One Health & Food Security BIOL5470

  • Academic Session: 2025-26
  • School: MVLS College Services
  • Credits: 10
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Taught Wholly by Distance Learning: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

This course introduces major issues in food security in the context of One Health, including the consequences of food insecurity.

The impact of inadequate food security and malnutrition on human health will be explored, using case studies from diverse global regions and cultures. Policy measures, current development of innovations and supporting research will be explored and the efficacy of interventions critically evaluated.

This course builds on principles of One Health explored in the previous core courses, to reflect on drivers of food insecurity and potential application of One Health interventions to improve global food security and food equity.

Timetable

Teaching will be delivered over 5 weeks online.

Requirements of Entry

None

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

This course is assessed 100% by written assignment. Students will complete two assignments:

■ Asynchronous discussion board contribution (20%). The maximum word count for this assignment will not exceed 800 words. ILOs assessed: 1-2

■ Case study (80%). The maximum word count for this assignment will not exceed 1600 -2000 words. ILOs assessed: 1-4

Course Aims

The overall aims of this course are to:

 

■ Provide a broad introduction to food security including how food security impacts human nutrition and health status, animal health, livestock production and interconnected environmental cause and effect.

■ Support students in exploring challenges and barriers to global food security through a One Health lens, including recent trends and sustainable solutions.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

 

1. Through a One Health lens, evaluate the contribution of multiple disciplines to the complex challenges and barriers that prevent equitable global food security.

2. Appraise the human health sequalae of food insecurity, including undernutrition, malnutrition and infectious disease arising from failures in food safety systems.

3. Critically evaluate the contribution of global food production systems to food security, exploring the interdependence of food production, animal and plant health, animal welfare and environmental impacts of human food production.

4. Formulate coordinated and sustainable One Health solutions to the current key issues in global food security.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.