned about food security. Use examples in the video, personal examples, or research to help you discuss the topic. Answers should be at least 200 words.

 

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Comment: 

Talk about how food security is measured and give a specific example of a place where food security is an issue.

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Reading:

FAO - Food Balance Sheets - A Handbook

 

Activity Summary

In this activity you will get to know the relationship between food availability and access to food in these countries based on the data.

Instructions

Go to: http://faostat3.fao.org/download/D/FS/E

Download and fill in the Suite of Food Security Indicators Table using information from the Suite of Food Security Indicators. In the last column enter the name of a fourth country that you choose to gather data on. 

Post an Update: After you have downloaded and completed the Suite of Food Security Indicators Table, follow the instructions below.

Go to "Updates" in the classroom community. Upload your filled out paper and discuss your thoughts about the Prevalence of Undernourishment.

 

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Directions

View the following Video Clips

After the Harvest (trailer):

Micronutrient Malnutrition:
 

Comment:

What are the food security problems described in these video clips?
Would these problems be observable using the POU as the measure of food insecurity? Why or why not?

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Minimum dietary energy Worksheet

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Readings
https://www.fantaproject.org/sites/default/files/resources/Experience-Expression-Food-Insecurity-Apr2004.pdf.pdf (to p. 21)
http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/wa_workshop/docs/FAO-guidelines-dietary-diversity2011.pdf (to p. 29)

Summary

In this exercise you will get to know food balance sheets and use them to compare the food situation in three countries.

Time Estimate

You should spend approximately 2 hours to complete this assignment

Instructions

Go to: http://faostat3.fao.org/download/FB/FBS/E to select a country and receive their food balance sheet data.

Step 1: Download and fill in the Food Balance Sheet Comparative Table using the information from the Food Balance Sheet data. In the last column enter the name of a fourth country that you choose to gather data on.

Step 2: Go to: http://faostat3.fao.org/download/D/FS/E

Download and fill in the Suite of Food Security Indicators Table using information from the Suite of Food Security Indicators. In the last column enter the name of a fourth country that you choose to gather data on.

After you have downloaded and completed both tables, follow the instructions below.

Go to Updates and create an update. Post your completed Food Balance and Food Security sheets and discuss your thoughts on the tables and the process.

Welcome to Week 3. This week continues to emphasize definitions of concepts related to food security. We will examine the definition for food security itself and then appraise ways in which different aspects of food security are measured. In the process you will review the status and trends of certain factors contributing to food security. Emphasis will be on the third and fourth dimensions of food security: utilization and stability.

Introdcution to ACES Term Project

Time

This module will last 7 days and should take 10 to 12 hours of dedicated time to complete, with its readings and assignments.

Goals and Objectives

At the end of this week, you will be able to :

• Define food security and its four dimensions.
• Identify markers of food utilization and utilization failures.
• Explain the strengths and weaknesses of specific methods for measuring food utilization and food security.
• Interpret national data on food availability, food access, utilization and stability to analyze the food security situation in specific countries.
• Create and apply a food security index.

Readings:

 

Food Security Project Proposal

ACES 298 Food Security for Health in Low Income Countries

Spring 2018

You are asked to develop a proposal for a project that addresses an issue of food security somewhere in the world. The final product from this assignment will be a document in which you make a request for funding to support that project. The scale (eg. neighborhood-based, regional, national) and scope of the project are for you to choose, as is the specific context in which the project is to be implemented.

You proposal has to comply with the following restrictions.

• The final document must be no longer than 2400 words in length.
• Your proposed activities will cost no more the US$2,000,000.
• Your proposed activities will have a measureable impact on food security for insecure people within 2 years of the start of the project.

PART 1: PREPARATION—Due end of week 3

During week 6 of this class you are to submit three ideas for projects for discussion and review. For each of the three project ideas you must provide

Evidence of a specific food security problem in a specific place (eg. 35% of children in the country of Pembia suffer Vitamin A deficiency (WHO, 2015)
A short description of an intervention to address the problem. (eg. we propose to develop school gardens, nutrition education, and horticulture production classes for 200 primary schools in Pembia.)
The outcome you hope to achieve from the intervention. (eg. our program would reach 10,000 school children, providing them with nutrient dense food products that will measurably reduce the likelihood of them being VAD. We expect to reduce the VAD rate from 35% (3,500 school children) to 15% (1,500 school children) over the course of 2 years.

