Food Security

DO 250 words with INTRODUCTION AND

CONCLUSION
25.4 Food Security V6 Q21
Food security 6, June 2012
Explain the concept of Food Security. 12, Dec2017
Discuss the concept of "Food Security".12, June 2017
Discuss the concept of Food Security. 12, Dec 2011
What is food security ? Discuss its importance in India.12, Dec, 2013
Discuss the concept of food security. Do you think it is a multi-dimension phenomenon ?.12,
June, 2011

Food security is a flexible concept. Many

definitions of this concept have been attempted. The continuing evolution of the
concept of food security has reflected the wider recognition that the technical and
policy issues are highly complex. A careful definition was that negotiated in the
process of intemational consultation leading to the World Food Srunmit (WF S)
in November 1996. Food security as a concept originated in the mid-1970s, in
the discussions of intemational food problems When the world faced a global food
crisis. The initial focus of attention was primarily on problems of food supply, of
ensuring the availability and the price stability of basic food items at the national
and intemational level. A process of intemational negotiation followed, Which led
to the World Food Conference of 1974 and a set of arrangements for promoting
food security. The issues of famine, hunger and food crisis were also being
extensively examined, following the events of the mid 1970s. The outcome was
a redefinition of food security. That the potential vuhrerability of affected people
is a critical aspect was explicitly recognised. Another factor which led to the
modification of the views about food sectuity was the emerging evidence that the
technical successes of the Green Revolution did not automatically lead to rapid
and dramatic reductions in poverty and malnutrition. These problems were
recognised as the result of lack of effective demand by the poor.
Food security was defined in the 1974 World Food Summit as: “availability at all
times of adequate world food supplies of basic foodstuffs to sustain a steady
expansionof food consumption and to otfset fluctuations in production and prices".
In 1983, Food and Agricultural Organisation(FAO) expanded its concept to
include securing access by vulnerable people to available supplies, implying that
attention should be given to both the demand and supply side of the food security
equation: "ensuring that all people at all tirnes have both physical and economic
access to the basic food that they need".
The World Bank Report “Poverty and Hunger”( 1986) focused on the time
dimensions food insecurity. It introduced the widely accepted distinction between
chronic food insecurity, associated With problems of continuing or structural poverty
and low incomes, and transitory or temporary food insecurity, which involved
periods of intensified pressure caused by natural disaster. economic collapse or
conflict. This concept of food security is further elaborated in terms of "access
of all people at all times lo enough food for an active. healthy life".
Human Security
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Contempora|yConcems
and Challenges
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All this time, attention was focussed on protein-calorie malnutrition. By the 1990
it was recognised that food preferences could be socially or culturally determined.
The 1996 World Food Summit adopted a still more complex definition:
“Food security, at the individual, household, national, regional and global levels [is
achieved] when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to
sufficient, safe and mtritias food to meet their dietary needs and food prq‘Ezrence.s
for an active and healthy life".
This definition is again refined in The State of Food Insecurity 2001:
"Food security [is] a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have
physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food_ that
meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life".
Essentially, food security can be described as a phenomenon relating to individuals.
It is 1116 nutritional status of the individual household member that is the ultimate
focus, and the risk of that adequate status not being achieved or becoming
undennined The latter risk describes the vulnerability of individuals in this context
As the definitions reviewed above imply, vulnerability may occur both as a chronic
and transitory phenomenon.
Food security is a multidimensional phenomenon. National and inlemnlionzrl efforts
are needed to meet and ensure food security, especially in the em o f globalisation
and liberalisation. Attention has to be given to long-run food security. and focus
should not be limited to transitory food insecurity.