Political Ecology: The orld Food System
Global difference in food patterns is one of the most noticed and researched traits of world's nations. hat we eat and how we consume it, is part of our culture and living style. It is very obvious that an Arab living in KSA is going to consume more dates rather than Fish as compared to a Bengali living in India. Availability is a key factor which is a decisive factor in our eating habits. However, one cannot forget the importance of available capital or money, in affecting our eating habits. Thus availability and affordability are the key factors which play important role in determining our eating patterns. Similarly, this is the reason why a family living in Germany would have a totally opposite food intake as compared to the one living in Mali, Africa.

In 2005, Peter Menzel published his book called, "Hungary Planet: hat the…...

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Work Cited

Food and Agriculture Organization. World Food Insecurity and Malnutrition: Scope, Trends, Causes and Consequences. 2009

International Monetary Fund. Malawi -- The Food Crises, the Strategic Grain Reserve, and the IMF. 2002

Godoy, Julio. Climate Change Worsening Farming's Trade-Related Woes. 2009

Menzel, Peter. Hungary Plant: What the world eats. 2005

Political Ecology
One of the biggest challenges facing the world is controlling the natural resources of the planet. This is because population growth has been leading to increases in demand on available land (in an effort to produce food). The problem is that the world is using more of these resources at an alarming rate and global warming has been impacting weather patterns. In many cases, there are different nitrogen and ammonia substitutes that are designed to reduce this effect. This was utilized as an alternative source in fertilizing the soil and controlling pests.

However, after embracing this strategy for several years, it is obvious that some kind of changes need to take place in dealing with these challenges. As a result, new reforms must be introduced that will transform how the government is working with farmers to control agricultural resources. The best way that this can be achieved is through utilizing…...

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References

Jackson, W. (n.d.). Tackling the Oldest Environmental Problem.

Litfin, K. (2009). Principles of Gaian Governance.

Political Ecology of the World Food System
In the readings examined for this paper, the one central theme is the way politics affects how the environment is treated and how that treatment of the environment then correlates to the food and clean water supply of people all over the world. Nitrogen in fertilizer is one of the big problems, because it does more than just get into the crops which it is designed to assist. Fertilizer, according to Little (2009), is "yet another by-product of fossil fuels" (p. 148). Those fossils fuels are affecting the environment in a very negative way, but fertilizer is important to the growth of crops that people need in order to have enough to eat. It becomes a conundrum when there is a "bad" product that many people do not want used, but that product is basically required to create what is needed to sustain human…...

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References

Holt-Gimenetz, E. (2007). The great biofuel hoax. Indypendent. Global Policy Forum.

Little, A. (2005). Cooking Oil. Power Trip, Chapter Five, p. 147-177.

Vidal, J. (2010). How food and water are driving a 21st century land grab. The Observer. Global Policy Forum.

Political Ecology of the orld Food System
One of the common challenges that have been impacting the world is the automation of various food systems. This is in response to less people living in the country and more residing in urban areas. Moreover, changes in technology and the commercialization of the food industry are making it difficult for individual farmers to survive. As a result, the food system has become commercialized with less people understanding where their food comes from or how it is grown. Two questions that will be focused on to address these issues include:

How the food system is transforming itself?

hat consumers will do in the future, to deal with possible transformations?

Once this takes place, is when it will be clear as to how the food system is continually evolving. (Bomford 119-127) (Berry 148-152) (Allen 140-150)

hen analyzing the changes that are occurring in the food system, it is obvious…...

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Works Cited

Allen, Ericka. Growing Community Food System. N.d, Print.

Berry, Wendell. What are People For? New York: Northpoint Press, 1990. Print.

Bomford, Michael. Getting Fossil Fuels off the Plate. N.d, Print.

Bonheim, Jalaja. Hope Beneath Our Feet. N.d., Print.

Gender and Environment" the authors argue that women are becoming an important part of the ecology movement. The authors suggest that there is a "new conceptual framework" being recognized by feminists as to ecology and the environment. In the recent past, scholars have viewed political ecology as a challenge that deals with quality of life and access to resources -- and much of this movement has revolved around "the domain of men" (Rocheleau, p. 6).
But another approach is emerging; the point of this essay is that gender should also play an important role in the goal of a safe and healthy environment. In fact women in North America and Europe have been active in conservation and environmental movements -- taking to task the "the prevailing paradigm of professional science" -- albeit their work has not caught the attention of the media (and the male power structure) in many cases,…...