You will need to do research on the current status of food security in a particular place to come up with these three ideas. The proposals have to be feasible (no science fiction), and must be motivated by a real problem.

Each potential project should include:

An evidence-based justification of why the problem is significant;
A specific activity associated with the potential project, ideally with some evidence that the activity could be effective; and
There is a specific goal described in the first potential project

Some links that may help for all projects

Google Scholar to find journal articles: https://scholar.google.com/

UIUC JAL to download journal articles: http://search.grainger.illinois.edu/linker/

The State of Food Insecurity in the World (2014): http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4030e.pdf

Global Hunger Index (2014):

http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ghi14.pdf

Global Food Policy Report (2013):

http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/gfpr2013.pdf

International Food Policy Research Institute publications:

http://www.ifpri.org/publications

World Food Programme information on countries: http://www.wfp.org/countries

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers: http://www.imf.org/external/np/prsp/prsp.aspx

World Development Indicators: http://databank.worldbank.org/data/reports.aspx?source=world-development-indicators

Submission of the possible projects is worth 20% of your project grade

 

PART TWO: PROPOSAL (Due week 5, to allow time for reviews and revisions)

Pick one project from the three you initially considered and complete a full proposal complying to the restrictions above. Post your proposal on the class webpage by May 3 at 11:55 PM. Post a comment on another proposal by May 4 at 11:55 PM).

70% of your grade for this assignment will be based on your proposal. 10% will be based on your comment on another proposal, and 20% will be based on your initial posting of 3 possible projects.

The proposal should follow the template below:

• Title of the project
• Date
• Student name 1
• Summary

 

Start with a one or two sentence summary of your proposal that states the objective, the type of activity proposed, and the location it is to be implemented. For example: “We hereby request funding from the World Food Programme for a school feeding program managed by the Honduran government in the city of San Pedro Sula, Honduras that serves meals featuring orange-fleshed sweet potatoes in order to address widespread vitamin A deficiency.”

I. Background and Justification (at least one paragraph)

Cite evidence (data) to justify why this is an important issue; what’s the problem you want to solve?

II. Objectives and Expected Results (at least one paragraph)

Objectives are somewhat general (ex. Reduce vitamin A deficiency rates).
Expected results should be specific (provide orange fleshed sweet potatoes to 10,000 students, achieve a 25% reduction in rate of vitamin A deficiency among children in one city in Honduras by 2018).

III. Project Implementation and Management (at least two paragraphs, probably more)

What do you want to do in your intervention?
Where is it being done?
Who is doing it? Who is the donor? For example, the World Food Programme could be the financial donor for a school feeding program managed by the Honduran government.
Specify who the beneficiaries are (ex. students who eat at the school).
When: what’s the timeframe? Will the project continue when your funding runs out, and if so, how?
Give evidence that these activities will be sufficient to achieve the expected results. Such evidence should include the documented impacts of similar projects. For example, if you’re doing a school feeding program in Honduras, you could describe the success of a school feeding program in another country.

IV. Plan for Monitoring and Evaluating (at least one paragraph)

Explain how you will make sure the project worked (or know it did not)
How will you monitor the project, report on success/failure, and adjust your strategy according to what you find by monitoring the project? For the school feeding example, you could collect data on child health by surveying the students and testing for vitamin A deficiency; if you’re not making progress, you could change the food you serve.
Are there any ethical concerns for the project’s impact?

V. Project Budget (at least one paragraph)

This does not have to be detailed, but it needs to be somewhat realistic and indicate the major types of costs that will be incurred. List at least 3 things to spend the money on, and roughly estimate how much they’ll cost.
Will the recipients share any of the cost, or is it entirely funded by the donor?
Close the proposal by relating the project costs to the expected results.

VI. References (a list of at least two sources)

This goes on a separate page and doesn’t count towards the page limit.
In your writing in the other sections, you should cite sources for all information you reference in parentheses like this: (Author’s last name, year of publication). If the author’s name isn’t available, cite it like this: (Name of the organization, year of publication). For example: The population of Honduras is 8 million (World Bank, 2013). Then you include the reference in the References page using APA formatting. This tutorial may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCTU3Rxb9Dk

 

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Comment: (True or False) If a child’s height places her 2 standard deviations below the mean height for her age, she is probably undernourished. Answer and explain below in the comments.

