Get your thinking started around all the different ways food security connects with STEM and Ohio’s #1 industry and careers!

Food affordability/quantity

What factors determine the costs of foods?

How much food is produced?

Why are people still hungry?

Food waste

What can be done in your local community to reduce food waste?

What role does marketing/communication play in purchasing? (food labels, expiration dates, safe storage)

Local/global markets

How might seasonal availability affect local/global purchases/buying decisions?

How realistic/possible is it to rely solely on local markets?

How does infrastructure play a role in availability? What are the elements of infrastructure?

Agriculture systems

What effect do inputs have on outputs in an agricultural system?

What grows in Ohio?

How does technology influence the ratio of inputs to outputs?

Livestock

How important is animal feed?

Do pollinators make a difference?

Big data

What kind of data is being collected?

How is it being collected?

How is big data changing the future of agriculture?

Water

How are modern agricultural practices impacting water quality?

How can conventional/modern agricultural practices impact water use?

Bioeconomy

How can biofuels impact environmental concerns?

How does the range of added value products (bioproducts) contribute to the bioeconomy?

Sustainability

How might farming methods affect sustainability (i.e. conventional, no-till, strip tillage, organic, livestock, grass-fed systems, non-GMO)?

What are the [economic, environmental, market] consequences of our dietary choices?

Government policy and farming

Government policy influences many aspects of food production.

What governmental policies are impacting farms today and what might be some new ways to positively impact farmer behaviors?

How might farmers be encouraged to use the most up-to-date technologies to address environmental concerns?

Biotechnology

How might biotechnology methods support sustainable, nutritious food systems and reduce food waste?

How might food fortification affect public health, and what are the challenges?