Global Food security

Food security - the condition of which everyone is able to access sufficient, safe,
and nutritious food anytime.

Undernourishment - is the condition by which a person only has access, on a regular

basis, to food that are insufficient in providing the required energy for a normal,
healthy, and active life, provided his or her own dietary and energy requirements

There is more than sufficient food produced globally to meet the food needs of all
people on the planet (Action Against Hunger, n.d.). Despite this, an estimated 124
million people experience acute hunger today, approximately 40 million higher than
the numbers from two years ago. In addition to that, stunted children are
approximately 151 million and wasted children are estimated to be 51 million
worldwide (Grebmer et al., 2018). Furthermore, small-scale farmers, fishers, and
rural workers produce approximately 70 percent of food globally but are among the
most vulnerable sector to food insecurity (Action Against Hunger, n.d.). These data
reflecting the world status on hunger show the urgency of ensuring global food
security. Food security is projected to remain a worldwide issue for the coming
decades (Rosegrant & Cline, 2019).

Food security occurs when every person, every time, is able to physically and
economically access sufficient, safe, and nutritious food, depending on their dietary
needs and food preferences toward an active and healthy lifestyle (World Food
Summit, 1996).

The concept of food security emerged during the mid-70s (FAO, n.d.) It recognizes
the global issue of chronic food insecurity. Food insecurity is the phenomenon
"when people do not have adequate physical, social, or economic access to food"
(FAO). Food security brings into public policy the food-related problem of famine,
hunger, and food crises. Nations and global institutions make various commitments
to achieve the eradication of hunger and food insecurity. Despite actions to address
these issues, global food security remains to be a major concern.

The concept of food security gained prominence in the 1970s. First, hunger was
seen as a lack of food supply. The focus of government programs to make food
available was boosting of agricultural production and maintaining price stability of
food (food availability). However, in 1981, Amartya Sen argued that hunger or
starvation is not only about the supply of food but people's lack of access to food
despite the availability of food. This resulted in broadening the concept of food
security to include access to food (food accessibility), which are located in the wider
concerns of poverty and development.

In 1986, World Bank introduced that food insecurity can be a permanent or

temporary phenomenon, giving rise to the ideas of chronic and transitory hunger.
Chronic food insecurity recognizes the perennial problem of food insecurity, while
transitory food insecurity talks about the momentary shortage of food. This pushes
policy to recognize that sufficient food must be accessible at all times (food
stability). Finally, food security was extended to include issues of food quality. It
ensures the utilization of food that meets people's nutritional balance, traditions,
and preferences (food utilization). Hence, the important aspects of food security are
availability, access, utilization, and stability (Napoli, 2011).

Measurement for Food Security and Food Insecurity

To understand the phenomenon of food security and food insecurity, various

measures and indices have been developed. These measures and indices become
the bases for actions to eradicate food insecurity and demand accountability from
governments. Measures and indices can encompass analyzes of causes and/or
effects, either qualitative or quantitative and may be done in several levels-from
household levels to national levels (Masset, 2010). Some indicators are expressed
household in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGS). Furthermore, examples of indices used for food
insecurity are the Global Hunger Index and the Hunger Reduction Commitment
Index.

Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU) and the Prevalence of Moderate

and Severe Food Insecurity in the Population of the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO)

PoU measures hunger on several levels, in the regional and global levels, by
gathering data on food availability, consumption, and energy requirements. Some
factors being measured are the daily per capita food consumption, human energy
requirements, and agricultural production. On the other hand, the Prevalence of
Moderate and Severe Food Insecurity in the Population collects data through
interviews regarding people's experiences of difficulty in accessing food. Data can
reflect individual and household levels and can show what part of the population are
most food insecure (FAO, n.d. http://www.fao.org/hunger/en/).

Global Hunger Index

Global Hunger Index is published by Concern International and Welthungerhilfe. It

looks into indicators such as the share of the population related to:

 undernourishment referring to insufficient caloric intake;

 child wasting referring children with low weight in relation to their height:

 child stunting referring to children under the age of five that have a low

 weight in relation to their age; and

 child mortality or under-five mortality rates.

These indicators are given standardized scores to come up with the Global Hunger
Index (GHI) Score of each country. The GHI can monitor the state of hunger in the
national and global levels to inform policy and actions where they are needed
(Grebmer et al., 2018).

Hunger Reduction Commitment Index (HRCI)

Hunger Reduction Commitment Index (HRCI) initiated by the Institute of

Development Studies looks into three themes that measure governments’ political
commitment in attaining food security: governments' policies and programs; legal
frameworks; and public expenditures (Lintelo et al., 2011).

Some of the indicators being measured in HRCI are:

 institutional coordination - whether there is a coordinating body to address

hunger and malnutrition and the successes of this coordinating body;

 government intention and action - about priority actions of the government

on hunger and malnutrition;

 analytical rigor - about the generation of scientific evidence on hunger and

malnutrition as the basis for public policy; and

 learning and adaptation- about the governments' effort to innovate with

policy approaches to eradicate hunger and malnutrition (Lintelo et al., 2011).

Some Factors Affecting Food Security

Food security is a multidimensional issue. Ensuring the availability, accessibility,

utilization, and stability of food are linked to several social, political, economic,
cultural, and environmental processes and factors. Some of these factors are food
supply, food prices, income, and sudden changes in the context.

