OADI 2350 - The Politics of Global Food Security

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

Since the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, food security has been among the hottest topics in contemporary global politics and international affairs. This course will explore the complex dynamics associated with achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG-2 on hunger and malnutrition. The course will review various food production systems and their inseparable links to climate change, public health challenges, and environmental sustainability. Students will learn how the global food system functions, how it is governed, and the challenges and constraints to achieving more equitable access and availability of nutritious foods and the resources required for its production. Key topics will include global food/agricultural-related institutions, armed conflicts, the global trade of food and food products, nutrition, food safety, ecomomic and social inequalities, the human right to adequate food, and the respective roles (and shortcomings) of markets, governments, science, technology, and innovation in helping us reach our food security goals and needs at global, regional, national and local levels. The course is geared toward learners wishing to have a fuller understanding of contemporary food politics, relevant food and nutrition-related institutions, links between food and climate change, key food system actors, and the major challenges of governing the global food system.

Learning Outcomes

• Recognize key terms, issues, and institutions associated with the global food system;
• Evaluate critical food security and related sustainability issues, and explore context-specific policy options for addressing contemporary issues and challenges;
• Analyze data and indicators linked to SDG-2 (hunger/malnutrition), the Paris Climate Accord, the Rio Climate Conventions, and other agreements and targets linked to global food security; and,
• Debate the interconnections and trade-offs between, and among, various policy approaches to achieving sustainable food systems from the local to the global level.

Professional Skills

Students will become well-versed in the full scope of global food security and food systems and how food and agriculture issues impact, and are impacted by, changing global circumstances and politics. This knowledge will be relevant for any student interested in a career in public policy, development, the private sector and/or local governance. A full understanding of food and the politics surrounding food and agriculture will also benefit learners every time they purchase, prepare, and consume food.

N/A

Students will receive oral feedback after in-class debates and written feedback after the mid-term and final assessments, as well as after completion of group projects. Instructor will be available for individual consultations (via Zoom or in-person) throughout the term regarding any aspect of the course or individual assessments.

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 2.5 hours a week / 30 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester