Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE LAS1092

 
TITLE Food Security and Systems: A Focus for the Maltese Island

 
UM LEVEL I - Introductory Level

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences

 
DESCRIPTION While the issue of food related security gained attention during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is not the first time that Malta came razor close to low food supplies. In fact, events like the entrance of the SS Ohio convoy during World War II are still imprinted in local memories.

Food security, while strongly linked with the supply and demand of food within a community, it also refers to the quality of the nourishment provided, in that it needs to be sufficient, safe and nutritious to meet dietary requirements. Therefore, it includes nutrition adequacy, affordability and availability, food safety, ecosystem stability, sociocultural well-being, resilience and waste and loss-reduction.

Using the Maltese scenario, this study unit assesses food security from an island state perspective and seeks to address questions like - what lessons have we learned in a post-covid scenario? What are the changes caused by climate change? What factors have led to a decrease in agricultural output? What new agricultural technologies can be implemented to increase the efficiency in production? What are the nutritional aspects in the Maltese diet that contribute to food insecurity? How can traditional methods, like fermentation assist in reducing insecurity?

The unit will therefore encompass the economic but also the ecological, nutritional and social dimensions of food security. Ultimately, students will be provided with a full comprehensive view of the factors that make a country food secure or otherwise.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

a. Explain the multi-dimensional aspects of food security and how they feature in Maltese food systems and other island communities;
b. Describe how issues like climate change and other environmental factors bear a direct relationship with food security;
c. Describe healthy, sustainable food systems and the link with food security;
d. Critically discuss a selection of different indicators that are used to measure food security, also within sustainable food systems;
e. Analyse the impact of lacunae in the different food security dimensions on human wellbeing;
f. Describe the role that food wastage has in food security;
g. Analyse localized solutions to increase security.

2. Skills
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

1. Critically review media articles focused on healthy food systems and food security;
2. Investigate the economic, social, cultural and environmental developments that impact food security;
3. Develop solutions to case studies involving different aspects of food security.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- FAO, I., The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021, FAO. Rome, Italy. Retrieved from https://policycommons.net/artifacts/1850109/the-state-of-food-security-and-nutrition-in-the-world-2021/2596732/ on 14 May 2023. CID: 20.500.12592/p0dx35. (main text).
- LANG, T., & BARLING, D. (2012). Food security and food sustainability: reformulating the debate. The Geographical Journal, 178(4), 313–326. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23360870 (main text).
- Mc Carthy, U., Uysal, I., Badia-Melis, R., Mercier, S., O'Donnell, C., & Ktenioudaki, A. (2018). Global food security–Issues, challenges, and technological solutions. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 77, 11-20. (main text).
- Clapp, J. Food. (2012) Cambridge. Polity Press. ISBN-13: 978-0-7456-4935-1. (supplementary reading).
- Hirvonen, K., Bai, Y., Headey, D., & Masters, W. A. (2020). Affordability of the EAT–Lancet reference diet: a global analysis. The Lancet Global Health, 8(1), e59-e66. (supplementary reading).

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture, Fieldwork and Seminar

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Case Study (Take Home) Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Everaldo Attard
Malcolm Borg
Margaret Camilleri Fenech (Co-ord.)
Suzanne Piscopo
Rachel Radmilli
Bernadine Satariano

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit