Prepared by: Prof. CANDICE B.

YEE, MM
INTRODUCTION
Food is the first basic human need and fundamental right of
every human being, having constitutional guarantees in
almost all countries. That's why the UNO recognized the
Right to food in the Declaration of Human Rights in 1948,vital
for the enjoyment of all other rights.
Although food security has always been a crucial issue, there
is increasing global concern in it after 2007/8 food crisis
which is reinforced whenever food prices start rising.
This presentation explains the concept of food security, its
evolution, challenges at country level as well as at global
level and ends with a set of recommendations.
 Food Security- Evolution

Food Security is an evolving concept, getting refined after new

developments and greater awareness about its necessity.
During 1970s,food crises created awareness for food security and led
to formal institutional response globally. However food availability
through buffer stocks was considered enough for ensuring food
security
During 1980s,concern with increased poverty added access to food
as essential as food availability for food security
During 1990s,interest in human development led to absorption of
food also as an essential component of food security
 Food Security- Evolution

During 2000s,recurring food crises necessitated to include stability

as one of the main components of food security
During 2010s,evidence of increasing malnutrition among the
children/females led to inclusion of nutrition also as an essential
element of food security
Now food security invariably means five things;
A. Food is available in the country
B. It is accessible to people, physically and financially
C. People are healthy to absorb it
D. Food supplies /prices are stable over period
E. It is nutritious enough to sustain a human body
 WHAT IS FOOD SECURITY?

“When all people at all times have

access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food
to maintain a healthy and active life”.
Food and Agriculture Organization, UN
 WHAT IS FOOD INSECURITY?

"Food insecurity is a situation of limited or

uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate
and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to
acquire acceptable foods in socially
acceptable ways“
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA)
 GLOBAL PROFILE

Despite substantial progress madesincetheMDGs were launched in

2000, the number of people chronically undernourished are more
than 870 million, bulk of whom are in Africa and Asia; almost 15
percent of their population is undernourished
Most of the progress made was before 2007/8 food crisis. It means
any food crisis wipes out a significant proportion of progress made
Even the methodology used by FAO needs to be improved to truly
capture the incidence of mal/undernourishment
 2007 Food Crisis-Causes

failed agriculture market regulations

lack of anti-dumping mechanisms
export restrictions and panic buying,
US Dollar Depreciation
increased farming for use in biofuels world oil prices at more than
$100 a barrel global
population growth
climate change
loss of agricultural land to residential and industrial development
growing consumer demand in China and India
Based on data from the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
shows, Ukraine and Russia are major
producers of wheat, barley and maize,
accounting for an average (combined) share UKRAINE AND
of 27, 23 and 15 percent of global exports
RUSSIA CONFLICT
between 2016 and 2020, respectively. Even
the World Food Program itself gets 50
percent of its grain supplies from the Ukraine-
Russia area and is now facing dramatic cost
increases in its efforts to combat food
emergencies around the world.
“This is a catastrophe on top of a catastrophe,”
WFP Director Beasley said, referring to the
devastating effect the Covid-19 pandemic has
had on world hunger. According to the UN
organization, the number of people facing
acute food insecurity had jumped from 135
UKRAINE AND
million to 276 million since 2019 – and that’s
RUSSIA CONFLICT
not even taking the conflict in Ukraine into
account. In total, more than 800 million face
hunger around the world, while 44 million
people in 38 countries are teetering on the
edge of famine, according to WFP.
Source: Statista.com


Despite the highest growth rates which

can be achieved, there will always
remain a significant section of society
which could not reap the benefits of
Lessons Learnt
growth for any reason.

State must create an effective, efficient

and transparent system of Social Safety
Nets for these people who are left in this Growth must ultimately accompanied
growth process by social and political structural

changes such as people empowerment,
gender balance, good governance,
private sector participation etc.
GLOBAL FOOD
SECURITY
Major Challenges
DISTRIBUTION BOTTLENECKS

POSE THREATS TO ITS POLI TI CS - POLI TI CAL

AVAILABILITY EVEN I SSUES ALSO AFFECTI NG
INNORMALTIMES FOODCHAI NS

CONSUMPTI ON - I NCREASI NG PRODUCTION-SLOW RATE

CONSUMPTI ON AND OF GROWTH OF FOOD
WASTAGES ARE PUTTI NG PRODUCTION IS ADVERSELY
PRESSURES ON FOOD AFFECTING THE SUPPLY OF
GRAI NSSTOCKS FOOD GRAINS
DECREASE IN CULTIVATED

