Course Catalogue

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This course will provide an introduction to major issues in food security in the context of a One Health approach, including the consequences of food insecurity. The human health sequalae of inadequate food security and of malnutrition will be explored and using examples from multiple global settings, from policy to the latest innovations and research, the measures in place that are attempting to alleviate these issues will be detailed.

This core course aims of to provide a platform for which multiple One Health strands, explored in other courses can come together and be analysed and applied the application of global food security.

Teaching will be delivered over 11 weeks online. The pattern is as follows: 5 weeks teaching followed by 1 week for revision/catch-up, followed by another 5 weeks of teaching.

The timetable is flexible and asynchronous to allow maximum student flexibility. Introductory material, course outline and assessment details will be available before the course commences to allow students to plan their assignments and study around work and other commitments.

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Students will complete one written assignment. (50%).

The maximum word count for this assignment will not exceed 3000 words.

Students will complete one oral assessment (50%).

The overall aim of this course is to

■ give students a broad introduction to food security which will follow with further coverage on how food security relates to human nutrition and health, animal health and the livestock sector and the environment impact of the latter.

■ allow students to explore the One Health issues that pertain specifically to the provision of global food security.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Demonstrate an understanding and broad knowledge of the core principles that underpin global food security, including the origins of the term and the ongoing development and encompassment of multiple and varied disciplines.

■ Appraise the human health sequalae associated with food insecurity; from under and malnutrition to infectious diseases that originate from failure to ensure adequate safety and veterinary public health measures in food systems.

■ Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of agricultural food systems, with a particular focus on livestock production and the interlinking issues and challenges associated with animal health and welfare and the wider environment impacts of animal production and the challenges that climate change pose.

■ Through a One Health lens, be able to appraise the multifactorial challenges that exist in addressing food insecurity; and furthermore communicate to an audience, with varied levels of knowledge and expertise, so as to demonstrate the ability to analyse, critically evaluate and formulate possible solutions to the key issues that pertain to global food security.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.