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Low BMI corresponds to which of the following?

• Wasting
• Poor utilization
• Stunting

Answer and comment on observations about your learning from this lesson in the comment section below.

 

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Comment: Post questions and thoughts below.

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

WHO Infographics (required):

http://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/foodborne-diseases/ferginfographics.pdf?ua=1

WHO Factsheet (required):

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs399/en/

WHO Full Report (not required)

http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/foodborne_disease/fergreport/en/

 

To see how DALYs are calculated, go to: http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/metrics_daly/en/
 

Comment: Take a look at the links above and comment on questions or ideas in the comment box below.

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Chapter 1 (required)
http://ebrary.ifpri.org/utils/getfile/collection/p15738coll2/id/129683/filename/129894.pdf

Chapter 2 (required)
http://ebrary.ifpri.org/utils/getfile/collection/p15738coll2/id/129684/filename/129895.pdf

Comment: Please ask questions and post your ideas regarding this week's lesson.

Measuring Utilization - Part 1

Summary

In this exercise you will get to know and interpret data on the utilization dimension of food security. There are two steps to complete this activity.

Time Estimate

You should spend approximately 2 hours to complete this assignment

Instructions

Go to: http://faostat3.fao.org/download/D/*/E

Download and fill in the Measuring Utilization_Comparative Table. Using information from the tools provided on the website. In the last enter the name of a fourth country that you choose to gather data on. Select the following items to complete the table:

• Percentage of children under 5 years of age affected by wasting (%)
• Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (%)
• Percentage of adults who are underweight (%)
• Prevalence of anaemia among children under 5 years of age (%)
• Prevalence of anemia among pregnant women (%)
• Prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in the population (%)
• Prevalence of iodine deficiency (%)

Index for Food Security Activity - Part 2

Summary

In this exercise you will get to know and interpret data on the utilization dimension of food security. There are two steps to complete this activity.

Time Estimate

You should spend 2 hours or more to complete this assignment

Instructions

Go to: http://faostat3.fao.org/download/D/*/E

Download and fill in the Index of Food Security table.

Look at the various indicators for which data are available in the “Items” section. Note that these items are classified by “availability”, “access”, “utilization” and “stability”. Select three to five items from this set with which to build a food security index. Then answer the following questions

Which items did you choose?
Using the steps to construct an index as explained in your reading, construct an index from the elements you have chosen. Show how you completed each of the three steps to constructing an index explained in the reading.

 

After you have downloaded and completed the comparative table, post your table and comments on the assignment as an update with the part 1 and part 2!

 

Overview

Welcome to Week 4. This week we explore more deeply the relationship between agriculture and food security. We will examine how agricultural development can have greater or lesser impacts on nutritional outcomes based and characteristics that make agricultural interventions “nutrition sensitive”. The readings and lessons for this week are from the open access course “Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health” from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). To find this content select the following link: http://open.lshtm.ac.uk/course/index.php?categoryid=2 to find this content. ACES 298 will have additional assignments drawn from the materials you will cover in the 2 assigned sessions from the LSHTM course.

Time

This module will last 7 days and should take approximately 12 hours of dedicated time to complete, with its readings and assignments. The LSHTM course includes activities and readings that will take considerable time to complete. While the LSHTM activities and quizzes are not graded, they will contribute to your ability to complete graded assignments. There are 2 activities (assignments) specific to ACES 298 in this module and one quiz. Please DO NOT try to do all the assignments in one sitting.

Goals and Objectives

At the end of this week, you will be able to:

• Distinguish between nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs.
• Describe the contribution of agriculture to overall economic growth, poverty reduction and food security, nutrition and health outcomes.
• Discuss changes to food and agricultural systems with development and the implications of these changes for nutrition.
• Analyze the mechanisms through which an agricultural intervention could impact food security and nutrition.

Two Lessons from LSHTM

The content from this week comes from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). You were asked to register for a free account during week 1. If you didn't get that done, please do so now following this link. You will not be able to gain access to the resources if you aren't registered.

The course we will use this week is Agriculture, Nutrition and Health. There are lessons from two sessions you need to view this week.

Session 1: Introduction to Agriculture, Nutrition and Health.

If you are signed in, this link should take you directly to the Session 1: Introduction to Agriculture, Nutrition and Health lesson. If it does not, use the directions below to navigate to the lesson.

