Source Evaluation
“SDG2-Zero Hunger: Food Security, Improved Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture” is a book by Ambe Emmanuel Cheo and Kugedera Andrew Tapiwa, published in 2021. I found this source in the free online library “Z-Library,” where more than 18 million books are published. The source belongs to a series of 17 short books examining one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was published by Emerald Group Publishing and sponsored by the Center for Environmental Education and Research, University of Malta. Therefore, the problem of hunger and food insecurity is presented from the international environmentalist perspective. The authors critically analyze SDG-2 of Zero Hunger from a multi-disciplinary and multi-regional standpoint.
In the book under evaluation, the authors describe how SDG2 links food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture. It is discussed how this goal can be assessed through specific targets and indicators evaluating whether the goal of ending hunger was met. The Center for Environmental Education and Research from the University of Malta is a publisher that deserves trust, as it provides high-quality educational services for hundreds of students. No less importantly, its educational board specializes in studying environment and community cooperation.
The credibility of a source is proven with a lot of statistical information, which was collected through studies conducted globally. For example, in Table 4 on page 46, the authors analyze the macroeconomic factors that impact SDG-2 goals in Nigeria, Ghana, and the Gambia. The macroeconomic factors of total area, population, GDP per capita, and agri-food sector factors of employment share, GDP share, export share earnings, predominant farm sizes, and prevalent farming characteristics were considered. Interestingly, most farms in the analyzed countries have a size of less than 2 or 1.6 ha, which are decently small enterprises. The farming characteristics are mostly determined as predominantly small-holder, traditional, and rain-fed.
The presented approach would be useful to determine similar problems in the US agricultural sector and launch a campaign that will re-evaluate its capacities and weak sides. The sizes and types of farming in the US smaller farms could be evaluated to determine the potential of these entities. Further, it will provide a basis for making comparisons and suggestions on how bigger agricultural companies affect the farming business in the US. It is widely known that there are plenty of practices of unfair competition that make small farming businesses in the US impossible. Therefore, the practices introduced or planned to be in Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia can help understand the small-farming elements and benefits to further promote the governmental support for small farming in the US.
The source is highly useful as it contains many statistics that can be further used in the research. For example, it says that according to SDG-2 all forms of hunger should be eliminated by 2030. The authors say that achieving SDG-2 will lead to the reduction of civil conflicts, migration, and security concerns. They present the UN statistics saying there are about 815 million hungry people around the world, and by 2050 the governments should expect 2 billion cases of malnutrition (Cheo & Tapiwa, 2021). Importantly, the scholars provide statistics that the SDG-2 goal shows good progress with a decline from 19% to 11% in global undernourishment, which contributed to the decline in stunting from 40% to 23%. The scholars declare that “ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture are fundamental to the developmental agenda of most countries in the world” (Cheo &Tapiwa, 2021, p. 7). In this way, the scholars admit that the global perspective applies to any country since it was developed as a universal one.
The authors emphasize that about 40% of the world’s population is employed in the agricultural sector, which is a stunning number. Therefore, this sector is very important for the global economy, being the largest source of income and employment for rural households. Cheo and Tapiwa (2021) note there are up to 500 million small farms worldwide, most of them rain-fed agriculture, “providing up to 80% of the food consumed in large part of the developing world” (p. 8). This means that small farms play a more significant role in reducing hunger than is widely acknowledged.
Reflection Questions
Since food insecurity is a major issue for millions of Americans, vulnerable groups should receive government support to have sufficient daily food supplies, which consider their specific dietary needs.
When evaluating the credibility and usefulness of the source presented above, I asked myself questions regarding who the publisher of this source is, and how reliable these people are. I analyzed the information inside the book, asking how reliable this information is and how it corresponds to the research question of my report. For example, statistical information and insights into the contribution of small farms are appropriate for answering the research question.
This evaluation practice will help me move further through the research process, as it allows me to assess the source in greater detail. More importantly, this evaluation brought some insights, such as the applicability of the global perspective to the US and the need to support small farms in the US. Finding out that 40% of the global population work in the agricultural sector, which, besides being their input in the world’s development, is their main source of income, was another valuable insight.
Reference
Cheo, Ambe Emmanuel, & Tapiwa, Kugedera Andrew. (2021). SDG2-Zero Hunger: Food security, improved nutrition, and sustainable agriculture. Emerald Group Publishing.