Affordable and available Food

The index, from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), measures FOOD SECURITY indicators
under three major factors: affordability, availability, and quality and safety.
Food availability
According to the World Bank and the United Nations, from 1 to 2 billion humans are
now malnourished, indicating a combination of insufficient food, low incomes, and inadequate
distribution of food. This is the largest number of hungry humans ever recorded in history. In
China about 80 million are now malnourished and hungry. Based on current rates of increase, the
world population is projected to double from roughly 6 billion to more than 12 billion in less
than 50 years. As the world population expands, the food problem will become increasingly
severe.
More than 99 per cent of the world's food supply comes from the land, while less than 1
per cent is from oceans and other aquatic habitats. The continued production of an adequate food
supply is directly dependent on ample fertile land, fresh water, energy, plus the maintenance of
biodiversity. As the human population grows, the requirements for these resources also grow.
Even if these resources are never depleted, they will decline significantly because they must be
divided among more people.

In the Philippines
The growth rate of the agriculture sector is flat. As of August 2018, We are now 104
million Filipinos and multiplying. We must be able to increase our food production capability to
feed all those mouths.
Causes of Low agricultural rate causing of food unavailability:
1. One of the major problems facing agriculture is the loss of agricultural land, because as
more land is lost, it will become more difficult to produce the amount of food needed to
feed the growing human population.
2. Farmers are growing old and their children have shifted into other careers.
3. Good fertilizers, pesticides and seeds are imported from other countries, making them
very expensive and unaffordable for the lowly farmer. Farmers have difficulty in
financing their farming endeavors due to the high rates of borrowing institutions.

Food affordability
Causes of Higher Food Prices
1. Weather/Temperature
All crops are affected by the weather during the growing season. If the growing season is
too wet, too dry, or too cold, or too hot, crops cannot thrive. A scarcity or shortage of a
crop may mean it will cost more. When a good growing season results in a surplus, food
prices may go down.

2. Pests/Disease
Like weather, factors such as pest damage and disease can destroy a crop or affect
livestock production.

3. Transportation Costs
When the price of oil and gas are higher, it costs more to transport food through the steps
from farm to plate (e.g. to processing facility, to the store). This can impact the price of
food.

4. Labour Costs
The agri-food system requires a lot of people to make it work (farmers, packers,
processors, retailers, etc.). Many job opportunities exist in this system. If the cost of
labour goes up (e.g. minimum wage is increased) food prices may increase.

Food prices and food affordability are important determinants of food choices and dietary
patterns, nutrition and health. In addition, the price and affordability of food affects food security
at all levels. While food price has been reported by some groups as a more important
determinant of food choice than taste, promotions, convenience or environmental concerns,
there is still much to learn about the impact of food prices on dietary choices.
Generally, consumers purchase fewer foods when their prices rise and the converse when prices
fall.

What is my part as an Industrial Engineer?

IE Job description:

• Introduction of new products or byproducts

• Product design and packaging
• Logistical planning
• Decision making analysis
• Creativity

Others:
The Drones & the Bees- drones used as experiment for pollination
Stacking Functions with the Ring Garden- Well-designed fields planted with a variety of
crops serve several functions: food production, wildlife habitat, air quality improvement, carbon
absorption, and more
Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and Automation