Food Policy
Political Ecology of the World Food System

"While warning about fat, U.S. pushes cheese sales" by Michael Moss

According to Michael Moss' article "While warning about fat, U.S. pushes cheese sales" from the New York Times, the U.S. government is sending profoundly mixed messages about the consumption of cheese to the American public. Dietary advice is confusing when it is solicited even from objective research studies, but the government has further complicated the public's ability to comprehend how to eat right by simultaneously trying to promote better public heath while bolstering the economic interests of dairy producers. The article notes how an organization called Dairy Management, a creation of the United States Department of Agriculture, actually encouraged the fast food corporation Domino's to create a new pizza with extra cheese, to bolster the pizza chain's flagging sales. While the public gobbled up the new offering, the new pizza was high in…...

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References

Moss, Michael. (2010). While warning about fat, U.S. pushes cheese sales. New York Times.

Retrieved:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/us/07fat.html?pagewanted=all

aj Patel's Staffed and Starved.
It begins with a summary of the content then followed by an evaluation and critique of the content.The chapter highlights historical background, development of soya production in the United States and Brazil.

Political Ecology of World Food System

This chapter begins with a poem from oald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the poem is relevant to the introductory section of the chapter titled, Secret ingredients. This section talks about lecithin, an ingredient commonly used in food processing. The author reveals that lecithin, a by product of soybeans is widely used commercially as an emulsifier and makes chocolate slurry better suited for mass production, preservation and mass distribution.

Soya beans are popularly used for production of animal feeds and vegetable oils. In fact, the author mentions that 70% of vegetable oil are products of soybeans. Soya bean production has not been consistent, during the First World War; the…...

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Reference

Patel, R. (2008 ). Stuffed and Starved .

Yeh (2009) argues that ecological projects in China must be examined form a political ecology perspective, in which certain state-sponsored projects are seen to be damaging to many of the citizens immediately affected by the ecological pursuits. While this author certainly has a political point to make, it is hardly an ecological one, and ultimately seems to argue for continuing ecological harm out of a sense of political fairness that would ultimately lead to much greater inequalities for the disadvantaged who will, out of sheer political reality, always reap the worst of any situation. That is, of the projects sponsored by the Chinese government were not allowed to go forth in order to provide short-term economic and political benefit to the populous, the resulting ecological damage would impact these people in far worse ways within a generation.
Conclusion

The political ecology perspective is a political perspective on ecological issues, and not…...

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References

Ho, K.; Chow, Y. & Yau, J. (2003). "Chemical and microbiological qualities of the East River (Dongjiang) water, with particular reference to drinking water supply in Hong Kong." Chemosphere 52, pp. 1441-50.

Ma, C. (2010). "Who bears the environmental burden in China -- an analysis of the distribution of industrial pollution sources?" Ecological economics 69, pp. 1869-76.

Qin, B.; Zhu, G.; Gao, G.; Zhang, Y.; Li, W.; Pearl, H. & Carmichael, W. (2010). "A Drinking Water Crisis in Lake Taihu, China: Linkage to Climatic Variability and Lake Management." Environmental management 45, pp. 105-12.

Tilt, B. (2007). "The political ecology of pollution enforcement in China." China quarterly 192, pp. 915-32.

Food System
Unintended Consequences of Pursuing Cheap Food

We have become accustomed to pursuing cheap food. On surface, it is a rational choice. The cheaper the food we buy to eat and drink the better, as the assumption goes. Coupled with this understandable human desire is the ubiquitous corporate advertising of cheap food and business attempts to convince the consumers that the cheap food offers much greater variety of choices than otherwise would be possible. Most consumers fall for these marketing strategies. But there are at least two unintended consequences of pursuing cheap food. Cheap food -- more precisely, what we buy as "cheap food" -- is unhealthy, which we are choosing consciously. And cheap may be not as "cheap" as we assume. There are evidences showing that pursuing cheap food may lead to food crisis and hunger.