AREA-URBANIZATION, DEGRADATION OF ARABLE

INDUSTRIALIZATION AND L A N D S D U E TO B A D
INFRASTRUCTURAL A G R I C U L T U R A L A ND
PROJECTS ON LANDS USED I R R I G A T I O N P R A C TI C E S
FOR AGRICULTURE

CHALLENGES IN
PRODUCTION

STAGNANT YI ELDS DUE TO

LESS THAN ADEQUATE
RESOURCE ALLOCATI ON FOR CLIMATECHANGEANDENVIRO
AGRI CULTURALR&D NMENTAL THREATS

INCREASING POPULATION-
SHEER NUMBER OF PEOPLE
DEMANDING FOOD
ISINCREASING
CHALLENGES IN
CONSUMPTION
CHANGI NG FOOD HABI TS-
URBANI ZATI ON NEEDS MORE
PROCESSED FOOD WHI CH
CONSUMES MOREFOOD
GROWI NG PROSPERI TY-
MORE MEAT I TEMS I N THE
DOMESTI C MENU
WHI CHNEEDS MORE
FOODGRAI NS
WASTAGES-OVER EATING,
THROWING AWAY OF FOOD
COOKED MORE THANTHE
NEEDS AND FOOD GETTING
EXPIRED IN THE DOMESTIC
FRIDGES/CHAIN STORES
GLOBAL FOOD
SECURITY
Country Response
Increase production through horizontal expansion-increase
areas under cultivation through technological interventions,
greater water availability and using it efficiently
Saving arable lands from property development and
infrastructural use, more reliance on intercropping and
agroforestry etc.
Increase production through vertical expansion-increase the
total factors productivity by greater awareness and use of good
agricultural practices, availability of quality inputs at affordable
prices
Reduce production and post production losses and wastages by
encouraging judicious use of chemicals and improved
processing facilities
Establish food godownsat convenient places to respond to the
needs of vulnerable groups as and whenneeded
Establish adequate system to forecastshortages and timely
import of foodgrains
Improve financial access of the people to
food through employment creation, skill
development and job clearance
information networks RESPONSES-
Provide income support to the extremely
FOOD ACCESS
poor by creating social safety nets
Improve physical access of the people to
food by facilitating free movement of food
grains throughout the country
Each country to have sufficient buffer
stocks available for emergency in different
parts to ensure their easy availability in
emergency situation
Code of conduct at UNO level not to
impose restrictions on the exports of food
by the food exporting countries in times of
crises which aggravate the situation more
RESPONSES-
than the actual crises FOOD STABILITY
Timely information about the global trends
in stocks and production and early
warning incase of looming food shortages
must be available
In time import of food grains whenever a
country or a region’s stocks appear to fall
below the danger threshold
GLOBAL FOOD
SECURITY
Global Response
Renewed commitment at global and state level to reduce
poverty by dedicating sufficient resources for job creation, skill
formation ,social safety nets and ensuring good governance
All countries to allocate more resources for agricultural
Research and Development and to share the findings of
research at institutional and private level.
Global collaboration to carry out healthcare reforms to improve
absorption and nutrition
Putting in place an efficient and reliable forecasting and early
warning systems for food grains production and stocks position
Early agreement on global warming, environmental
sustainability and climate change
Creation of regional buffer stocks for timely response to
emergent threats of food shortages
Devising fair rules of the game for international trade for
equitable share in the increase in global trade and development
Universal policy framework for corporate farming to restrain land
grabbing
Ban on cultivation of crops for biofuels on lands already used for
food production
 CONCLUSION

Developing regions have registered significant progress towards the MDG-1 of reducing
poverty / hunger and undernourishment has fallen by 17 percent since1990–92.
However, still one eighth population of the world is not getting enough food for active living
Growth can raise incomes and reduce hunger, but only sustainable & broad based growth
can reduce hunger &poverty
Growth policies must therefore aim at enhancing agricultural productivity targeting
smallholders and should specifically target the poor, especially those in rural areas

THANK YOU