FOOD

● A vital resource for humans, regardless of race, nationality, religious affiliation,

economic status, or educational attainment.
● It is important for nations to secure a constant supply of food for the consumption of
people because it is a basic necessity for humans.
● plays an integral role in maintaining a healthy, functioning, and even peaceful domestic
and international environment.

FOOD SECURITY
● physical and economic access, at all times, to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for
people to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life
(Swaminathan, 2003).
● a worldwide issue which must be given considerable attention.
● A household is considered food secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or
fear of starvation.
● It challenges countries with large populations such as China and India.

Food security can mean 5 things:

1. Food is available in the country.
2. It is accessible to people, physically and financially.
3. People are healthy to absorb it.
4. Food Supplies / prices are stable over a period.
5. It is nutritious enough to sustain in a human body.

SOME SOLUTIONS TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY

● International trade
- It can help improve food security, especially for poorer countries, by allowing
them to access food and resources they might not produce themselves.
- Rich countries support this through subsidies and increased production, but they
also need to balance their own food security needs.
● Economic and agricultural reforms
- have proven viable in addressing food security issues like in the case of China,
one of the most populated countries in the world, In 1978, China began reforms in
these sectors to ensure food security for the country and its people. Nutrition-
wise, China was able to reduce the number of undernourished people by seventy
million from 1990 to 2000 (Jiang, 2008).
- China's changes to farming and the economy helped produce more food, increase
incomes, and reduce hunger, showing how reforms can improve food security.
The conditions of food security nowadays are affected by so many factors such as the food
system, nutrition, armed conflict and climate change that would contribute in either the
development of food security or retreat of food security that will lead to global food insecurity.

FACTORS THAT AFFECTS FOOD SECURITY

● Climate Change
- Agriculture, forestry, and land sectors contribute to climate change which can
threaten global security and rural communities.
- 1 out of 9 people are experiencing hunger and it is expected to increase due to
climate change.
- Climate change disrupts the conditions needed for growing and producing food,
leading to lower yields and increased difficulty in ensuring everyone has enough
to eat.
● Armed Conflict
- A contributing factor that further cripples and weakens food security both on a
domestic and international level.
- Internal conflicts have made it hard to produce and get food in countries like
Israel, Turkey, and Syria.
- Armed groups against
- a legitimate government target to prevent, seize, and/or destroy food aid that is
intended for government armed forces.
- Farmers are also driven away from their lands because of conflict, and production
is then halted
- Present day examples include the Venezuelan food crisis due to economic decline,
which led to skyrocketing commodity prices. Only a third of the Venezuelan have
access to regulated food packets.
● Hunger
- Hunger can cause conflict, which makes food shortages worse. These shortages
affect not just rural areas but also cities, especially in countries with internal
conflicts.
- Lack of food was one of the factors that ignited the French Revolution of 1789
(Chon, Pinstrup-Andersen, 1999).

IMPORTANCE OF FOOD SECURITY:

1. Politics and Governance
- Food security is an essential component of politics and governance, as it directly
impacts the daily lives of citizens and their ability to lead productive lives. It is,
therefore, the responsibility of the government to ensure that people have access
to sufficient nutritious food that meets their dietary needs.
 - Food insecurity can give rise to a range of social, economic, and political issues
with significant consequences. It may lead to malnutrition, illness, and
deteriorating health, ultimately causing decreased productivity, hindered
economic development, and heightened healthcare expenses.
- A government that is committed to ensuring food security is more likely to have a
stable economy, a healthy population, and peaceful societies.

2. Social Stability and Health

- Food security is crucial in maintaining social stability and health within a
community. As the availability and access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food
directly impacts the physical and mental well-being of individuals, it plays a
significant role in ensuring social stability and maintaining good health.
- It plays a huge role in social stability as it can lower crime rates and social unrest
and it can reduce social inequalities and tensions. It can also prevent malnutrition
due to undernutrition or overnutrition, which can lead to severe health issues.
- Studies have shown that food insecurity negatively impacts economic stability
and educational outcomes due to its detrimental effects on physical and mental
health. By contrast, ensuring food security leads to a healthier and more
productive population, benefiting both individuals and society as a whole.

3. International/Foreign Economic Relations

- Food security is vital for stable international economic relations. It promotes trade
stability, supports economic development, enhances market access, fosters
political stability, and facilitates humanitarian aid.

Establishing an international network with countries that can respond to the food security
challenges of other countries is a goal that all members of the international community must
strive for.