After signing in, use the left-side navigation to expand the entry for Session 1: Introduction to Agriculture, Nutrition and Health. After you click on the triangle to expand the entry, you will see Session 1: Introduction to Agriculture, Nutrition and Health and Q1: Assessment questions for Session 1. After you reach the Session 1: Introduction to Agriculture, Nutrition and Health page, you will see the link titled Click ANH101_S1S1_010_010.html link to view the file.

The lesson for session 1 has 36 pages. You can use navigate through the presentation using the next page link that appears at the bottom of every page, by using the left and right arrows in the right-hand navigation window, or by clicking on the topic in the right-hand navigation menu. The Assessment questions for Session 1 quiz is optional and may be beneficial for the graded quiz linked on our ACES 298 course site for week 4.

Session 3: Agricultural development, economic growth and nutrition.

The other session you'll need to view a lesson in is Session 3: Agricultural development, economic growth and nutrition. As before, if you are signed in, this link should take you directly to the Session 3: Agricultural development, economic growth and nutrition lesson. If it does not, use the directions below to navigate to the lesson.

After signing in, use the left-side navigation to expand the entry for Session 3: Agricultural development, economic growth and nutrition. After you click on the triangle to expand the entry, you will see Session 3: Agricultural development, economic growth and nutrition and Health and Q3: Assessment questions for Session 3. When you click on the 2nd entry (indented) for Session 3: Agricultural development, economic growth and nutrition page, it will take you directly to the lesson.

The lesson for session 3 has 29 pages. Navigation was described for the previous lesson above. The Assessment questions for Session 3 quiz is optional and may be beneficial for the graded quiz linked on our ACES 298 course site for week 4.

Food System Discussion - Update 1

This discussion is designed to give you an opportunity to discuss interventions in, and disruptions to, food systems.

Time Estimate

Approximately 1 hour

Initial Post

The diagram above is a simplified presentation of a food system, in the form of a food value chain.

A nutrition sensitive intervention could occur at any stage of this chain and work to enhance nutritional outcomes. Likewise, a disruption could occur at any stage of this chain that might worsen nutritional health. For this assignment you are to:

Suggest a specific intervention for each stage of the value chain that would have the potential to improve nutritional outcomes. For each intervention you must explain the relationships that lead to the outcome you describe. (You should refer to the linkages noted in the figure called “Research Chain for Agriculture and Nutrition, see quiz question 4.) Indicate any important special conditions that must exist in order for the outcome to be achieved.

Describe a disruption or shock at any of three stages in this food value chain that would have a detrimental effect on nutritional health. As in 1, you must explain the flow of effects that leads to the outcome you describe.

Post an Update - Note, your answer should suggest 6 interventions for part 1 and 3 disruptions for part 2.

Replies

After you’ve posted your answers to the questions above, read your classmates’ responses and reply to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Responses should consist of thoughtful discussion (not just a single sentence). These discussion postings should develop and resemble conversations, so take the time to respond to one another in meaningful ways.

 

Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Discussion - Update 2

For this assignment you should demonstrate your understanding of nutrition sensitive agricultural development by proposing specific agricultural innovations that would have positive or potentially negative effects on food security and nutrition.

Time Estimate

Approximately 1 hour

Initial Post

Describe a specific, hypothetical agricultural development project that would maximize nutritional benefits of a method to raise agricultural productivity. Who would use this method (eg. large-scale farmers? smallholder farmers? women? children?) What kind of crop or animal product would be targeted (eg. corn? coffee? vegetables?) What kind of technology would be required (eg. machines? new seeds? chemicals? new knowledge? processing facilities? etc)? In answering your question you should demonstrate your knowledge about the factors that contribute to poor nutritional outcomes and the relationships between agricultural development and nutritional status.

Describe an agricultural development project that would raise agricultural productivity while potentially diminishing nutritional status of food insecure people. Who would use this method (eg. large-scale farmers? smallholder farmers? women? children?) What kind of crop or animal product would be targeted (eg. corn? coffee? vegetables?) What kind of technology would be required (eg. machines? new seeds? chemicals? new knowledge? processing facilities? etc)? In answering your question you should demonstrate your knowledge about the factors that contribute to poor nutritional outcomes and the relationships between agricultural development and nutritional status.

