Lessons in Food Security (original) (raw)

Abstract

Food security has been a central focus of governance throughout recorded history, and even before. Without a feeling of security that such a basic of life is assured, no progress seems possible. As humans gained influence over aspects of nature to assure agricultural surpluses and so liberate parts of society to pursue other aspects of human development, understanding of human nature became codified in such forms as religion, which included lore on food security. Today in the Western cultures than so influence other parts of the world, religion no longer seems central and hence hardly features in mainstream considerations about the psychological aspect of food security. In fact, food security itself has been marginalized by the inclusion of miscellaneous fads in development such as biofuels, free food trade, narrowly defined environmental preservation and social engineering. This is possible since Western nations have surplus food from their own production or their superior purchasing power, yet they influence development agency agendas that affect less fortunate countries. A precarious imbalance in the world has thus occurred, as it has on occasional through history, often before a major trauma and shifts in power. Today development agencies treat food security as a component of trade and average levels of demand. However, the real food security issue is increasingly the risk of major shortages of food for megacities leading to riots, anarchy and migration. And migration will affect all countries. This paper argues that food security is fundamental to good governance and refers to essential food for survival in each country that is not considered under any free trade arrangements. India's 2007-8 export ban on non-luxury rice, while criticized by international agencies, is seen as a responsible action of good governance. The paper suggests that in terms of real food security international agencies may have more to learn from the world's major food producers -India and China -than from Western agriculture.

Figures (7)

Food security is a primary concern of good governments. We have confused it with poverty alleviation. Assuming that agriculture contributes directly to economic development forgets that political stability underpins all effective policy (Figure 1). In fact, production of essential food, not all agriculture, contributes to food security, which is the basis of the national stability necessary for good governance. Without hat, food riots and anarchy preclude any development. Add to this the institutional insistence of recent years that food deficit countries adhere to the theory of open rade rather than retain their own grain to feed their domestic populaces, and serious ethical issues become clear. Thank heavens governments such as India’s ignored such advice and acted in the interests of their people. Figure 1 Food Security Underpinning Development

Food security is a primary concern of good governments. We have confused it with poverty alleviation. Assuming that agriculture contributes directly to economic development forgets that political stability underpins all effective policy (Figure 1). In fact, production of essential food, not all agriculture, contributes to food security, which is the basis of the national stability necessary for good governance. Without hat, food riots and anarchy preclude any development. Add to this the institutional insistence of recent years that food deficit countries adhere to the theory of open rade rather than retain their own grain to feed their domestic populaces, and serious ethical issues become clear. Thank heavens governments such as India’s ignored such advice and acted in the interests of their people. Figure 1 Food Security Underpinning Development

Figure 2 Food Protests and Food Prices and financial inefficiencies because food is essential and thus different from other commodities.

Figure 2 Food Protests and Food Prices and financial inefficiencies because food is essential and thus different from other commodities.

Such ignorance of how most of the world’s food is produced coupled with the ideology of free international trade in food when in fact less than ten percent of world food crosses a border misguides development. So is expecting poverty alleviation to address food deficits in a timely manner. Ignorance of the integrated and sensitive nature of food production is also indicated by its land being taken over for subsidized bio-fuel production which has led to more recent starvation than has climate change.’ Avoiding civil unrest thus requires improved crop yields and land and water use efficiencies. Calculations of resource needs if everyone ate Western diets while exceeding reality, serve to emphasize our reliance on research to deliver ever new efficiencies. Research has been part of the trend of the past 135 years (Figure 4) avoiding food price increases with population.

Such ignorance of how most of the world’s food is produced coupled with the ideology of free international trade in food when in fact less than ten percent of world food crosses a border misguides development. So is expecting poverty alleviation to address food deficits in a timely manner. Ignorance of the integrated and sensitive nature of food production is also indicated by its land being taken over for subsidized bio-fuel production which has led to more recent starvation than has climate change.’ Avoiding civil unrest thus requires improved crop yields and land and water use efficiencies. Calculations of resource needs if everyone ate Western diets while exceeding reality, serve to emphasize our reliance on research to deliver ever new efficiencies. Research has been part of the trend of the past 135 years (Figure 4) avoiding food price increases with population.

Figure 10 Distribution of Global Arable Land (left image) and Population’ Nutrient losses to urban areas, along with research for marginal areas, remain underfunded, with a dearth of well-trained integrative scientists.° Small farm (Figure 11) yield increases are needed and we well know that smallholders can exceed broadacre yields. Assumptions that smallholder farms will disappear as poor countries mimic rich country demographics are symptomatic of the ignorance of global food production, its real efficiencies and the welfare value of smallholders who feed themselves in contrast with the cost of feeding urban immigrants, as India well knows.

Figure 10 Distribution of Global Arable Land (left image) and Population’ Nutrient losses to urban areas, along with research for marginal areas, remain underfunded, with a dearth of well-trained integrative scientists.° Small farm (Figure 11) yield increases are needed and we well know that smallholders can exceed broadacre yields. Assumptions that smallholder farms will disappear as poor countries mimic rich country demographics are symptomatic of the ignorance of global food production, its real efficiencies and the welfare value of smallholders who feed themselves in contrast with the cost of feeding urban immigrants, as India well knows.

This is real life. In the past, food crises resu ted from poor colonial policies, or deviation of attention from food production. Today’s reasons are the same — rise and made US-subsidized corn bio-fuel forgetfulness of the criticality of food. In 2007-8, oil price rises forced cereal prices to production financially viable. Corn diverted into bio-fuel reached 30 percent of US production in 2008, causing 60 percent of the demand rise for wheat and other grains. Uncertainty aggravated by droughts in India, Australia, and Ukraine led t exports forcing purchasers to seek other markets o stabilize domestic prices. Thus reduced produ folly increased wheat prices by 50 percent. '? Wh he Ukraine government to prohibit .'? Other countries restricted exports ction from a climate event and fiscal eat is widely traded, whereas rice is not, and is even more instructive for food security policy.

This is real life. In the past, food crises resu ted from poor colonial policies, or deviation of attention from food production. Today’s reasons are the same — rise and made US-subsidized corn bio-fuel forgetfulness of the criticality of food. In 2007-8, oil price rises forced cereal prices to production financially viable. Corn diverted into bio-fuel reached 30 percent of US production in 2008, causing 60 percent of the demand rise for wheat and other grains. Uncertainty aggravated by droughts in India, Australia, and Ukraine led t exports forcing purchasers to seek other markets o stabilize domestic prices. Thus reduced produ folly increased wheat prices by 50 percent. '? Wh he Ukraine government to prohibit .'? Other countries restricted exports ction from a climate event and fiscal eat is widely traded, whereas rice is not, and is even more instructive for food security policy.

The ancient Indian texts share a vision of enlightened leadership governing in accordance with the natural flow. In other settings, such shared values may be referred to as ethics. From that ethical perspective, securing essential food for healthy survival now requires a focus on small farmers’ contribution to domestic food security in parallel with broadacre farming, well-managed grain stocks and reliable grain and pulse trade contracts. And today, with ethics often reduced to transient values, we faces the hard facts of the inherently unnaturalness of food production and the special ‘rights’ of humans.

The ancient Indian texts share a vision of enlightened leadership governing in accordance with the natural flow. In other settings, such shared values may be referred to as ethics. From that ethical perspective, securing essential food for healthy survival now requires a focus on small farmers’ contribution to domestic food security in parallel with broadacre farming, well-managed grain stocks and reliable grain and pulse trade contracts. And today, with ethics often reduced to transient values, we faces the hard facts of the inherently unnaturalness of food production and the special ‘rights’ of humans.

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References (17)

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