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Linking geographic concepts to human and environmental issues
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Elisha Upton
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Rescooped by Elisha Upton from Geography Education onto The Geography Classroom |
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"The tiny black-eyed pea is about to wage battle in Malawi. The small country in southeast Africa is the site of a project to help with food security, nutrition and income. Western University researchers are among those who will work with 30,000 farmers to help diversify crops into protein-rich legumes, such as the black-eyed pea, a popular type of cow pea in Malawi." Via Seth Dixon 
Seth Dixon's curator insight,
March 14, 3:17 PM
Tags: food, agriculture, Africa, Malawi, unit 5 agriculture.
Seth Dixon's comment,
March 15, 8:44 PM
A good friend of mine is currently working for USAID in Malawi. This is what he had to say: I think crop diversification is really important here in Malawi. Most farmers have a heavy reliance on maize,which results in reduced hunger but there continues to be persistent malnutrition among children as their diets consist of mostly maize.Almost everyone here grows maize, you might be a school teacher or a health worker, but you are also most likely growing maize as well. Farmers are very risk averse here, so introducing a new crop takes time, finding the few willing to experiment and then using them to show their neighbors of the benefits. Other organizations are working on crop diversification here in Malawi, the US government, Catholic Relief Services, and other international development partners. Although not spelled out in the article, the majority of farmers are actually women, and agricultural production is typically for household subsistence with minimal cash cropping. As crop diversification increases, cash crops will provide more resources for families to pay for education and health for their families, but probably more importantly families will start diversifying their nutritional intake beyond maize. In a country where 42% of under 5 children are stunted, this will be a positive development. My wife was just out in the South of the country with CRS and was seeing some of the work that they are doing towards crop diversification as a result of USAID funding. She was really impressed to see how different vulnerable groups have been targeted by similar programs. She was able to see changes in rural villages in very insecure food zones. She saw how those lead farmers, willing to adopt new techniques or diversify crops, plant cash crops, etc, are reaping the benefits. Their neighbors are seeing it in action and are now adopting the techniques. It is not an immediate adoption, you have to give it time. These people are very risk averse, when set backs aren't just an inconvenience, but translate into starvation, it is understandable why it takes time. It also makes it more impressive when you find those willing to take the risks and try to set aside some land for a new crop. I am sure my agricultural colleagues would have more sophisticated answers but just some of my personal thoughts/observations."
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Across Africa, a continent where the average age is about 19, protests have flared against leaders who may have outstayed their welcome.
This interactive mapping feature compares two distinct data sets in an attempt to show that the two are correlated on the continent of Africa. The base layer of this thematic map is demographic, noting how much of the overall population in a given country is under the age of 16. The interactive feature with point data describes the political unrest or instability in that particular country.
Questions to ponder: Does the cartographer 'convince' you that Africa's having a very young (globally speaking) demographic cohort led towards greater political instability? Are there other factors worth considering? What does this map and it's embedded data tell us?
Tags: Africa, political, conflict, unit 4 political, states, governance, population, demographics, unit 2 population. Via Seth Dixon Delete the scoop?
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How can political stability and security be measured? What constitutes effective governance? Foreign Policy, in conjunction with the Fund for Peace, has created a statistical ranking to measure the lack of effective political institutions. For the 4th year running, Somalia has been statistically measured as the most failed state on Earth. Chad and Sudan are respectively ranked as the 2nd and 3rd most failed states.The 12 metrics that are a part of this index are: •Demographic Pressures •Refugees/IDPs •Illegitimate Govts. •Brain Drain •Public Services •Inequality •Group Grievances •Human Rights •Economic Decline •Security Forces •Factionalized Elites •External Intervention Via Seth Dixon 
Don Brown Jr's comment,
July 16, 2012 9:57 PM
The global fallout of the Arab revolutions may be largely determined by demographics and political stability. Unlike Somalia for example which is in total anarchy, the Arab Spring uprisings occurred in more stable but oppressive governments. So this brings up the question, can a failed state rescue itself?
Derek Ethier's comment,
November 5, 2012 2:35 PM
Althought sub-Saharan Africa has 5 of the 10 most quickly developing countries, they still lag very far behind the rest of the world in quality of living. Somalia, Chad and Suda are the most failed states on Earth, in order. The governments are unable to protect/provide for their people, brain drains suck the great minds to more developed countries, income inequalities ravage the nations, basic human rights are denied and the economies are pathetic. Overall, it is a sad story as many of these African nations also suffer from drought, famine and massive food shortages.
Sam Capron's curator insight,
April 4, 12:29 AM
For the fourth year running Somalia is once again the number one failed state in the world. The country is run by pirates, and even terrorist groups find the country too unstable. Delete the scoop?
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Although slavery is no longer legal there are still millions of people living in slavery today. One place and industry where slaves still exist is the cocoa ...
The world's leading producer of cocoa is Côte d'Ivoire and dirty secret is that slavery is commonplace on cocoa plantations in West Africa. Children are smuggled from countries such as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso and then are placed on remote, isolated plantations. While statistics are all guesstimates, this video is purporting that 35% of the world's chocolate is produced by slave labor (I've seen higher estimates). What factors lead to this horrific condition? How is this a geographic issue? Via Seth Dixon 
Arlis Groves's comment,
February 28, 2012 12:09 AM
Thanks, Seth. I ordered this DVD last year but can't find it just now, so I'm glad you posted it. A colleague used it as part of a human rights unit in her AVID class which culminated in a socratic seminar. The discussion was thoughtful and informed.
Arlis Groves's comment,
February 28, 2012 12:11 AM
Ah, I mean Karen. I see that my direct rescoop it from your site. Thanks. Arlis
ethne staniland's curator insight,
May 16, 11:58 AM
Not so much for the children but interesting none the less. Delete the scoop?
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A short film showing the work of FARM-Africa's Maendeleo Agricultural Technology Fund (MATF) in Uganda. The National Farmers Union (NFU) is working with FARM...
The Green Revolution is (belatedly) impacting Africa. Notice the cultural environment within which agriculture takes place here. What are the gendered differences in the production of food? What impact does that have on society? Via Seth Dixon 
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 5, 2012 2:29 PM
Wow not just the men in the video are working this hard, but women and children as well. It makes you think how much we have as Americans and how much we take everything for granted. These African people are tough, they have to do so much more to survive than we do.
Elizabeth Allen's comment,
November 7, 2012 10:46 AM
This video helps us to see the innovative ways African farmers use Cassava. Cassava is a market crop that many African people are dependent on. They know in order to achieve an income from the crop they need to market it in different varieties, for example- to turn it in to flour. Cassava is labor intensive crop that can take up to a year to be at it's full potential, but the people, women and children included, know that they need to tend to the crop in every stage to insure its success. With the income from the crop, families are able to send their children to school.
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The story of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan is a heartbreaking and inspiring tale of youth caught in cultural and geopolitical conflicts and fored to leave their homes. The film God Grew Tired of Us tells a moving story of young people overcoming incredible challenges and struggling to improve their own lives and those of family and friends left behind." Linked here is a lsson plan from National Geographic "to teach students about concepts of migration, cultural mosaics, sense of place, and forces of cooperation and conflict among communities" using this 90 minute documentary. The film can be viewed online on HULU as well as other media outlets.
Tags: culture, Africa, political, conflict, war, migration, development, APHG. Via Seth Dixon Delete the scoop?
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This satire provide a critique of the political, economic and environmental actions of Shell oil in the Niger Delta region. The biting commentary highlights the obvious lies that have been told by Shell over the years while their company has been ravaging the Niger Delta. Via John Peterson, Seth Dixon Delete the scoop?
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Although slavery is no longer legal there are still millions of people living in slavery today. One place and industry where slaves still exist is the cocoa ...
The world's leading producer of cocoa is Côte d'Ivoire and dirty secret is that slavery is commonplace on cocoa plantations in West Africa. Children are smuggled from countries such as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso and then are placed on remote, isolated plantations. While statistics are all guesstimates, this video is purporting that 35% of the world's chocolate is produced by slave labor (I've seen higher estimates). What factors lead to this horrific condition? How is this a geographic issue? Via Seth Dixon
Arlis Groves's comment,
February 28, 2012 12:09 AM
Thanks, Seth. I ordered this DVD last year but can't find it just now, so I'm glad you posted it. A colleague used it as part of a human rights unit in her AVID class which culminated in a socratic seminar. The discussion was thoughtful and informed.
Arlis Groves's comment,
February 28, 2012 12:11 AM
Ah, I mean Karen. I see that my direct rescoop it from your site. Thanks. Arlis
ethne staniland's curator insight,
May 16, 11:58 AM
Not so much for the children but interesting none the less. Delete the scoop?
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Scoop.it!
A short film showing the work of FARM-Africa's Maendeleo Agricultural Technology Fund (MATF) in Uganda. The National Farmers Union (NFU) is working with FARM...
The Green Revolution is (belatedly) impacting Africa. Notice the cultural environment within which agriculture takes place here. What are the gendered differences in the production of food? What impact does that have on society? Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 5, 2012 2:29 PM
Wow not just the men in the video are working this hard, but women and children as well. It makes you think how much we have as Americans and how much we take everything for granted. These African people are tough, they have to do so much more to survive than we do.
Elizabeth Allen's comment,
November 7, 2012 10:46 AM
This video helps us to see the innovative ways African farmers use Cassava. Cassava is a market crop that many African people are dependent on. They know in order to achieve an income from the crop they need to market it in different varieties, for example- to turn it in to flour. Cassava is labor intensive crop that can take up to a year to be at it's full potential, but the people, women and children included, know that they need to tend to the crop in every stage to insure its success. With the income from the crop, families are able to send their children to school.
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