Replies

After you’ve posted your answers to the questions above, read your classmates’ responses and reply to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Responses should consist of thoughtful discussion (not just a single sentence). These discussion postings should develop and resemble conversations, so take the time to respond to one another in meaningful ways.

Welcome to Week 4. This week we explore some specific, recent developments in agricultural technology and how those technologies relate to food security and nutritional health. Specifically, we will be considering recent developments in biotechnology and also technologies to diversify diets by diversifying crop agriculture.

There are 4 lessons this week. The fourth lesson is longer than most lessons in this class and it will require you to use the open access course “Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health” from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) http://open.lshtm.ac.uk/course/index.php?categoryid=2 . Any linked readings in the LSHTM course are optional. They may be helpful in doing the term project but they are not required.
This week we will also begin work on the term project for the class. This is a project that will take an increasingly large share of your time devoted to this class as the weeks go by.

Time

This module will last 7 days and should take approximately 12 hours of dedicated time to complete, with its readings and assignments. There are 2 activities (assignments) in this module and one quiz. You will also begin work on the term project
and be commenting on work completed last week. Please DO NOT try to do all the assignments in one sitting.

Goals and Objectives

At the end of this week, you will be able to:Explain what a GM crop is, how GM crops are developed, and the primary crops and traits that GM technologies have been applied to.

• Explain what a GM crop is, how GM crops are developed, and the primary crops and traits that GM technologies have been applied to.
• Explain mechanisms through which GM crops contribute to food security
• Explain the issues that make GM crops controversial and that limit their applicability in developing countries.
• Explain mechanisms to use agricultural technologies to improve dietary diversity

Readings and Presentations

Tilman et al. Agricultural Sustainability and Intensive Production Practices (Nature, 2002)

National Geographic, Altered Food, GMOs, Genetically Modified Food, 2002

 

Michael Spector, 2014 “Seeds of Doubt” New Yorker

 

LSHTM, Open Access Course; Agriculture, Nutrition and Health

Session 5, Improving Nutrition through Agricultural Diversification: parts 1,2,3 (Aims, Introduction, Crops).

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Comment: Share questions or thoughts about limits to agricultural growth. Post comments in the box below.

 

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Reading/Viewing
National Geographic, Altered Food, GMOs, Genetically Modified Food, 2002
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/food-how-altered/

Gmo answers, “How are GMOs created?”
https://gmoanswers.com/explore?carouselid=0&slideindex=0 (watch video on papaya)

http://gmoinside.org/gmos-in-animal-feed/

Comment: Share questions or thoughts about your opinions on GMOs. Post comments in the box below.

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

Reading:
•Michael Spector, 2014 “Seeds of Doubt” New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/25/seeds-of-doubt
 

Mark Lynas on his conversion to supporting GMOs—Oxford Lecture on Farming

 

The video below contains one of the lessons for the week. Some of the slides have audio and others are just reading. Pause the video if it is moving too fast and rewind as needed. Take notes as needed or refer back to slides to refresh your memory for the discussion questions. There is a short comment question at the end of this section. In addition, material from this video will apply to the Week 1 Discussion. If needed, below each slide show you will see the audio transcripts for that show.

 

Reading:

LSHTM, Open Access Course; Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Session 5, Improving Nutrition through Agricultural Diversification: parts 1,2,3 (Aims, Introduction, Crops).
http://open.lshtm.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/116/mod_resource/content/130/ANH101/sessions/S1S5/ANH101_S1S5_040_020.html

 

•Go to London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Open Access Course: Agriculture, Nutrition and Health
•Session 5, Improving Nutrition through Agricultural Diversification: parts 1,2,3 (Aims, Introduction, Crops).
http://open.lshtm.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/116/mod_resource/content/130/ANH101/sessions/S1S5/ANH101_S1S5_040_020.html
•And learn about diversification of crops for food security.
 

Welcome to Week 6. This week we explore more about how agricultural interventions can contribute to nutritional security with special attention to the effect of gender roles an gender empowerment on outcomes. We will then begin to consider non-agricultural interventions in the form of social protection programs.

The readings and lessons for this week are from the open access course “Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health” from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and from the course “Programming for Nutritional Outcomes” which is part of the same LSHTM suite of open access courses.

You need to go to: http://open.lshtm.ac.uk/enrol/index.php?id=3 to find this content. ACES 298 will have additional assignments drawn from the materials you will cover in the 3 assigned sessions from the LSHTM courses.

