GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY

THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 Food Security  Food Insecurity

 Importance of Global Food Security  Causes of Food Insecurity
 Components of Food Security  Health effects of Food Insecurity
 Dimensions of Food Security  Solutions to Food Insecurity
 Recent Declines in Food Security  Examples of actions to help Global Food Security
 Factors affecting Global Food Security
 Strategies to improve Food Security
FOOD SECURITY

 Refers to the availability, accessibility, and affordability of safe and nutritious food for all individuals. It is crucial
for promoting health, reducing poverty, and achieving sustainable development. Global food security refers to
ensuring food security on a global scale, taking into account the interconnectedness of food systems worldwide
IMPORTANCE OF GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY

Growth in the agriculture sector has been found, on average, to be at least twice as effective in reducing poverty as
growth in other sectors. Food insecurity – often rooted in poverty – decreases the ability of countries to develop their
agricultural markets and economies.
 Access to quality, nutritious food is fundamental to human existence. Secure access to food can produce wide
ranging positive impacts, including:
 Economic growth and job creation
 Poverty reduction
 Trade opportunities
 Increased global security and stability

1. Improved health and healthcare

DIMENSIONS OF FOOD SECURITY

Availability:
-The availability of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality.

Access:
-Adequate resources to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet.

Utilization:
-Proper biological use of food, requiring a diet, clean water, sanitation, and health care.

Stability:
-To be food secure, a population, household, or individual must have access to adequate food at all times.
FACTORS AFFECTING GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY

Population growth
 The increasing global population puts pressure on food production and distribution systems, making it challenging
to meet the growing demand for food.

Climate change and extreme weather events

 Changing climatic patterns, such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves, can lead to crop failures, reduced yields, and
food shortages.
FACTORS AFFECTING GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY

Water scarcity
 Limited access to water resources for irrigation and agricultural purposes can hinder food production, particularly
in arid regions.

Land degradation
 Soil erosion, deforestation, and degradation of agricultural land can reduce productivity and limit the availability
of fertile land for food production.
FACTORS AFFECTING GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY

Poverty and inequality

 Economic disparities and poverty can restrict access to food, particularly for marginalized communities
FOOD INSECURITY

 The limited or uncertain access to nutritious food, which also includes limitations on the ability to obtain
nutritious food in ways that are socially acceptable. Approximately 2.4 billion people worldwide (some 29.6
percent of the human population) experience moderate or severe food insecurity. Although food insecurity does
occur in developed countries, the overwhelming majority of food-insecure people are concentrated in developing
countries in Central and South America, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.
 The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) divides food insecurity into two
categories, moderate food insecurity (characterized by reduced food quality and quantity, the tendency to skip
meals, and rising uncertainty about obtaining food) and severe food insecurity (characterized by running out of
food and going without food for a day or more). Moderate food insecurity is a condition that affected some 1.5
billion people worldwide in 2022, and severe food insecurity impacted an additional 900 million people.
CAUSES OF FOOD INSECURITY

 The causes of food insecurity are varied and complex and stem from a number of human-driven and natural
factors. Almost three-quarters of people who do not have enough to eat live in politically unstable countries. War
and other forms of conflict may affect people in the midst of the fighting, and it may also affect those outside the
immediate region. For example, the Russia-Ukraine War (2014–present) has reduced grain shipments from
Ukraine to countries in sub-Saharan Africa that rely on them. Such supply-chain disruptions cause food shortages.
In addition, increases in fertilizer and fuel costs raise food prices, which reduces the amount of food poor
individuals and countries can purchase. Climate change also contributes to food insecurity. Floods, droughts, and
other changing weather conditions destroy crops and livestock while interfering with people’s ability to work—
further contributing to supply-chain disruptions.
FOOD WASTE AND LOSS

 Food waste and loss refer to the discarding of edible

food at various stages of the supply chain.
 Examples:
 - Approximately one-third of the food produced
globally, equivalent to about 1.3 billion tons, is
wasted or lost each year.
- Food waste and loss occur during production,
transportation, storage, processing, and consumption.
Reducing food waste and loss can contribute to
improving global food security.
HEALTH EFFECTS OF FOOD INSECURITY

 Food insecurity also contributes to poor health, since people may skip meals, eat less,
or switch to lower-quality foods. Malnutrition can lead to weakness, pain, illness, and
even death. Food insecurity also contributes to type 2 diabetes, obesity, and
hypertension (high blood pressure) when less-expensive foods with lower nutritional
value are substituted for healthy foods over the long term. Existing health issues can
be worsened if people forgo necessary medication or medical treatment in order to
buy food. Children who live in food-insecure homes may have difficulty learning and
may not develop properly. Food insecurity is associated with poor mental health, low
educational attainment, and poor job performance.
HUNGER AND MALNUTRITION