In our culture, we are fascinated by the word "choice." We always want to…...

" (2009) Oguejiofor states that there is no understanding "exept if there is misunderstanding, a negativity that beomes the originative instane of hermeneutis…" (2009)
Oguejiofor writes that Senghor's onept of negritude is entered on the misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the Afrian and his heritage, a situation that has sine imposed enormous burden on all aspets of his life." (Oguejiofor, 2009) Oguejiofor states that negritude has been desribed "…as a philosophy of soial ation" and states additionally that in the view of Senghor "negritude was 'a weapon of defense and attak and inspiration." (2009) Speifially Senghor sates that negritude is the "sum total of the values of the ivilization of the Afrian world, it is not raialism, it is ulture." (Oguejiofor, 2009)

Oguejiofor writes that negritude as a philosophy "has the advantage of 'reognizing the situatedness of our lived historiity as the proper objet of refletion for Afrian philosophi thought. (Salhi as ited…...

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cited in Quest, 2005)

When Senghor was imprisoned for the already mentioned two years period he composed poetry, read the work of Goethe and delved into Western philosophical works and as well reestablished his link with his fellow Africans and songs and tales were shared from Africa and this resulted in the "fostering [of] an alternative understanding of humanism and society." (Quest, 2005)

The Quest Journal editorial states that it seems nice to think that the prison experiences of Senghor as well as Senghor's knowledge spanning the intellectual traditions of the Western world and his admiration for values, traditions and cultures of Africa together resulted in a "subjectivity that was transcultural and transnational in it sympathies, accomplishments and aspirations." (Quest, 2005) Senghor set the stage for "a post-anthropological humanism, one that truly points to the possibilities for a democratic and cosmopolitan world." (Quest, 2005)

5. Poetry as 'Key' Outlet for Combating Cultural Alienation in for Africans

The work of Nyathi (2005) states that the work of Senghor influenced many and in fact that poetry "became a key outlet for Africans to combat cultural alienation." The work of Baaz and Palmberg (2001) entitled: "Same and Other: Negotiating African Identity in Cultural Production" relates the writings of Leopold Sedar Senghor "on negritude and the ideas of negritude which are "above all associated with the writings of Senghor and Aime Cesaire, were developed by African, Afro-American and Caribbean intellectuals in Paris in the 1930s." (Baaz and Palmberg, 2001) Negritude was defined by Senghor as "the sum of the cultural values of the black world." (Baaz and Palmberg, 2001)

Egyptians of all classes and ages took part in the protests, united in demands and ambitions such as improved wages, improved conditions of working, and political freedom. However, it was the surprising figures of young individuals who took part in the demonstrations that provided drive to the revolt. The young individuals were also key to maintaining the uprising given that numerous meet in Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Cairo as well as other cities across the nation. Egyptian youth are actually the faces behind this leaderless uprising; the revolution was generally impelled by their skill in utilizing social media to gain attention (oudi-Fahimi, El Feki & Tsai, 2011). The new youth backed, and at times, instigated by women is now an aware global citizen, refusing to bear the inability of its rulers to be with the times and provide means of development and rapidly changing economic and social paradigms.
Apart from redefining…...

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References

Aday, S., Farrell, H., Lynch, M., Sides, J., & Freelon, D. (2012). Blogs and bullet II-New media and conflict after the Arab spring (No. 80). Peaceworks. United States Institute of Peace. Retrieved May 31, 2013.

Al-Natour, M. (2012). The role of women in the Egyptian 25th January revolution. Journal of International Women's Studies, 13(5), 59.

Auer, M. R. (2011). The policy sciences of social media. Policy Studies Journal, 39(4), 709-736.

Frederiksen, M. (2011). The key role of women in the Egyptian revolution. Retrieved March 01, 2016, from http://www.marxist.com/key-role-of-women-in-egyptian-revolution.htm

While imported species can be controlled to a degree by Governmental regulation, unintentional imports are a different matter. Garth mentions the example of the brown tree snake that stowed away on ships and military equipment during World War II. During this time, obviously, there was not as much awareness of the invasive species problem as there is today. Basically therefore the current era is faced with a problem unintentionally created decades ago.
Another case of unintentional transport that I found particularly interesting in the article is the movement from port to port of ballast water. Ships take on water for balancing purposes. The water is transported to the destination port and discarded. The cycle is repeated from port to port. The aquatic life in this ballast water is then also transported between the ports. As a solution to this, one of the suggestions mentioned in the article is that ships…...

