System Shift Flowchart Template System Shift
From Local Roots to Global Markets
Student:
Date:
The Historical Shift
As you watched in the video, colonialism didn't just change borders; it changed the very soil. Most regions moved from feeding their own communities to feeding global empires. Use the flowchart below to trace this transition for a specific region (e.g., The Caribbean or West Africa ).
Input: What goes into the system? (Labor, capital, seeds, machinery)
Output: What comes out? (Wealth, food for locals, raw goods for export)
1
Phase 1: Local Polyculture (Pre-Colonial)
Inputs & Labor
Outputs & Usage
2
Phase 2: Colonial Plantation (Triangular Trade)
Inputs & Labor (Include Slavery)
Outputs & Wealth (Raw Goods)
3
Phase 3: Modern Export Economy (Global Supply Chain)
Inputs (Machinery/Agribusiness)
Outputs (Global Market Access)
Historical Analysis
1. How did the transition to "Monoculture" (Phase 2 & 3) impact the ability of local people to eat a varied diet?
2. Look at the modern Global Hunger Index map. How does the "Colonial Legacy" of export models explain why some food-producing regions still face high food insecurity?
World History & Geography • Agricultural Systems Analysis • Crash Course Geography #42
Global Appetites Presentation Global Appetites
Empire, Farming, and the Hunger Gap
Warm Up (5 Min)
Seeds of Change
"Why were these crops historically important? Who benefited from their growth, and who did the work?"
Sugar Cane
Cotton
How did these two plants reshape the Atlantic world?
The Geography of Hunger
"Hunger is less about whether there is enough food, and more about: what keeps people from accessing it?"
— Crash Course Geography #42
Focus Segment: 2:29 - 4:44
Observe how colonial powers shifted agriculture from Subsistence to Export models.
Embedded media
Polyculture
Diverse crops grown for local resilience.
Subsistence Biodiverse
Monoculture
Single crops grown for global markets.
Export-Focused Industrial
Past: "Traditional Systems"
Feeding the community
Present: "Commercial Ag"
Feeding the empire
The Triangle Trade
1
Enslaved Labor: The engine of agricultural wealth in the Americas.
2
Raw Materials: Sugar and cotton shipped to European factories.
3
System Shift: Local food systems replaced by global export models.
System Shift
Flowchart Activity
Trace
Map the journey from local polyculture to modern exports.
Label
Identify Inputs (Labor/Slavery) and Outputs (Wealth).
Analyze
Connect historical colonial legacy to modern hunger maps.
20 Minutes
Class Discussion
"How do historical shifts in agriculture explain the Hunger Maps we see today?"
The Access Gap
Is food insecurity about a lack of food, or a lack of access caused by legacy systems?
Wealth Diffusion
Why does wealth from agriculture often leave the regions that grow the most food?
Global Appetites Teacher Guide Facilitator Guide
Global Appetites: Food Systems History
9th-10th Grade World History
Learning Objective
Students will connect historical events (Colonialism, Triangular Trade) to contemporary food systems, identifying how the shift from subsistence to export-based models created long-term geographic patterns of food insecurity.
Materials Needed
Global Appetites Slides
System Shift Worksheet
Projector/Internet
Lesson Timeline (45-50 Min)
5 Min
Warm-up: Seeds of Change
Display Slide 2. Ask students to identify the historical importance of sugar cane and cotton. Focus on who did the labor vs. who received the wealth.
10 Min
Viewing & Analysis
Watch Crash Course Geography #42 (focusing on 2:29-4:44). Use the "Teaching Moments" below to pause and discuss.
20 Min
Activity: System Shift Flowchart
Students work individually or in pairs to map the transition from local polyculture to modern export economies for a specific region.
10 Min
Closure: Hunger Map Discussion
Return to the slide deck. Connect the "Export Model" to modern Hunger Index maps. Discuss the role of infrastructure and colonial legacy.
Key Vocabulary & Concepts
Food Insecurity: Lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.
Polyculture: Growing more than one crop at a time (focus on subsistence).
Monoculture: Cultivation of a single crop (focus on efficiency/export).
Columbian Exchange: Global transfer of foods/plants during colonization.
Pause & Discuss Moments
1:21 — The Map of Hunger
"Why are certain regions more food insecure? Look at the patterns—is it lack of soil, or lack of political/historical stability?"
4:54 — The Pizza Example
"Name your favorite food. Where did the ingredients originally come from before the Columbian Exchange? How did they get here?"
5:34 — Efficiency vs. Vulnerability
"What are the pros and cons of Monoculture? It makes machines work better, but what happens if a pest attacks that one specific crop?"
Teacher Tips
Scaffolding: For the flowchart, provide a pre-filled "Phase 1" for students who struggle with historical context.Extension: Have students research "Food Deserts" in their own city to see how global economic patterns repeat at the local scale.
