Group 7

Group Members: RINGOR, Cherrie Lou C. BSA 1

OMO, Arianne Marie R. GE 4; 9:00 – 10:30 T Th

Global Food Security

Two common definitions of food security come from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA),
and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
1. Food security exists, at the individual, household, national, regional and global levels when all
people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to
meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. (FAO)
2. Food security for a household means access by all members at all times to enough food for an
active, healthy life. Food security includes at a minimum, (USDA):
i. The ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods
ii. An assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways (that is, without
resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging, stealing, or other coping strategies).
Food security is defined as the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food
secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. The World Food Summit of 1996 defined
food security as existing "when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a
healthy and active life".
Commonly, the concept of food security is defined as including both physical and economic access to
food that meets people's dietary needs as well as their food preferences. Household food security exists when all
members, at all times, have access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food security incorporates a
measure of resilience to future disruption or unavailability of critical food supply due to various risk factors
including droughts, shipping disruptions, fuel shortages, economic instability, and wars.

Importance of Global Food Security

1. Growth in the agriculture sector has been found, on average, to be at least twice as effective in reducing
poverty as growth in other sectors. Food insecurity – often rooted in poverty – decreases the ability of
countries to develop their agricultural markets and economies.
2. Access to quality, nutritious food is fundamental to human existence. Secure access to food can produce
wide ranging positive impacts, including:
 Economic growth and job creation
 Poverty reduction
 Trade opportunities
 Increased global security and stability
 Improved health and healthcare

Global Challenges in Food Security

1. Population growth – this varies considerably across

countries. Africa is expected to double its population
from 1 to 2 billion by 2050. Populations in the
developing world are also becoming increasingly
urbanized, with 2.5 billion additional urban residents
projected in Africa and Asia.
2. Changing tastes – not only is the population growing,
but its diet is changing too. As people become more
affluent they start eating food that is richer in processed
foods, meat and dairy. But to produce more meat
means growing more grain.

3. Climate change – currently, 40% of the world’s

landmass is arid, and rising temperatures will turn yet
more of it into desert. At current rates, the amount of food
we’re growing today will feed only half of the population
by 2050.
4. Water scarcity – this is another impending crisis: 28% of
agriculture lies in water-stressed regions. It takes roughly
1,500 liters of water to produce a kilogram of wheat, and
about 16,000 liters to produce a kilogram of beef. In 2050,
we’ll need twice as much as water.
5. Troubled farmers – in developed countries, less than
2% of people grow crops or breed animals for food.
Fewer and fewer people are choosing farming as an
occupation. Meanwhile, food prices are rising, arable land
continues to be lost to sprawl and soil is being degraded
by over-farming.

What makes ensuring food security so complex?

Consider India. 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 is too malnourished to lead a
normal life. A third of the world’s malnourished children
live in India.
Addressing the problem of hunger and malnourishment in an economy such as India’s requires
improvements in the productivity of the agriculture sector, particularly smallholder farms. Rural and farming
communities typically experience a higher incidence of poverty and hunger.
Agriculture must also be sustainable. The sector accounts for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions and 70%
of freshwater withdrawals so attention has to be paid to energy and water use is farming. Waste is also a
problem, with an estimated one third of food consumption, some $750 billion in value, lost.

Global Food Security Index

The Global Food Security Index (GFSI) developed by the Economist (Magazine). Intelligence Unit with
sponsorship from DuPont, is a universal benchmarking tool on food security.
It examines the core issues of food affordability, availability, quality and safety, as well as natural
resources resilience in 113 countries. It is based on 26 unique indicators that measure these drivers of food
security across both developing and developed countries. “This index is the first to examine food security
comprehensively across the three internationally established dimensions. Moreover, the study looks beyond
hunger to the underlying factors affecting food insecurity. This year the GFSI includes an adjustment factor on
natural resources and resilience.”