Time

This module will last 7 days and should take approximately 12 hours of dedicated time to complete, with its readings and assignments.

The LSHTM course includes activities and readings that will take considerable time to complete. While the LSHTM activities and quizzes are not graded, they will contribute to your ability to complete graded assignments. There are 2 activities (assignments) specific to ACES 298 in this module and one quiz.

Please DO NOT try to do all the assignments in one sitting.

Goals and Objectives

• At the end of this week, you will be able to:Explain what a GM crop is, how GM crops are developed, and the primary crops and traits that GM technologies have been applied to.
• Explain how gender equity can affect the food value chain from production through consumption and thereby affect nutritional outcomes.
• Describe gender sensitive agricultural interventions that can have particularly strong impacts oln nutritional outcomes, compared to gender-blind programs
• Discuss the roles of livestock and animal source foods in agricultural systems and how livestock can be part of an agriculture for nutrition program.
• Construct a hypothetical social protection program with strong nutritional impacts.

Readings (blue font indicates linked) Lessons

There are 5 readings listed on Page 2 of the Aims and Objectives of the Session.

LSHTH Course Agriculture, Nutrition and Health, Session 4: The Role of Gender

There are 5 readings listed on Page 2 of the Aims and Objectives of the Session.

LSHTH Course Agriculture, Nutrition and Health, Session 5: Improving Nutrition through Agricultural Diversification, Chapter 5, Livestock and Aquaculture.

There are 6 readings listed on Page 2 of the Aims and Objectives of the Session.

LSHTH Course Programming for Nutrition Outcomes, Session 11: Social Protection for Nutritional Outcomes (and associated readings)

 

Continue to work on your ACES Term Project

Comment: Please ask questions and discuss the learning material.

Gender/Livestock - Update 1

You have a choice for this assignment. Do either A or B. Do not do both.

A) Read http://open.lshtm.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/116/mod_resource/content/130/ANH101/sessions/S1S4/images/ifpri.pdf
This report describes various approaches to increasing women’s control over resources in order to enhance food and nutritional security. Pick TWO approaches that complement each other such that they would each be more effective at empowering women and generating good food and nutrition outcomes if they were implemented together. Refer to what you know about the food system to explain why these two interventions are more effective when implemented together.

B) Which do you think is a more realistic way of addressing Vitamin A Deficiency in South Asia: introduction of golden rice or expansion of aquaculture and livestock production.

Time Estimate

Approximately 1 hour

Directions
Create an Update with your choice. Label it 5 Update 1 - Name

Choice A) Pick TWO approaches that complement each other such that they would each be more effective at empowering women and generating good food and nutrition outcomes if they were implemented together. Refer to what you know about the food system to explain why these two interventions are more effective when implemented together.

Choice B) Explain why you feel the introduction of golden rice OR the expansion of aquaculture and livestock production is more likely to work than the other. Describe an important pitfall for the approach that you think is more promising. As you answer this question be careful to be specific and to justify your position with evidence. It will be important for you to consider the complete food system in your response.

Replies

After you’ve posted your answers to the questions above, read your classmates’ responses and reply to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Responses should consist of thoughtful discussion (not just a single sentence). These discussion postings should develop and resemble conversations, so take the time to respond to one another in meaningful ways.

Social Protection Programs for Nutrition - Update 2

Please posit a specific hypothetical social protection program for a specific context that is designed to maximize nutritional impacts. Explain how your program addresses the

(1) Who
(2) Where
(3) What
(4) Why and
(5) How

Questions indicated in session 11 part 4 of the Programming for Nutrition Outcomes LSHTM short course.

Time Estimate

Approximately 1 hour

Directions
Create a separate update for this one labeled 5 - Update 2 - Name

Replies

After you’ve posted your answers to the questions above, read your classmates’ responses and reply to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Responses should consist of thoughtful discussion (not just a single sentence). These discussion postings should develop and resemble conversations, so take the time to respond to one another in meaningful ways.

Welcome to Week 7.

Time

This module will last 7 days and should take approximately 6 hours of dedicated time to complete, with its video lectures and assignments.

Please DO NOT try to do all the assignments in one sitting.

