My name is HSC and this term I enrolled in the class Food For Thought. We learned about a number of topics in the class, such as the history of food and how it spread around the world, how food affects the economy, and how food is produced and distributed. Some of the field experiences we went to this term include but are not limited to the Uncommon Ground Rooftop Garden and Metropolis Coffee. Both of these field experiences allowed me to learn more about different types of foods and how they are made and grown. I have appreciated the new learning in the class because it taught me how foods can impact societies. This has allowed me to begin to be more mindful of issues related to food. For example, the powers that large food companies have are hurting the environment and the consumers. As a result, I am more mindful of supporting small businesses and smaller farms. In conclusion, I think that this was a very interesting course that taught me a lot about our food industry. Every 10 seconds, we lose a child to hunger. (Sheeran). The SDGs are the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations to end every global problem by 2030. I chose Target 2.1, which aims to end hunger and ensure access to all people, especially poor people and people in vulnerable situations. This is a global issue because 790 million people worldwide don’t have access to adequate food (Sheeran). This is important due to the fact that hunger is not caused by lack of food availability but more because of natural human-induced disasters and political instability. My solution is to increase access to food by helping small farmers use newer technologies to solar-dry fruits and vegetables. The purpose of my paper is to explain why teaching small farmers to use solar power to extend the shelf life of their products will help end world hunger and improve the local economy. The goal is to find solutions to end world hunger by using newer technologies in low-cost and safe environments to help small farmers and communities find sustainable ways to store food. The UN identifies ending hunger as a global priority because 26.4 percent of the world’s population in 2018 was affected by moderate to severe food insecurity (Goal 2, SDG). That means more than a quarter of the world’s population is impacted by food insecurity. Additionally, growth stunting caused by malnourishment among children is getting worse. Over 21 percent of children under the age of five are stunted due to the food shortage which has a long-term impact on their ability to grow and have successful lives (Goal 2, SDG). Lastly, Covid-19 has also hit small-scale food producers and developing countries hard. This is mostly caused by the fact that people can’t crowd places, and food factories have a lot of people working in close proximity to one another. History is full of examples of food shortages. For example, the “Little Ice Age” in the 17th century led to a food shortage and war. The Little Ice Age occurred from the mid-14th century through the mid-19th century. During this time, mountain glaciers expanded in many areas including the European Alps and North Atlantic regions. This led to the temperature rapidly declining by about 1.1 degrees Fahrenheit. The effect of this temperature change was extremely problematic. For example, in Europe, cold winters and cool summers caused crop failures and famine. Additionally, one colony in Greenland completely collapsed due to famine and starvation. The cause of this disaster is not certain, however, it is thought that changes in the atmosphere and an explosive volcano could have started it (Rafferty). This shows us that temperature changes are unpredictable and out of our control. As stated in the book, Empires of Food, “Human-induced changes aside, our planet’s climate is hardly static” (Fraser and Rimas 8). Given that anything is possible, we should prepare for the worst. The “Little Ice Age” is just one of many examples of food shortages in history, however, we can learn a lot from this tragic event. For example, we can learn that it is important to prepare for the future and prevent consequences from natural disasters. During this event, civilizations were woefully underprepared. They didn’t know how to respond to the lack of food and famine, so they reverted to violence and chaos. There weren’t enough resources which led to food riots and pillaging. Ultimately, this only made things worse. Incidents like this teach us that it is important to prepare for these inevitable events in advance. The things that caused the “Little Ice Age” can and will happen again. Therefore, it is important to plan for them now. One way to do this is to preserve and store food. As stated earlier, my solution is to increase access to food by helping small farmers use newer technologies to solar-dry food. I came up with this idea while eating freeze-dried mangos that are commonly found in grocery stores and thought that they have incredibly long shelf lives. What if farmers had access to solar-powered dehydrators to dry foods? How might this technology let them stock more foods for people without the worry or fear about when they may rot? Ancient civilizations used this exact same process except that they left the crops out in the sun for long periods of time to let them completely dry out. One type of technology that can be designed is called a chimney solar dryer. This technology is currently being studied by UC Davis researchers for the Horticulture Innovation Lab (Feed the Future). Its purpose is to preserve fruits and vegetables in order to provide greater access to people and hopefully aid the end of world hunger (Feed the Future). The solar chimney uses solar energy and airflow to dry fresh produce quickly. The materials needed to build this technology are very simple, such as a drying table, chimney, and a mesh drying tray. It’s good that these materials are so easy to acquire because it allows even people in secluded areas to make this tool easily. I believe this solution is feasible to end world hunger because it would allow people to extend the shelf life of foods that are full of nutrients. In turn, this would increase the supply of food in case of another natural disaster like the “Little Ice Age.” Ultimately, this solution supports the Target I chose because it not only preserves good food but would make this food accessible to more people around the world in areas that are suffering from hunger. In conclusion, world hunger is a serious problem that is threatening people all around the world. One of the main contributors to this is natural disasters such as the events that caused the “Little Ice Age.” These disasters lead to famines by destroying land, therefore, hindering crop growth. But there are solutions that can help feed people and prepare for disasters that could render all of us without access to food. I believe that we can increase access to food by helping small farmers use new technologies to solar dry food. Farmers can use this to increase shelf life for foods that would otherwise spoil quickly. My recommendations will help give access to food all over the world, especially poor people and people in vulnerable situations by preserving food so when a natural disaster happens again, we will be ready. Overall, the actions we make today matter. Solar dried foods can be easily made and don’t expire which makes them great foods during natural disasters and in times of need. This would be a great investment that will change our future and the futures of people all around the world. Sources “Ending Hunger Now.” Performance by Josette Sheeran, TED Talk Ending Hunger Now , July 2011, www.ted.com/talks/josette_sheeran_ending_hunger_now?language=en. “Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture.” Chimney Solar Dryer | Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture, horticulture.ucdavis.edu/chimney-solar-dryer. G., Fraser Evan D. Empires of Food: Feast, Famine, and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations. Counterpoint, 2012. “Goal 2 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs.” United Nations, United Nations, sdgs.un.org/goals/goal2. Rafferty, John P. “Changes in Large-Scale Atmospheric Patterns.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 26 Aug. 2011, www.britannica.com/science/Little-Ice-Age/Changes-in-large-scale-atmospheric-patterns.
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