Global Food Security

As said, food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to

adequate, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for

an active and healthy life. 213 This widely accepted definition of food security

emphasizes the four dimensions of food security 214 which are as follows:

1. food access: access to adequate resources to acquire a healthy and

nutritious diet

2. food use: use of food through adequate diet, clean water and health care to

reach the state of a healthy well-being

3. availability: availability of adequate supply of food, produced either through

domestic or foreign import, including as well the food aid received from outside

the country

4. stability: access to sufficient food at all times, without losing access to food

supply brought by either economic or climatic crisis

Global Food Security: Issues, Interventions and Public Policy Implications

amid surplus food production and the prevalence of hunger, due to the complex

interplay of social, economic, and ecological factors that mediate food security

outcomes at various human and institutional scales. Food production outpaced food

demand over the past 50 years due to expansion in crop area and irrigation, as well as

supportive policy and institutional interventions that led to the fast and sustained growth

in agricultural productivity and improved food security in many parts of the world.

However, future predictions point to a slow-down in agricultural productivity and a foodgap

mainly in areas across Africa and Asia which are having ongoing food security

issues.

The problem of food insecurity is expected to worsen due to, among others, rapid

population growth and other emerging challenges such as climate change and rising

demand for biofuels. Climate change poses complex challenges in terms of increased

variability and risk for food producers and the energy and water sectors. There is a
need to look beyond agriculture and invest in affordable and suitable farm technologies

if the problem of food insecurity is to be addressed in a sustainable manner. This

requires both revisiting the current approach of agricultural intervention and reorienting

the existing agricultural research institutions and policy framework.

Proactive interventions and policies for tackling food security are to be discussed

which include issues such as agriculture for development, ecosystem services from

agriculture, and gender mainstreaming, to extend the focus on food security within and

beyond the agriculture sector, by incorporating cross-cutting issues such as energy

security, resource reuse and recovery, social protection programs, and involving civil

society in food policy making processes by promoting food sovereignty. 215

Challenges in Food Security

Demand for food will be 60% greater than it is today and the challenge of food

security requires the world to feed 9 billion people by 2050. Global food security means

delivering sufficient food to the entire world population. It is, therefore, a priority of all

countries, whether developed or less developed. The security of food also means the
sustainability of society such as population growth, climate change, water scarcity, and

agriculture. The case of India show how complex the issue of food security is in relation

to other factors:

Agriculture accounts for 18% of the economy’s output and 47% of its workforce.

India is the second biggest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world. Yet,

according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, some

194 million Indians are undernourished, the largest number of hungry people in any

single country. An estimated 15.2% of the population of India are too malnourished to

lead a normal life. A third of the world’s malnourished children live in India (n.p.) 216

But perhaps the closest aspect of human life associated with food security is the

environment. A major environmental problem is the destruction of natural habitats,

particularly through deforestation. 217 Industrial fishing has contributed to a significant

destruction of marine life and ecosystems. 218 Biodiversity and usable farmland have

also declined at a rapid pace.

availability of fresh water. 219 Because of the degradation of soil or desertification,

decline in water supply has transformed what was once considered a public good into a

privatized commodity. 220 The poorest areas of the globe experience a disproportionate

share of water-related problems. The problem is further intensified by the consumption

of “virtual water”, wherein people use up water from elsewhere to produce consumer

products.221 The destruction of the water ecosystem may lead to the creation of “climate

refugees, people who are forcibly displaced due to effects of climate change and

disasters.222

Pollution through toxic chemicals has had a long-term impact on the environment.

The use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has led to significant industrial pollution.

223 Greenhouse gases, gases that trap sunlight and heat in the earth’s atmosphere,

contribute greatly to global warming. In turn, this process causes the melting of landbased

and glacial ice with potentially catastrophic effects 224, the possibility of

substantial flooding, a reduction in the alkalinity of the oceans, and the destruction of
existing ecosystems. Ultimately, global warming poses a threat to the global supply of

food as well as to human health. 225 Furthermore, population growth and its attendant

increase in consumption intensify ecological problems. The global flow of dangerous

debris is another major concern, with electronic waste often dumped in developing

countries.

There are different models and agenda pushed by different organizations to

address the issue of global food security. One of this is through sustainability. The

United Nations has set ending hunger, achieving food security and improved security,

and promoting sustainable agriculture as the second of its 17 Sustainable Goals (SDGs)

for the year 2030. The World Economic Forum (2010) also addressed this issue through

the New Vision of Agriculture (NVA) in 2009 wherein public-private partnerships were

established. 226 It has mobilized over $10 billion that reached smallholder farmers.