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The impact of food insecurity on education
Food insecurity has a negative influence on academic outcomes. As an education practitioner, I am concerned because affected students experience more behavioral, emotional, and academic challenges in their home and school environments. Food insecurity is related to low academic performance, socialization problems, and poor health. Hence, I want to address food insecurity linked to poverty in elucidating unequal academic outcomes. Therefore, in this paper, I aim to evaluate the impact of food insecurity on education while pinpointing underlying concepts namely climate change, over-intensive agriculture, and commoditization of food.
Geographic concepts are crucial in evaluating food insecurity. Climate change has a substantive impact on food security. Considered the current leading cause of food insecurity, climate change has led to a decrease in food production and price volatility because of droughts, floods, and hurricanes (Hossain et al., 2). Climate and food production are connected and agriculture is heavily dependent on climatic conditions. Thus, climate change affects food production because of changes in agro-ecological conditions leading to food insecurity. Lack of food caused by climate change can lead to hunger and susceptibility to health complications among school-going children (Hossain et al. 3).
Moreover, over-intensive agriculture is a threat to food security. Overexploitation of land for agricultural purposes leads to loss of biodiversity and soil degradation. According to Nakhate (36) land degradation threatens the sustainability of the agriculture sector because large portions of land meant for the growth of food, grasslands, and woodlands have vanished. The majority of the degradation is caused by intensive cultivation particularly by small-scale farmers in rural areas where they depend on agriculture for food (Nakhate 37). The farmers use ecologically fragile areas and plant food in locations that are vulnerable to erosion. Another key thing to remember, the decrease in natural forests critical for flora and fauna and insufficient water resources harms the agriculture sector.
Although sufficient food is produced to adequately feed the world’s population, most of it is commercialized. The commoditization of food prioritizes monetary gain and economic development over consumption that is a basic need. Agricultural exports increase food insecurity because corporations and larger agricultural shareholders are motivated by profits instead of food production for consumption (Brigham 732). Agricultural exports are more likely to cause hunger because of insufficient food available for the local population. Brigham (735) asserts that the distribution of income from exports poses a challenge and can cause food insecurity because smallholders are denied their share and have to struggle with food insecurity. Large corporations export immense food products to foreign countries and fail to import staple food which threatens food security.
The concepts mentioned above contribute to food insecurity that affects some school-going children. The problem is a constraint to their growth and development, health, psychological and behavioral welfare especially among those from low-income families. Research validates that most of them face behavioral, emotional, and academic challenges (Anisef et al., 10). Cognitive problems cause difficulty in comprehending language and memory which affects their overall academic performance. Mental health challenges such as depression and suicidal thoughts are prevalent among the children making it difficult to interact with others in the school environment (Anisef et al., 15). Their social skills are compromised and absenteeism from school is common. Most importantly, food insecurity in the early years can affect the transition process to higher learning institutions (Anisef et al., 20).
To sum up, food insecurity harms the academic performance of young people. Geographic concepts such as climate change, over-intensive agriculture, and commoditization of food contribute to food insecurity. Behavioral, psychological, and physical challenges are associated with young people experiencing food insecurity. For that reason, they have trouble interacting with others, face cognitive problems, and are vulnerable to health complications that harm academic performance. Therefore, society and government institutions are encouraged to address the issue of food insecurity and establish methods to mitigate factors causing it.
Works Cited
Anisef, P., et al. “Food Insecurity and Educational Outcomes: A Focus on TDSB Students.” Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, 2017, pp. 1-59.
Brigham, Anne M. “Agricultural Exports and Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Qualititative Configurational Analysis.” Development Policy Review, vol. 29, no. 6, 2011, pp. 729-748.
Hossain, M. S., et al. “Climate Change and Its Impact On Food Security In South Asian Countries.” 2014, pp. 1-8.
Nakhate, Pranav. Agriculture and Human values: An Era towards A New Dawn. Institute of Chemical Technology, 2013.