Module 10: Global Nutrition, Starvation, and Malnutrition

Agriculture was probably first practiced in the Fertile Crescent, a region of southwestern Asia that includes parts of what are now Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. Similar developments likely occurred at about the same time in China, although the archaeological evidence is less clear. Other cultures discovered the benefits of agriculture later through the domestication of local species of plants and animals (for instance, in parts of Central America, western South America, and New Guinea). However, in other regions, domesticated species were mostly imported from elsewhere, as occurred in Australia, Europe, and North America. (Image Attribution: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr, September 9, 2009)

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:

1. Define domestication and relate it to humans, crops, and livestock.
2. List the most important plants and animals in agriculture; provide an overview of the management systems used in their cultivation.
3. Explain how organic agriculture uses a more ecological approach to the cultivation of crops.
4. Explain the difference between macronutrients and micronutrients.
5. Explain the four pillars of food security.
6. Provide an overview of the factors leading to global starvation and malnutrition.
7. Describe global, national, and state strategies to address nutrition challenges.
8. Identify nutritional connections between human health and environmental factors.

1. Read the Module 10 Introduction 
   
2. Read Chapter 10 in Pressbooks.
3. Complete the Chapter 10 Focused Reading Quiz.
4. Complete the assignment and discussion questions.

Module Pressbooks Resources and Activities