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Food security according to the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is an important element of poverty
alleviation and global development.
What is food security?
Food security, according to the 1996 World
Food Summit exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access
to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food
preferences for an active and healthy life."
Dimensions
of food security
This definition has four
dimensions of food security which FAO recognizes as;
-
Physical availability of food
Food
availability addresses the “supply side” of food security and is determined by
the level of food production, stock levels and net trade.
-
Economic and physical access to food
An
adequate supply of food at the national or international level does not in
itself guarantee household level food security. Concerns about insufficient
food access have resulted in a greater policy focus on incomes, expenditure,
markets and prices in achieving food security objectives
-
Food utilization
Utilization
is commonly understood as the way the body makes the most of various nutrients
in the food. Sufficient energy and nutrient intake by individuals is the result
of good care and feeding practices, food preparation, and diversity of the diet
and intra-household distribution of food. Combined with good biological
utilization of food consumed, this determines the nutritional status of individuals.
-
Stability
Even
if your food intake is adequate today, you are still considered to be food
insecure if you have inadequate access to food on a periodic basis, risking a
deterioration of your nutritional status. Adverse weather conditions, political
instability, or economic factors (unemployment, rising food prices) may have an
impact on your food security status.
Factors affecting food security
Natural disasters such as drought, floods are
factors than hinder food security around the world. An article on The World Food Program (WFP) website, "climate impacts on food security" identifies how climate change increases the frequency of some of some disasters
such as floods, droughts and storms. This has an adverse impact
on livelihoods and food security. Climate-related disasters have the potential
to destroy crops, critical infrastructure, and key community assets, therefore
deteriorating livelihoods and exacerbating poverty.
Economic and political factors such as the
rise in food prices, population growth and exportation of food also affect food
security.
Benefits
of food security
Food security brings economic growth, having a
sufficient supply of food not only has benefits on health of the citizens, but
the economy leading to the development of the country.
In
ancient Egyptian history, around 3500 to 3400 BC, the early settlers made
settlements around the Nile valley because of the availability of food. They
were no longer nomads wondering in search of food. In addition, because there
was an abundance of food, not everyone needed to be a farmer which led to
people developing other skills such as in trade, weaving and tool making. Abundance
of food changed their lives. This is an
illustration of how food security benefits a society.
According to Devex Countries with very high
levels of poverty and chronic malnutrition face limitations in human capital
development, which is required to achieve sustainable growth. High levels of
poverty, inequality and chronic malnutrition force governments to invest significant
chunks of their resources in short-term fixes like social safety net programs
and conditional cash transfers.
Social benefits of Food Security include
progress toward gender equity, decreasing rural-urban migration, improved
environmental sustainability and better livelihoods for youth.
Read more on food security here
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