 Hunger refers to the state of not having enough food

to meet basic nutritional needs. Malnutrition refers to
a lack of proper nutrients in the diet, leading to health
problems.
 Examples:
 -According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), around 690 million people
worldwide suffer from hunger.
- Malnutrition affects approximately 3 billion people
globally, leading to stunted growth, micronutrient
deficiencies, and other health issues.
SOLUTIONS TO FOOD INSECURITY

 Nearly one billion people experience hunger; however, there is enough food produced each year to feed the
world’s population. Food insecurity stems from challenges to food availability, food access, and food utilization.
Food availability involves ensuring not only that enough food is available to feed a population but that food
supplies are available consistently. Food access, in contrast, involves having the resources necessary that give
people the ability to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet. Broadly speaking, food can be made more
available by increasing a population’s access to the resources that grow food (that is, fertilizer, water, and arable
land) and to networks of food distribution. In addition, governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and
relief groups can improve the structures that provide people with jobs and other financial resources that help
people purchase food, as well as helping them with food utilization—that is, the process of consuming a nutritious
diet by having access to clean water, adequate sanitation, and the education necessary to both grow nutritious food
(rather than low-nutrition food) and prepare it hygienically.
SOLUTIONS TO FOOD INSECURITY

 To attain these goals worldwide, international organizations have partnered with local governments and other
groups. In 2012 the UN launched the Zero Hunger Challenge with the goal of eradicating hunger by 2030, as part
of its global sustainable development objectives. In 2021 the UN held a summit to address hunger and consider the
progress made by the Zero Hunger Challenge effort. While several UN organizations (including the World Hunger
Program and the FAO), lending organizations (such as the World Bank), and relief groups (such as the Peace
Corps) continue to work with communities to prevent food insecurity, summit participants and organizers and a
follow-on report (“The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World,” produced by the FAO) revealed that
hunger had increased through the late 2010s and early 2020s because of the effects of climate change, conflict,
and the distribution challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. They recommended that governments and
NGOs work harder to improve sustainable food production and distribution systems through, for example, better
communication between local and regional stakeholders, better management of water resources and fisheries, and
accelerated financing to fund research, innovation, and the rollout of food-production projects.
SOLUTIONS TO FOOD INSECURITY

 At local, regional, and national scales there are a number of ways to reduce food insecurity. Shorter-term actions
include donating to humanitarian organizations that provide food directly to people, funding food banks, and
removing protectionist export bans, the last of which would allow surplus food stores to move to areas in need.
Longer-term actions include creating community social nets (that is, assistance programs and services that provide
poor individuals with resources), improving access to arable land, reducing food waste, coordinating efforts
among various stakeholders from different economic sectors, finding peaceful resolutions to international
conflicts, and implementing agricultural practices that combat climate change and economic policies that lower
inflation and slow increases in the cost of living
EXAMPLES OF ACTIONS TO HELP
GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

 Sustainable agriculture focuses on long-term food

production while minimizing environmental impacts.
 Examples:
 -Organic farming avoids the use of synthetic
chemicals and promotes soil health, biodiversity,
and ecological balance.
 -Agroforestry combines trees and crops to enhance
land productivity, conserve soil, and provide
ecosystem services.
-Crop diversification involves growing a variety of crops
to improve resilience to pests, diseases, and climate
variability.
TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION IN AGRICULTURE

 Technology and innovation play a vital role in improving

agricultural productivity and efficiency.
 Examples:
 - Precision farming uses technologies like GPS,
sensors, and drones to optimize resource use, increase
crop yields, and reduce environmental impact.
 - Vertical farming utilizes indoor systems and vertical
stacking to grow crops in a controlled environment,
maximizing land use and reducing water consumption.
- Genetic modification enables the development of crops
with enhanced traits such as pest resistance, drought
tolerance, and increased nutritional value.
POLICIES AND INTERVENTIONS FOR FOOD SECURITY

 Policies and interventions can address food security challenges and promote sustainable food systems.
 Examples:
 - Investment in agricultural research and development can lead to the development of improved crop varieties,
farming techniques, and post-harvest technologies.
 - Promotion of small-scale farming and rural development can empower local communities, enhance food
production, and reduce poverty.
 - Social safety nets and food assistance programs provide support to vulnerable populations, ensuring access to
nutritious food during times of crisis.
- International collaborations and partnerships facilitate knowledge sharing, technology transfer, and capacity
building to address global food security challenges.
REFERENCES

 https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-health
 https://danawilliams2.tripod.com/foodglobal.html#:~:text=Food%20security%20needs%20to%20be,and
%20affordable%20and%20healthy%20foods.