Food crisis?
Future crisis?
Tutorial 4
HSS1000 Understanding Social Complexity
Session 1 Introduction: where are we now?
flow 2 Activity 1: Workshop on
understanding food security
in Singapore
3 Activity 2: Second group meeting
for group presentation
Introduction
1. General feedback on students’ forum post
2. Topics covered
Week 7 - Food Sustainability –
Crisis/Revolution
Week 8 - Humanitarian Crises and State
Sovereignty
Activity 1: Examining Crisis from
An Interdisciplinary Perspective
(Food security as an example)
Objectives:
Understand the existing policies and
practices in addressing food insecurity in
SG and their limitations
Discuss the factors that could lead to a
future crisis of food insecurity
Analyze food security issue from both
Geography and Social Work perspectives
Activity plan
Defining food security
Discuss within group
Discuss in class
Synthesis
Defining Food Security
Definition of food security (FAO): A situation that exists when all
people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to
sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs
and food preferences for an active and healthy life (World Food
Summit, 1996).
Four dimentions of food security:
Food availability
Economic and physical access to food
Food utilization
Stability over time
Food Security in Singapore
Food availability in Singapore:
A small country with 720 km2 of land
and 1% of it for food farms
10% local produced, the rest are
imported
The Hunger Report (2020 and 2022, Lien
Centre for Social Innovation of SMU)
Policies and practices in Singapore
Go through the governments’ actions toward
food insecurity in terms of food availability.
Three Food Baskets:
Diversify import sources to reduce risk of
reliance on any single food supply source
Grow local to provide buffer supply in event
of overseas supply disruptions
Grow overseas to help local companies
expand abroad
Policies and practices in Singapore
Government agencies and NGOs’ actions toward food
insecurity:
Govt Financial Schemes (ComCare, MOE FAS)
Philanthropic Foundations (Lee Foundation, Temasek
Foundation)
Social Service Agencies (FSCs, Food Bank, Willing
Heart, Food from the Heart, etc.)
Other ground-up initiatives (e.g. S17 Community
Kitchen)
Group and class discussions
Questions for discussions:
What are the limitations/challenges faced in
addressing food insecurity in Singapore?
What factors could make food insecurity
worse in the future?
Synthesis
Geography Social Work
Mapping food insecurity: e.g. where does our
food come from? and what can we grow/produce Assessing community needs: e.g. which
(in SG)? Is local production enough? social group in our society does not
have the means to food security?
The interaction between food production and Unequal distribution of
environment: how do environmental factors food insecurity Understanding social barriers: the
affect food production, how food producing
impact of socio-economic factors on
practices impact our environment, and our long
food security
term food security?
Synthesis
Geography Social Work
Geographical mapping of areas where Food Bank identifies the needs of
vulnerable households reside can aid in individuals and families struggling with
identifying food-insecure neighbourhoods and food insecurity, and understands the
informing food aid organisations. Food bank problem within a community.
Personalized support to individuals
Local, regional and global collaborative and families, helping them access to
networks food assistance and other services.
Coordinating with different
organisations and volunteers
Activity 2:
Second Meeting for the
Group Presentation
Meeting plan:
Each group will continue to discuss their project
TA will join each group to check the developments in the topics
Tasks and Deadlines:
Group Presentation Abstract Deadline (10%):
20th Oct, 23:59pm (for odd week tutorials)
27th Oct, 23:59pm (for even week tutorials)
Group Oral Presentation (25%): During your tutorial classes (Weeks 11 -12)
Food crisis?
Future crisis?
Tutorial 4
HSS1000 Understanding Social Complexity
