RDEV30160 Food Poverty and Policy

Academic Year 2022/2023

Globalization goes well beyond the boundaries of economics and markets and impacts on the very basic needs that sustain people's lives, including their access to food. It is estimated that in 2009 more than one billion people were food poor and for reasons of access, affordability or availability do not have enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs for healthy lives. At the same time almost one billion people are categorised as obese. The linkage between people's access to food at household level and the general state of the market place have never been as strong e.g. transport and energy costs in Europe impact on the costs of basic food stuffs for poor households not just in Europe but also in poor regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. Historically many countries have been shaped by periods of food poverty, including Ireland, and for hundreds of millions of households today chronic hunger is a reality. This module explores the causes of food poverty in poor countries of the South as well as some of the economically wealthier countries of the North. It aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop a deeper appreciation of both the extent and nature of food poverty as well as an understanding of the range of policies that aim to address this problem. This module has been developed as part of the Egalitarian World Initiative in UCD and with the financial support of Irish Aid.

Show/hide contentOpenClose All

Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
explain the concept of food poverty and food security as it relates to the household, national and global levels;
understand and describe the causes of food poverty and associated outcomes;
identify the main policies and measures that are used to address food poverty in Ireland, the EU and in a number of developing countries; and
identify challenges for Ireland in addressing food poverty both at home and abroad.

Indicative Module Content:

The main topics addressed in this module are:
Understanding food poverty and security
The extent of the problem
Outcomes and causes of food poverty
Policies and measures to address food poverty in Developing Countries
Measuring the Extent of Food Poverty in Ireland – methods, data, trends
Current/Recent Evidence re Food Poverty relating to Ireland and other High Income Countries
National and International Policy Context Impacting on Food Poverty
Actors and Institutions Impacting on Food Poverty
Responses/Interventions Impacting on Food Poverty


Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Specified Learning Activities

36
Autonomous Student Learning

50
Total

110
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The teaching and learning approaches used will combine class lectures, with group work and case-based learning. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Class Test: Short questions covering sections related to Developing World experience of food poverty Week 9 n/a Standard conversion grade scale 40% No

25
Group Project: Group project on food poverty related to Irish/ EU situation Week 5 n/a Standard conversion grade scale 40% No

25
Assignment: Take home written assignment based on entire course content Week 12 n/a Standard conversion grade scale 40% No

50

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring Yes - 1 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on Group assignments will be provided through a feedback sheet to each group, post assessment Summary feedback on Class Test will be provided to class through Blackboard

Name Role
Dr Deirdre O'Connor Lecturer / Co-Lecturer