“UK farms must grow more fruit and veg for food security”

Geography Case Study

We are meant to eat our Five a Day.

The UK only produces 17% of the fruit
and 55% of the vegetables that are bought in British shops.

40% of UK food is produced abroad.

Between 2023 and 2024, the Trussell Trust food banks distributed three million food parcels
to British people.

So what is going on?

This resource includes a variety of lesson activities to pick and choose:

Which Geography keyword (farming types) is the odd one out?

Which grass (cereals) is the odd one out?

In which photo of farming are you most likely to see agrichemicals being used? (vs Golden Rice).

%Ws & 1H - Battery hens (for class discussion).

Comparison of farming today with a 14th c. illustration.

Link to Channel 4 News video: ‘Millions in UK need to double income to escape poverty’.

Lateral Thinking about food supplies - ‘Discuss how these four photographs are linked… Then write three sentences to explain your ideas’ (climate change, floods, empty shekves, container ship).

Development compass worksheet: ‘Food security’.

Info sheet: ‘UK Food Security’ - to help complete…

Question Grid: ‘UK Food Security’.

Role play group sheets:

• HM Government
• UK farmers
• Egyptian farmers
• UK families
• UK supermarkets
• UK food bank organisers

Each sheet has some background info, two possible questions and space for students’ own questions to prepare before the role play itself.

Stakeholders’ conclusions: Worksheet folowing the role play

Worksheet: complete a divided bar graph showing ‘UK Food Imports’. Then students read the text, highlighting the main reasons why the UK’s food security is a problem.
Finally, they write a conclusion to explain what they have learned about the UK’s food security.

Worksheet: ‘Geo-Hexagons: Food Security’ - war, climate, money, Europe, inflation, shopping. Students explain in detail how each image is linked geographically.

Worksheet - Living Graph: ‘UK Households Experiencing Food Insecurity’ (with 20 clues to choose from).

Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link activity - ’ Food Imports to the UK’ (info sheet including proportional area map, worksheet to complete bar graph showing origin of foodstuffs, PEEL worksheet to complete).

Worksheet - ‘True for who? UK Food Security’

Worksheet - deBono’s ‘Six Hats: Food Security in the UK’.

Worksheet - ‘Thought Chains: Food Security in the UK’. Activity trains students to analyse data in detail using connectives. (Imports, sustainability, food bank use in the UK).

Food Security mystery: ‘Why are UK food prices so high?’
32 clues to distribute amongst students. Includes Ukraine War, changing diets, inflation, food waste).

Worksheet - ‘Geography Web: Food Security in the UK’.
Part filled-in to show how students should complete the activity. Links to be made between: Food supplies, the UK, Ukraine, Russia, migrant workers, petrochemicals).

Teachers’ Background Information: Includes links to original BBC article, academic articles.