What is Food Security? When all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle. - United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO)
The 4 As of Food Security Healthy food should be: Accessible to all (sufficient supply) Available to all (food access) Adequate to all (nutritious and from a sustainable food system) Acceptable to all (culturally appropriate)
Farmers produce more than enough food to feed the world, yet 1/3 of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. Recovering just ½ could eradicated hunger. 98% of the world’s undernourished people live in developing countries. $3.2B is needed per year to feed the 66 million children who go to school hungry. If female farmers had the same resources as male farmers, up to 150 million more people would be fed.
All this in spite of a world food surplus Population will be checked in more and more countries by famine and disease Uncontrolled increases in urbanization in developing countries leads to: Large scale slums Problems with clean water Pollution and sanitation problems Epidemics such as malaria and cholera All this in spite of a world food surplus
The earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed. -Mahatma Gandhi
Stockpile Trade Give as Aid Destroy Developed nations can do one of the following with their surplus: Stockpile Trade Give as Aid Destroy
Nations will destroy food to prevent it from reaching markets where the increased supply will lower prices If farmers receive unprofitably low prices for their crops they may choose not to grow those crops in the future
Something to Think About: If farmers are producing enough food to feed the world, why do you think there are still 795 million hungry people? What can we do to reduce food waste? How are poverty, hunger and health related?
Examples of Waste Canadian milk poured down old mine shafts English tomatoes bulldozed into the sea American cows killed and buried French fruit allowed to rot
Of the World’s total food aid: Many developed nations feel that distributing food surpluses through trade or aid is counter-productive to any long-term solutions – countries being able to feed themselves Of the World’s total food aid: USA 75%; Canada 15% (both Gov’t and non-Gov’t sources) Australia, Germany and Japan make up most of the remaining aid
Problem: Food is more than nourishment, it is also a part of culture and tradition which leads to constraints in availability of food surpluses:
Southern India will not eat wild greens Hindus eat no beef Jews and Muslims will not eat pork
Bacteria is rich in protein and multiplies at a fantastic rate – but it is not socially acceptable to eat 1000kg of bacteria produces 100 trillion kg of protein
Consumption of Grain Developing World 250 kg/capita/yr European Community 450 kg/capita/yr United States 840 kg/capita/yr
Today the problem is not the earth’s capacity to feed the world’s population but of incomes, prices, subsidies and other mechanisms to control trade.
World Food Program (UN) Provides food aid to almost 90 million people a year – 58 million of which are children
Is Food Security Just a Developing World Issue?
Something to Think About: Food security is the state of having access to enough food that is both affordable and nutritious. What are examples of situations where food might not be affordable or nutritious? How would your life be different if you were experiencing hunger on a daily basis? What challenges would you face? What are the long- term risks? What are some issues you see as being related to hunger? How do these issues make it harder for people to find affordable nutritious food? How does hunger amplify these issues?
New Campaign aims to shed light on the high price of food in Canada’s North Food Prices are Out of Control in Northern Canada When $500 isn’t enough to buy groceries for a week Speaking out against $600-a-week grocery bills Documentary: A Right to Eat