Sustainable agriculture is the foundation of food security and has the potential to secure livelihoods
Agriculture is the single largest employer in the world, providing livelihood for 40% of today’s global
population and it is the largest source of income and jobs for poor rural households. Investing in smallholder
farmers is an important way to increase food security and nutrition for the poorest, as well as food production for
local and global markets.
However, providing food and securing livelihoods must be done in a manner which does not compromise
the environment. Since the 1990s, some 75% of crop diversity has been lost from farmers’ fields. Better use if
agricultural biodiversity can contribute to more nutritious diets, enhanced livelihoods for farming communities and
more resilient farming systems.
Reference: Third International Conference on Global Food Security, December 2017, Cape Town, Africa

Dimensions of Global Food Security

1. Food stability: Refers to the ability to obtain food over time.
Stability describes the temporal dimension of food and nutrition security, respectively the time frame over
which food and nutrition security is being considered. Stability is given when the supply on household level
remains constant during the year and in the long-term. That includes food, income and economic resources.
Furthermore it is important to minimize external risks such as natural disaster and climate change, price
volatility, conflicts or epidemics through activities and implementations improving the resilience of
households. Such measure include insurances e.g. against drought and crop failure as well as the protection
of the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources like land, soil and water

2. Food access: Refers to the affordability and allocation of food, as well as the preferences of individuals and
households.
Access is ensured when all households have enough resources to obtain food in sufficient quantity,
quality and diversity for a nutritious diet. This depends mainly on the amount of household resources and on
prices. In addition, accessibility is also a question of the physical, social and policy environment. Drastic
changes in these dimensions may seriously disrupt production strategies and threaten food access of affected
households. As an example, developing countries may be affected by severe droughts or floods more and
more frequently. Accordantly, the harvest volume shrinks and the prices for food increase, affecting on the
availability and accessibility of food for households. To prevent such negative developments, different
technical adaptation measures exist. The construction of infrastructure such as small dams and reservoirs or
water spreading weirs to hold back water and raise the shallow groundwater tables is one of them, dykes and
improved drainage systems for floods are other ones. In addition, the preservation and rehabilitation of
ecosystems, flood sensitive planning or early warning systems and emergency plans further enhance the
capabilities to deal with extreme weather events and to preserve the physical environment.

3. Food availability: Relates to the supply of food through production, distribution, and exchange.
Food availability is when all people have sufficient quantities of food available on a consistent basis, and
is determined by food production and food trade (FAO, 2008). Availability refers to the physical existence of
food. On national level food availability is a combination of domestic food production, commercial food
imports and exports, food aid and domestic food stocks. On household level food could be from own
production or bought from the local markets.
There are two faces to food availability.
  First, in the 1970s it was believed that food availability was the only indicator of food security. The
Food Availabilty Decline (FAD) theory that states that people are food insecure because of insufficient
food supply was the main theory used to explain food insecurity. The association of food security as
food availability caused an oversimplification of food security indicators, typically measured in daily
calories per person available (Barret et al, 2010).
 Second, it is now recognized that food security is a problem about distribution not production.
However, we have to acknowledge that an adequate supply of food still needs to be available to
reach food security. Adequate food production and trade are necessary to ensure appropriate food
availability.
Regarding food production, water resources are required to produce the crops. Due to population growth
and climate change, the pressure on existing natural resources, namely land and water, increases. Impacts of
climate change are often leading to land degradation, lack of irrigation water, reduced soil moisture and
therefore losses of economic livelihoods. Together with an increase in conflicts over usage of water resources
(cultivation of crops for energetic use vs. cultivation of crops for nutritional use, use by other sectors like
drinking water, industry and environment), this may be a threat for long-term food security. The Stockholm
International Water Institute (SIWI) emphasizes the growing importance of green water, i.e. the water
hidden in the ground as soil moisture (while blue water refers to water available in lakes, rivers and aquifers).
With suitable adaptation measures to soil such as irrigation systems improving water-use efficiency through
cultivation methods and technologies, or infrastructure development for water harvesting and (re)use of
marginal quality water and treated waste water, or improved soil-water management in rain fed systems like,
the resilience of agricultural systems can be strengthened, risks reduced and livelihoods secured. Support of
local water user groups and strengthening their planning and management skills can help minimize risks of
scarce resources and reduce conflicts.

