Food Insecurity

Food Insecurity Hunger is a symptom of food insecurity Food insecurity: a condition in which people lack sufficient, appropriate, and reliable food intake to provide them with the energy and nutrients for fully productive lives Food insecurity can be measured on a scale of 1 to 4: Feeling anxious about lack of food Compromising on the quality of the foods by choosing less expensive options Feelings of hunger Not eating at all

Nutrition security Nutrition security is affected by political, economic, social, familial and environmental factors

Nutrition security Global Food Availability National Food Production National Net Imports of Food National Food Availability Household Income Other Basic Needs and Nonnecessities Health Care Household Food Access Food Security

“Volatile Food Prices Grab G-20’s Full Attention,” Why are politicians becoming more involved with the issue of food insecurity? The radio broadcast reports that many organizations predict food prices to double in upcoming years. If this happens, what do you think the political effects will be? What about the humanitarian effects?

Micro level food security Individual and household food security year-round access to an adequate supply of nutritious and safe food to meet the needs of all family members Household food security is concerned with equitable food distribution, food production, acquisition, utilization and consumption

Macro level food security National food security occurs when a country has adequate and assured supplies of food to meet the needs of all of its people. It depends on: stable food supplies and secure access to food supplies National agricultural production, international trade and economic interdependence, national policies related to food production, processing, and distribution available resources

Macro level food security Global food security means having sufficient food to feed all the worlds people and ensuring the right to food for all This depends on: adequate global food production, equitable control of food production, processing and distribution, fair and effective policies related to agriculture and food production, trade agreements, subsidies, and tariffs, efficient world responses to food crises International food aid programs Sustainable agricultural practices

Nigeria “Nigeria Families Left Hungry” PBS Newshour, April 15, 2009, By Fred De Sam Lazaro Questions: What type of food insecurity (lack of food or lack of nutrition) is the most prevalent in Nigeria? What factors foster food insecurity in Nigeria? [Possible answers: dry season, lack of government support, price instability] What conclusions can you draw about the role of government in ensuring food security from this video?

India 2. “India’s Growing Problem, Food Production” PBS News Hour, September 14, 2009, By Fred De Sam Lazaro Questions: What type of food insecurity (lack of food or lack of nutrition) is the most prevalent in India? How big a role does water availability play into food security in India? What impact will additional water pumps, dry season cropping, fertilizers, pesticides and other food insecurity solutions have on the environment?

Guatemala “Guatemala’s Children Languish from Malnutrition” World Focus, October 8, 2009, By Samuel Lowenberg Questions: What type of food insecurity (lack of food or lack of nutrition) is the most prevalent in Guatemala? How does extreme poverty contribute to the food insecurity problem in Guatemala? What is stunting? How else does malnutrition affect children? How serious are the side effects of malnutrition?

Post Video reflection What are the main factors that contributed to food insecurity in all 3 videos? . Was it lack of government support, environmental degradation, lack of resources (water, seeds, fertilizer, ect), or poverty? Is it a combination of these factors? Which factors have the biggest impact?

Components of food security Availability: sufficient food for all people Accessibility: physical and economic access to food for all Adequacy: access to food that is nutritious, safe, and produced in environmentally sustainable ways Acceptability: access to culturally acceptable food, which is produced and obtained in ways that do not compromise people’s dignity, self-respect or human rights Agency: the policies and processes that enable the achievement of food security