Sustainability of Food Security in the New Era (original) (raw)

Food Security and Nutrition Framework

2020

The state of food security and nutrition is a vital issue for governments. It is recommended to govern food security in a systematic approach to enable governments to achieve food security and to eliminate all forms of malnutrition. Food security and nutrition (FSN) systems should be measurable, primary food security indicators should be regularly observed and assessed. THE efficient FSN system should be capable of providing sufficient food at affordable prices for everyone. It should guarantee a stable and resilient supply to meet food demands and to deliver a nutritious and quality diet. However, the national FSN system should be capable of dealing with food security challenges and should address food security-critical and emerging issues. Achieving the desired state of food security and nutrition can be hindered by geopolitical instability and food prices and price volatility. The prevalence of poverty and hunger, especially in rural areas, would stress the food security system. Finally, sustainable agriculture and food systems are important factors for efficient food security and nutrition systems. This review paper aims to illustrate significant food security challenges that need to be considered by any food security and nutrition system

Food & nutrition security: challenges in the new millennium

The Indian journal of medical research, 2013

The World Food Summit in 1996 provided a comprehensive definition for food security which brings into focus the linkage between food, nutrition and health. India has been self sufficient in food production since seventies and low household hunger rates. India compares well with developing countries with similar health profile in terms of infant mortality rate (IMR) and under five mortality rate (U5 MR). India fares poorly when underweight in under five children is used as an indicator for food insecurity with rates comparable to that of Subsaharan Africa. If wasting [low body mass index (BMI) for age in children and low BMI in adults] which is closely related to adequacy of current food intake is used as an indictor for the assessment of household food security, India fares better. The nineties witnessed the emergence of dual nutrition burden with persistent inadequate dietary intake and undernutrition on one side and low physical activity / food intake above requirements and overnu...

FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION: BUILDING A GLOBAL NARRATIVE TOWARDS 2030

Report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security, Rome. , 2020

The 15th Report of the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) responds to the request of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) to provide strategic guidance towards the achievement of the SDGs, especially SDG 2: “End hunger, achieve food security and nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.” The timing of this report is crucial. The state of global food security and nutrition is alarming, with an estimated 821 million people experiencing chronic undernourishment and with poor nutrition contributing to nearly 45% of the deaths in children under the age of five. The COVID-19 pandemic makes this situation even more urgent: world hunger is projected to rise with the most affected being the poorest and most vulnerable segments of the population. The report has several core messages. First, there is an urgent need to strengthen and consolidate conceptual and policy thinking around FSN to prioritize the right to food, to widen our understanding of food security and to adopt a food systems analytical and policy framework. Second, the right to food must be prioritized as a guiding principle for the achievement of food security and sustainable food systems. Third, understandings of food security must be updated to incorporate agency and sustainability alongside availability, access, utilization and stability, as supported by the literature and states’ obligations with respect to the right to food. And Fourth, policymakers must adopt a sustainable food systems approach that supports the six dimensions of food security. Progress on the 2030 Agenda, especially SDG 2, has been uneven, pointing to the need to improve our understanding of the complex underlying drivers of food system change. Four critical policy shifts are required to transition to more sustainable food systems that support all dimensions of food security. First, it is vital that food policies support a radical transformation of food systems from production to consumption. Second, it is important for food policies to take into account the interconnectedness of different systems and sectors. Third, policies must address hunger and all forms of malnutrition. Fourth, it is essential that food policies develop context-specific solutions, taking local conditions and knowledge into account. It is vital that the global community seize this moment to embrace these policy shifts to arrive at more sustainable food systems that support all dimensions of food security and uphold the right to food for all.

Food security: Challenges ahead

First Millennium Development Goal states the target of " Halving hunger by 2015 ". Sadly, the recent statistics for India present a very gloomy picture. India currently has the largest number of undernourished people in the world and this is in spite of the fact that it has made substantial progress in health determinants over the past decades and ranks second worldwide in farm output. The causes of existing food insecurity can be better viewed under three concepts namely the: " traditional concept " which includes factors such as unavailability of food and poor purchasing capacity; " socio-demographic concept " which includes illiteracy, unemployment, overcrowding, poor environmental conditions and gender bias; " politico-developmental concept " comprising of factors such as lack of intersectoral coordination and political will, poorly monitored nutritional programmes and inadequate public food distribution system. If the Millennium Development Goal is to be achieved by 2015, efforts to improve food and nutrition security have to increase considerably.

Evolution and Development of Food Security Concept: A Historical Overview

Journal Article, 2020

Food security is a multifarious concept that includes production, distribution, consumption, health, infrastructure, and many other issues. It is essential for the sustainable social and economic growth of a country. The food security concept has evolved in a sequential manner through the processes of defining, redefining, and reunderstanding in line with the time context. This paper attempts to understand the chronological development of the food security concept over the last five decades based on secondary sources and information. It analyses the major dimensions, i.e., availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability, and indicators of food security, along with policy initiatives taken by global bodies and international governance. It reveals that food availability does not always ensure the accessibility of food to all due to poor socioeconomic and physical conditions and malfunctions of the food distribution system. Food security is also a part of food utilization that covers food quality, nutritional aspects, and food choice. Finally, food security is determined by the stability of food availability, access, and utilization. From macro to micro levels (global, regional, national, and community), food security has been categorized by different sorts of indicators, assessments, and instruments, and it has drawn global attention to fight against famine, starvation, hunger, malnutrition, and food poverty. The paper concludes that is time to review conceptual understanding of food security to encompass the broader dynamics that affect food stability.

Food Security, Health & nutrition; A Relationship.docx

Africa is one of the continents plagued by the problems of malnutrition/under-nutrition and the age groups 5 and less, expectant mothers, and women of childbearing age. Because of this problem of under-nutrition, most of the children below the ages of 5 suffer from severe wasting, wasting, stunted growth, underweight, and overweight, due to lack or adequate macro and micro-nutrients essential to normal healthy body. This paper attempts to highlight these problems, efforts being made over the years by African countries over the years to tackle this problems, the problems impeding these efforts, and the importance of food security towards eradicating the problems caused by malnutrition/under-nutrition