Goals and Objectives

At the end of this week, you will be able to:

• Explain what a GM crop is, how GM crops are developed, and the primary crops and traits that GM technologies have been applied to.
• Understand how food insecurity is measured using an 18-item scale and what has been found to be determinants of food insecurity using that metric and similar metrics.
• Understand the goals behind the establishment of school meal programs.
• Understand the reasons for why GMO crops can benefit small-scale farmers in low-income countries.

.

Video Lectures:

 

Video Lecture 1: Measuring Food Insecurity at the Household Level

Running Time (20:48)

Video Lecture 2: Using Food Assistance Programs to Alleviate Food Insecurity

Running Time (28:39)

Video Lecture 3: Advances in Biotechnologies to Address Food Insecurity

Running Time (22:15)

 

There are no assigned readings this week. Continue to work on your Term Project, and go to the Week 6 Update.

Welcome to Week 8. Assignments for this week are optional. If you do the assignments, the scores from this will increase your overall grade in the analytics.

This week the instructor is Dr. Paul E. McNamara, an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. McNamara is an applied economist and extension specialist focusing on the topics of rural development, extension services and systems, food security and nutrition, and international development. Dr. McNamara directs an international program for strengthening agricultural and nutrition extension services in low-income countries as a means of reducing rural poverty and increasing food security.

This week we learn about international agricultural and nutrition extension and how it can contribute to food security. We will learn about what extension in the context of international development is, and we will consider some alternative examples of extension programs and approaches. In addition, we will examine how extension approaches can improve food security through integrating gender and nutrition into their activities and program designs.

The reading for this week is “Mobilizing the Potential of Rural and Agricultural Extension” from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. There are two supplemental readings in case you would like to go deeper into the topic of agricultural and nutrition extension in international development and food security. One supplemental reading is by Jock Anderson and it was a background paper for the World Bank Annual Report that discussed the issue of agriculture, and it is titled “Agricultural Advisory Services.” Agricultural advisory services is another term used in some countries for agricultural extension. A second supplemental reading is from Paul McNamara (the instructor for this week) and it is titled “A Review of Sustainable Financing of Extension Services in Developing Countries.”

The lessons for the week are in the form of videos of lectures delivered by Dr. Paul E. McNamara.

Time

This module will last 7 days and should take approximately 12 hours of dedicated time to complete, with its readings and assignments. There is one activity and assignment in this module and it concerns viewing some videos on the internet about agricultural extension and posting a summary and reaction to the videos in relation to the material introduced in the lecture and the reading(s).

Please DO NOT try to do all the assignments in one sitting.

Goals and Objectives

At the end of this week, you will be able to:

• Define agricultural extension and explain how it can help smallholder farmers increase their incomes and reduce food insecurity.
• Describe the challenges in providing effective extension services to smallholder farmers in developing countries.
• Describe some approaches that have been effective in providing extension services to smallholder farmers in developing countries.
• Explain how extension can better reach women farmers and have sensitivity to gender issues.
• Explain how extension can improve nutrition through targeted programs.

Required Reading for Week 7

MEAS Discussion Paper 6 - Finance - 2014_12_1 Final

Supplemental Readings for Week 7

Christopolous - Mobilizing the potential of rural and agricultural extension

Anderson - Agricultural Advisory Services: Background Paper for the WDR 2008

Videos

International Agriculture Extension

UNICEF Nutrician Framework

Examples of Extension for Improved Food Security

 

Summary

For this activity and assignment you need to watch at least 20 minutes of videos on agricultural extension and at least one of the videos should be about an agricultural development project (WorldFish and INGENAES have links to several videos that are about agricultural development projects that use various extension approaches.) Then you will write up your brief summary of the videos and respond to the following questions. (While you are watching the videos please take notes and work to answer these questions.)

Time Estimate

You should spend approximately 2 hours to complete this assignment

Instructions
 

Download and watch 20 minutes of video from the videos on agricultural extension watchlist. After you have finished watching the videos download the Video Analysis Assignment and complete the following questions below as listed in the assignement:

• What did you learn about extension and agricultural development and food security from the video?
• What aspect of extension did the video address?
• What issues or challenges of doing extension or delivering extension in the context of agricultural development did the video raise or address?
• What did the video you watched suggest and emphasize concerning extension approaches or aspects of extension that are important?

***In addition to answering the question in your update, find a video on Food Safety by exploring Youtube and post something you would like to share with others and describe why.