Interdependence
“The way in which two or more living things depend on each other to grow and remain healthy”. (Sustainable Development, Module resource, 2018).
In the past people understood that we relied on the environment and the resources it gave us and therefore they respected what was around them. However, as times have moved on and progressed so has the level of interdependence advanced into the areas economic, social and environmental interdependence. For example, simple buying and selling at the local market has escalated into a global market and trading products and resources around the world. The different cultures and countries can share their values and what they know through television and movies but also on a larger scale countries and places in need can reach out and gain help to build their cultures.
Relying and depending on each other to survive works to a certain extent but the main problem that is facing humanity is the rate at which our population is increasing. At the moment we only make enough food to replace what we use but how do we solve the problem of not having enough food. The increase in food prices is leading to poverty, add on the shortage of water and energy and this could lead to increased poverty, civic unrest and international conflict. As the demand for supply increases we need to find solutions before the problem becomes worse such as local solutions to local challenges in terms of farming, waste less food and distribute it better so everyone has supplies. There are also the possible solutions having a pro active government to help support local food systems which are a critical line of defence against hunger. (Fraser, E. 2012)
While looking into the topic of interdependence we focused on the area of the environmental impact of interdependence and local food systems. It’s clear that all species have a job and purpose in the ecosystem of life and we got the chance to see this first hand by visiting two types of dairy farms. The first farm was an organic farmer and local seller, producing milk on a smaller scale but enough to make a living and be an asset to the interconnected system. The methods they used were more relaxed and allowed the cows to roam free in the fields and live naturally.
The second farm we visited was producing milk on a much bigger scale and therefore selling and distributing to bigger corporations. The methods they were using were those more suited for a bigger amount of produce such as using a clock like structure to separate the cows who were in different stages of life and moved them around the stages as they made their way through life. For example, the cows were split up into those who were pregnant, those who had just given birth, those who were actively producing milk and those who had just been born. The staff used different machines to clean the pends, put out food for the cows and the cows were milked when they choose. There were stations set up in certain pends of the cows producing milk and they were given the freedom to decided when they got milked.
During this topic I was able to build upon some basic knowledge I already had on the key concepts of interdependence such as food supply and security, plant and animal breeding, social behaviour and biodiversity. Even though I had previous knowledge of this topic I also gained new skills and developed my knowledge and understanding. After discussing this topic with the staff at the farms and my peers and lecturers in class I now feel more socially responsible in terms of being a part of the ecosystem. We play a huge role in the day to day running of the world, what we produce, sell, trade and buy all influence our interdependence. Another skill I’ve developed further is my motivation, this is a skill that will not only help me on a personal level but also on a professional level. Being more aware of what’s going on around me has made me realise that we control a lot of what goes on and we can change many things for the better. Our ancestors got us here and it’s our job to make sure the future is seen.
There are many activities we can do and resources we can use with the children to help them understand how we reply on other things to keep us alive, showing them how food chains work and the processes that we go through to get the food we need but also about other parts of our environment like the soil and other non-living things around us.
- The world beneath our feet connecting soils and curriculum, available at http://moodle1819.uws.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/278431/mod_resource/content/1/Soil%20world.beneath_June_16.web.pdf
- What Is A Food Chain? The Dr. Binocs Show, Educational Videos For Kids, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuO4WB4SwCg
- Food Chain game, available at http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/science/pdfs/food_chain_game.pdf
Reference List:
Sustainable Development (2018) Interdependence. [Module Resource] Available at: Interdependence module on moodle. (Accessed 24th October 2018.)
Fraser, E. (2012) Feeding Nine Billion Video 1: Introducing Solutions to the Global Food Crisis by Dr. Evan Fraser, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raSHAqV8K9c (Accessed: 24th October 2018).