4. Use and Utilization

 Use describes the socio-economic aspects of household food and nutrition security, determined by
knowledge and habits. Assuming that nutritious food is available and accessible, the household has to
decide what food to purchase and how to prepare it as well as how to consume and allocate it within the
household.
 Another aspect is the biological utilization. This relates to the ability of the human body to take food and
convert it. This gained energy is very important when it comes to daily physical activities, for example
working in agriculture. Beside that utilization requires a healthy physical environment and adequate
sanitary facilities as well as the understanding and awareness of proper health care, food preparation,
and storage processes. In this context safe drinking water plays an important role, especially for
preparing food and creating a healthy environment for the population. Safe drinking water is connected
to groundwater which is often contaminated through human, industrial or agricultural waste water in
combination with other factors 884 million people worldwide have no access to adequate drinking water

Overall

Singapore is the runaway winner (Global Rank; 19), followed by Malaysia (43). Rice exporters are at
lower tiers: Thailand (53), Vietnam (64), Cambodia (84), and Myanmar (80). Rice importers’ ranks, excluding
Singapore and Malaysia, are: Indonesia (73) and the Philippines (79). ASEAN countries with high GFSI are ahead
in affordability, availability, and quality and safety criteria.
1. Affordability
Singapore posted the highest income per capita at $73,168, distantly followed by Malaysia with $9,503 in
2016. Indonesia has $3,570, the Philippines $2,951, and Vietnam, $2,186. The two leaders had little
poverty. Malaysia’s poverty incidence was only 1.6% in 2014 versus 21.6% for the Philippines in 2015.
 2. Quality; 3. Safety; and 4. Availability
Rice importers Singapore and Malaysia beat rice exporters Vietnam and Thailand by a mile. The index has
several factors of which supply sufficiency is only one of six. The Philippines is even ahead of Cambodia,
a rice exporter.
The level of development of a country affects the quality and safety criteria. Singapore and Malaysia are
far ahead. Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are in the middle cluster.
5. Natural Resources and 6. Resilience (NRR)
The 2017 GFSI includes “a new environment criterion that recognizes the growing emphasis on resource
conservation, climate change adaptation, and sustainable agriculture practices. With factors, such as
temperature change, land deforestation, and depletion of water resources, the NRR category measures
future impacts on the countries in the GFSI.”

Levels of Food Security

1. High Food Security – households had no problems, or anxiety about,
consistently accessing adequate food.
2. Marginal Food Security – households had problems or anxiety at times
about accessing adequate food, but the quality, variety and quantity of
their food were not substantially reduced.
3. Low Food Security – households reduced the quality, variety, and
desirability of their debts, but the quantity of food intake and normal
eating patterns were not substantially disrupted.
4. Very Low Food Security – at times, during the year, eating patterns of one or more household members
were disrupted and food intake reduced because the household lack money or other resources for food.

Nearly 1 billion people around the world suffer from hunger. Considering that we already produce enough
food to feed the planet, this should no longer be a problem. But there are a number of factors that get in the
way, including inefficient use of water, fertilizers and crop rotations. There are set of ways to improve global food
security:
1. Close the yield gap. By 2050, 120 million hectares of natural habitats will be converted to farming in
developing countries, World Wildlife Fund estimates. In many parts of the world, current agricultural land is
not reaching its potential, yielding 50% less than what it could produce. Closing the gap between what is
being produced and what could be produced would both reduce the need to clear the land for agriculture and
feed 850 million people.
2. Use fertilizer more efficiently. The use of fertilizers with nitrogen and phosphorus on wheat, rice and maize
crops could be reduced by 13-29% and still produce the same yields. Further efficiency could be gained
through adjustments in the timing, placement and type of fertilizer.
3. Raise low water productivity. Improving irrigation systems and planting crops that use less water would be an
effective way to tackle this. For example, rice and sugar cane are among the crops that need the most water.
One way to encourage change would be to provide economic incentives, but that change based on regional
differences and cultural tastes.
4. Target food for direct consumption. A lot of caloric efficiency is lost when crops are converted for animal feed
and other non-food uses. In some cases, this would mean changing where certain crops are grown, but
changing crops isn’t straightforward.
5. Reduce food waste. Globally, 30-50% of food production goes to waste because of inefficient preparation for
inadequate storage facilities. US is one of the biggest culprits for this and needs an agricultural land base that
is 7 to 8 times larger than a land base in India to compensate for this waste. Reducing food waste in US,
India and China could feed 413 million people per year.