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Reference

McGrath, Susan. (2005, March). "Attack of the Alien Invaders." National Geographic

It also varies with urban or rural residence. Urban households commonly earn more and enjoy a higher standard of living than rural households. The allocation for food spending corresponds to the biggest part of the family budget. However, as family income increases, the share in food in consumption expenses generally drops. This is most likely because of the popularity of "fast foods" nowadays.
Socialization Process

The process of socialization takes a lifetime whereby the individual acquires the established beliefs, values, sentiments, norms and behavior of his group and society. It is through socialization that the individual becomes a functioning member of his group. It is also through this process that values, customs and beliefs are passed on from one generation to the other.

Because of the significance of early experiences and primary relationships, the family remains to be the most important socializing agent in the child's life (Davidson and Moore, 1992). It…...

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References

Bellah, R.N. (1970). Beyond Belief. New York: Harper & Row.

Berger, P.L. (1963). Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective. New York: Doubleday.

Berk, S.F. (1985). The Gender Factory. New York: Plenum.

Broom, DH, Broom, L. And Bonjean, C.M. (1990). Sociology: A Core Text with adapted readings. Belmont, California:Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Global Law and Politics:
Political and legal institutions and communications have played an integral role in the development and provision of legitimacy in contemporary societies. This has been through the development of obligatory collective decisions, general legal principles, exercise of political power, and resolution of conflicts. In the new global system, these legal and political institutions have created and conveyed social values, political power, and social meaning in every sector of the society. Both of the institutions are considered as legitimate because they have been established on core values that are related to essential freedoms, the rule of law, and democracy.

Aspects of a New Global System:

Modern societies across the globe are faced with critical issues and problems that are dealt with at the global level by the establishment of laws and policies, which are developed in various institutions. Global law and politics has had a significant impact on various areas including…...

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References:

Concannon, T (2004), Chapter 5 - Resource Exploitation in Nigeria, Pambazuka News, viewed

27 December 2011,

Ejimeke, A (2010), The Oil Spills We Don't Hear About, The New York Times, viewed 27

December 2011,

In the end, North Carolina seems to suffer from many of the ills experienced by the country at large. Although it is, without doubt, a state blessed with a high level of natural beauty as well as economic prosperity, it is also seriously affected by political and environmental issues that impact the lives of its citizens in very negative ways. hether the state will become increasingly mired in dollar-driven industrial and budgetary problems, or whether the state will eventually pull ahead of its neighbors in dealing with those issues will remain to be seen. One can only hope that a state with as rich a history, and blessed with such potential, will eventually triumph over the problems it currently faces, and arise clean and efficient in the years ahead.

orks Cited

Citizen Times. Staff. "Budget foot-dragging costly and inexcusable." Citizen Times Online Edition. 31 July, 2005. Retrieved on August 1, 2005 http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050731/OPINION01/50729022/1039

Citizen…...

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Works Cited

Citizen Times. Staff. "Budget foot-dragging costly and inexcusable." Citizen Times Online Edition. 31 July, 2005. Retrieved on August 1, 2005  http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050731/OPINION01/50729022/1039 

Citizen Times. Staff. "TVA should clean up its act, clear up our skies." Citizen Times Online Edition. 01 August, 2005. Retrieved on August 1, 2005  http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050801/OPINION01/50729017/1039 

Hamed, Mubarak, Thomas Johnson and Kathleen Miller, The Impacts of Animal Feeding Operations on Rural land Values, Community Policy Analysis Center, University of Missouri - Columbia. May, 1999.

Hartsoe, Steve. "States fighting shortages of state police and highway troopers." Newsday.com. 30 July, 2005. Retrieved on August 1, 2005   -- troopershortage0730jul30,0,702689.story?coll=ny-region-apconnecticuthttp://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct