Global Food Security: The Challenge of Feeding

the World
by Barthwal-Datta Monika
Prepared and Presented by Group 4
SECTIONS:
• Introduction
• What is Food Security?
• An Evolving Concept
• Food Security and Human Security
• Critiques on Food Security
• Key Trends
• Summary
INTRODUCTION AND
FOOD SECURITY
INTRODUCTION
Food security still persists as a global problem throughout in the
contemporary world. As the world is able to produce food enough to feed
seven billion people, it would not suffice as around 870 million people are
afflicted by hunger (FAO, 2012).

Handling and maintaining food security remains to be difficult due to it being a

complex, multidimensional and multi-sectoral—a concerning issue
contributing to the climate change. In addition, multiple factors like processes,
activities, and results or outcomes contribute to the impact of food security.

Thus, in this presentation, the topic focuses on the definition of food security, how
impactful it is within the current times, and what key trends offset a food security.
WHAT IS FOOD SECURITY?
Food security is defined as the ability of a person to have physical,
social, and economical access to food that meets their preferences and
needs. Although as an evolving concept, food security pertains to the
ongoing presence of hunger and malnourishment.

Food security encompasses the four key pillars—availability, access,

utilization, and stability.

FOOD AND HUMAN SECURITY

Food security in some way has a relation on human security in a much broader
sense. Many researchers have pointed that hunger is the most serious threat
among all aspects of human security. What causes this food insecurity is the
unaffordability of available food due to increasing food price spikes, which gravely
affects mostly in the developing countries in Asia and Africa, as evidently seen in
the majority of households that spend 50-70% of their monthly income solely on
food (UNOCHA-HSU, 2009).

Due to lack of affordability of food via price spike, human security follows in line
to deteriorate—or worse—cause a civil unrest.
CRITIQUES ON FOOD
SECURITY
CRITIQUES ON FOOD SECURITY
Certain issues pointed regarding on the difficulty in food security are the
negligence and disregard on moderating food systems, lack of trade-
based approaches in solving hunger, and the lack of consideration on
social and political context on the latter. That is, the struggle in food
security lies on the mismanagement of the production of food,
particularly in the agricultural sector.

The agricultural sector is the most vulnerable and prone to the effects of
hunger and poverty, particularly farmers that hold small farms or small
agribusinesses as some land titles can be passed on for investment of
land for malicious purposes.

Agricultural trade and export of foods also contribute to the difficulty of

establishing food security as it worsen and hit most of the smallholding
farmers and marginalized communities.
KEY TRENDS
 2
POPULATION
GROWTH AND
URBANIZATION

1 3
RISING INCOMES
RISING FOOD
AND CHANGING
PRICES
DIETS

5
BIOFUEL PRODUCTION,
4
LAND USE CHANGE, AND CLIMATE CHANGE
ACCESS OF LAND
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
Food security is defined as the ability of a person to afford necessary
food in relation to one’s preferences as well as combating hunger. It is
also contributed to the human security as unaffordability of food leads
to declining aspects of human security (i.e., poverty).

The struggle in food security may be rooted in these issues:

• POOR GOVERNANCE ON FOOD SYSTEMS
• STRUGGLE IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
• LOW PRIORITY ON AGRICULTURAL TRADE

There are key trends regarding difficulty in food security:

• RISING FOOD PRICES & POVERTY
• POPULATION GROWTH AND URBANIZATION
• RISING INCOMES AND CHANGING DIETS
• CLIMATE CHANGE
• BIOFUEL PRODUCTION, LAND USE CHANGE, AND ACCESS OF LAND
END OF PRESENTATION. THANK
YOU FOR LISTENING!