Food Supply

As mentioned, early concepts and policies on food security focused on agricultural

production to ensure the availability of food. Food security involves sustainably
supplying the energy and protein needs and healthy diet of the people. It is
concerned not only with quantity but also the quality of food that promotes the well-
being of people (Martindale, 2015).

Before food comes to people's tables, it goes through a complex process of

production, manufacturing, and distribution where different functions and
operations must be carried out (Martindale, 2015). Food supply is also connected
with conditions in agricultural production. This involves issues of rural farmers. The
conditions of rural poor farmers should be a focus of the discussion of food security
because rural farmers, usually small-scale producers, have an important role in
producing food in developing countries (Schanbacher, 2010). In the Philippines,
farmers and fishers remain to be the poorest sectors in 2015, with 34.3 percent and
34.0 percent poverty incidence respectively (PSA, 2017). Local rural producers must
be sufficiently supported by government programs and reforms to continue to
supply sufficient food to the population.

Food Prices

Changes in national and global economic policies and process may lead to increases
in oil and food prices. In the Philippines, inflation hit 4.5 percent in April 2018,
leading to a drastic rise in food prices.

People’s Income

Another problem associated with food security is the lack of people's access of food
because of poverty (Naylor, 2014). Despite the availability of food, people without
economic access to buy food may not meet their food needs. The minimum wage in
Metro Manila amounting to Php512 is barely sufficient to meet food and other needs
(IBON Foundation). The most income-poor Filipinos are also vulnerable to food price
increases.

Changes and Shocks in Social and Natural Environments

Variability and shocks in the Social and natural environment may affect food
availability, accessibility, and stability. For instance, climate change may affect the
timing and length of growing and harvesting seasons, amount of water supply, and
degradation of resources such as erosion (FAO, 2012). In the Philippines, farmers
may experience lower yields due to the scarcity of rainfall during El Niño
phenomena. This will result in decrease in food supply and income poverty for
farmers leading to transitory food insecurity. Conflict also results in poverty and
hunger. UN reports that more than half of the 815 undernourished people come
from countries in conflict (Action Against Hunger).

Globalization and Food Security

Food security that is linked to the complex process of food production,

consumption, and distribution intersects with issues of trading, reforms in
agriculture, as well as rural development (Schanbacher, 2010).

Economic globalization involves foreign trading of food. This encompasses the

creation of a global food supply chain or the process involving the production,
manufacturing, consumption, and disposal happening across different national
borders. Some issues in the supply chain include contamination and the lack of a
mechanism to trace where food comes from. Cultural globalization also creates
changes in people's taste, preference, and consumption of food. For instance,
transnational fast food corporations have operated in different countries. Some of
the biggest fast food chains are McDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks, KFC, Pizza Hut,
and Subway.

Economic globalization can also tremendously impact food security. In the

Philippines, agricultural food production weakens because of the decrease in
government spending for agriculture, as a consequence of the structural adjustment
program imposed by the IMF and World Bank. In 1982, 7.5 percent of total
government expenditure went to agriculture, then spending decreased to 3.3
percent in 1988. Trade liberalization in the Philippines marked joining of the
Philippines in the World Trade Organization required the country to eliminate quota
for agricultural imports allowing the entry of cheap imported agricultural products
that discouraged local farmers. The Philippines also became dependent on rice
imports despite the country's ability to become rice self-sufficient (Bello, 2008).

Commitments to Achieve Food Security

Recognizing the urgency and severity of world food security problems, world
leaders have made global commitments to address food insecurity. In 1996, the
World Food Summit was convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
in Rome where UN member states committed to eradicate hunger and reduce
undernourished people all over the world. The UN members in this summit pledged
to commit to a plan of action (Napoli, 2011). It is a continuous effort to eliminate
hunger in all countries, with a short-term goal of decreasing the number of
undernourished individuals to half (1996 World Food Summit).

This commitment was later reaffirmed during the UN Millennium Summit in 2000
that resulted in the formulation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS)
(Napoli, 2011). The first goal of the MDGs is to eradicate extreme poverty and
hunger. This goal has three targets:

1. To significantly decrease the number of people with daily income below

$1.25;

2. To attain full, constructive, and decent employment for all; and

3. To significantly decrease the number of people suffering) from hunger

(https://www.mdgmonitor.org/mdg-1-eradicate-poverty-hunger/).

In 2015, UN member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Agenda. This
encompasses the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that will guide governments,
private sector, and civil society to address the global issue of poverty, inequalities,
and climate change. Sustainable Development Goal number 2 is to achieve zero
hunger (Kaci, 2017). These commitments push governments to take all necessary
actions to combat hunger and poverty through different policies and programs
including boosting agricultural productivity, making agriculture resilient to climate
change. Increasing investment in agriculture, and correcting trade processes.

Aside from this, organizations and movements critical of too much market-driven
food production system espouses the idea of food sovereignty as an approach to
achieving food security. Food sovereignty focuses on promoting the well-being of
the small-scale farmers and producers, landless farmers, and rural farm workers
instead of prioritizing large-scale, corporate, and liberalized agriculture and food
production (Schanbacher, 2010). Food security is not only about producing food the
fastest and cheapest way at the expense of displacing the livelihood and well-being
of poor farmers.