Tracing the Agricultural Supply Chain
Explore the complexity of global commodity chains that link the production and consumption of agricultural products. Discover how economics, politics, infrastructure, and other conditions affect the distribution of food throughout the world.

Background
Lesson Activities
Recommended Companion Resources
Credits
Author
Andrea Gardner | National Center for Agricultural Literacy (NCAL)
Acknowledgements
The Food System Maps used in Activity 2 were created by Rene Michalak and Brenda Schroeder. The images are courtesy of ShiftN.
Standards
National Content Area Standards
- Career & Technical Education
- AFNR (Grades 9-12): Food Products and Processing Systems Career Pathway
- FPP.02.03: Apply principles of human behavior to develop food products to provide a safe, wholesome and nutritious food supply for local and global food systems.
- FCSE (Grades 9-12): Nutrition and Wellness 14.0
- 14.4.3: Analyze how changes in national and international food production and distribution systems influence the food supply, including sustainability, organic food production and the impact of genetically modified foods.
- AFNR (Grades 9-12): Food Products and Processing Systems Career Pathway
- Social Studies – Geography
- Geography Standard 11 (Grades 9-12): The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface.
- Objective 3: Economic systems are dynamic organizations of interdependent economic activities for the production, exchange, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
- Objective 4: Improvements in transportation and communication networks reduce the effects of distance and time on the movement of people, products, and ideas.
- Geography Standard 16 (Grades 9-12): The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources.
- Objective 3: Policies and programs that promote the sustainable use and management of resources impact people and the environment.
- APHG Topic 5.7: Spatial Organization of Agriculture
- PSO-5.C.4: Complex commodity chains link production and consumption of agricultural products.
- APHG Topic 5.9: The Global System of Agriculture
- PSO-5.E.1: Food and other agricultural products are part of a global supply chain.
- PSO-5.E.3: The main elements of global food distribution networks are affected by political relationships, infrastructure, and patterns of world trade.
- Geography Standard 11 (Grades 9-12): The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface.