Food For a Healthy Planet II (UNIB20014)

Food is a basic human need. Close to 800 million people suffer from chronic hunger. The world’s farmers grow enough food to feed everyone, but it is not properly distributed. At the same time, over a billion people are suffering from diet related illness due to the availability of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods. By 2050 the world’s population will increase by two or three billion, which will likely double the demand for food. The resources required to grow food are becoming scarce and climate change has the potential to irreversibly damage the natural resource base on which agriculture depends. Through engaging experts from across multiple disciplines, Food for a Healthy Planet subjects explore the global mega trends that are impacting on human health and planetary health and teaches students about the impacts food choices might have on their health and on the environment.

Indicative content for Food for a Healthy Planet II is:

1. Nutrition for optimal health
   • Good nutrition for all ages
   • Sports nutrition
   • Diet-disease relationships
   • Food allergies
   • Undernutrition in developing countries
   • Food insecurity in Australia
   • Food safety
2. Fundamental concepts in the economics of food production
   • Applying economic theory to analyse food prices
3. Global environmental challenges such as effects of climate change, overfishing of the oceans and scarcity of water
4. Production of food in a changing environment
   • Organic food production
   • Importance of bees for crop production
   • Genetic modification
5. Introduction to the ethics of food production