The Relationship Between Overproduction and Hunger with the Commodification of Food Essay Sample

The Relationship Between Overproduction and Hunger with the Commodification of Food Essay Sample

1. Drawing on the assigned materials, define commodity (as opposed to a resource or a gift)? Discuss how food has become commodified and with what consequences. In your estimation, how is the commodification of food differently experienced from those in various positions in the supply chain (producer, consumer)? Provide relevant examples to support your claims.
2. Eric Holt-Giménez writes, “the problem of agriculture was not lack of production, but low prices. The problem of food access was not high prices, but unemployment,” with reference to the American Great Depression. Drawing on the assigned materials, unpack this passage to explain the relationship between overproduction and hunger with the commodification of food. What does this tell us about the causes of simultaneous excess and hunger in the food system today? What remedies might exist? Provide relevant examples to support your claims.