The Global Food Security Challenge - PDF

Running Head: The global food security challenge
THE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY CHALLENGE
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THE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY CHALLENGE
Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................2
The problem.........................................................................................................................3
Current situations.................................................................................................................6
Recommendations and conclusion....................................................................................11
References..........................................................................................................................16
Appendix............................................................................................................................21

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Introduction
According to the United Nations recent estimates, the current population of the world is
7.6 billion. On a regular basis, approximately 2 billion people worldwide are facing problems in
procuring adequate amounts of food to eat or lack the necessary sources to grow it. Affecting
more than one-third of the global population, this act as a significant issue that affects and raise
concern towards the underlying factors of the human race for surviving. To explore and eradicate
other significant issues affecting the society as a whole, it is necessary to address the global food
security challenge. The given solution will discuss facts to vividly describe the problems which
are very critical in our supposedly modern society (Badami & Ramankutty, 2015).
To start with, the provided definition for food security by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization's (FAO's) in the World Food Summit of 1996 says that all people who
have access to the nutrition of the people food, whether economically, socially and physically to
meet their adequate dietary needs leads to a situation called food security. This situation also
includes the preferences of food, the quantity and quality of it, and the acceptability of it in the
given culture. The means to access menu and the choice of consumption of food (which may
vary between cultures, ethnicities and geographical locations) is a prime factor. The power of
food and the ability to produce and purchase it act as the determining factor in food security. Any
situation of being deprived, neglected, or adversely affected may lead to entirely different
scenario, which is the insecurity of food (Badami & Ramankutty, 2015).
Therefore, it is obvious that access to food is a fundamental human right. Whereas
various reasons are leading towards a situation where food is being considered as a privilege
rather than a power. According to recent researches, the estimates shows that approximately 36

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million people starve to death each year. Making it a major reason for the increasing death
number in the coming subsequent years. A death every 5 seconds is noted to be due to starvation.
Children are the most vulnerable of these 36 million inhabitants (Rotsky, 2018).
There are many extreme reasons who are contributing to the creation of such a situation.
Geopolitical differences leading to conflicts, diseases (both infectious and noninfectious), natural
calamities such as flooding, drought, climate changes are some major reasons for the rapidly
increasing challenges in sustainable agriculture and securing the necessary amount of nutritious
food for billions of people (Issues.tigweb.org, 2018). The economic and demographic expansion
of the world in total have affected the food security as compared to the last century. People have
witnessed the technological advancements around the globe, which singlehandedly modernized
the aspects of food production, agricultural reformations, processing of staples and
improvements in the market structure of distribution. In the networking of food; hunger and
malnutrition are still playing the immense role in threatening and affecting the health and well-
being of millions of individuals around the world (MacRae, Welsh and Koc, 2014, p. 1).
The problem
Putting it straightforwardly, the world must be capable in feeding at least 9 billion people
by 2050. If the demand curve is being optimized, it can be seen that it will increase by 60% than
what it is today. Of all the resolutions, set by the United Nations, the most highlighted are
achieving food security through improving nutrition and triumphing over hunger. In a list of
Sustainable development Goals or (SDGs), endeavors in promoting sustainable agriculture ranks
2nd among 17 others ("Food security and why it matters", 2018).

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Questions arise as to why food security amongst all has risen as one of the significant
global challenges. Keeping aside the apparent reason of food as the utmost necessity, delivering
food between the entire individual’s in a nation and the entire world population is a complex
situation.
In a country or preferably at the national level, the food supplies are made sufficiently
available either from domestic sources or are imported from other countries. This process is
maintained by a regulatory board; which meets the average consumption needs of all citizens of
the country results into the availability of food in an adequate manner (Badami & Ramankutty,
2015). As for an individual in a country, the resources and powers needed to purchase food is
mainly dependent and determined by the availability of the nation’s foreign exchange to import
food from outside; which assures food security within any given society. That is why it had
become one of the essential priorities of a country to resource, monitor and provide food the
citizens; irrespective of the state of developed or developing. Even in industrially advanced
countries like Canada, each year nearly millions, directly and indirectly, depend on food banks.
Reports have been submitted to the authorities in the United States, about the inability of more
than 30 million people to buy nutritious foods that will help them in maintaining good health
(MacRae, Welsh & Koc, 2014). Thus, procuring and distributing food is an immense global
challenge as it directly affects the socio-economic and socio-political scenario of the world.
Individual countries are facing the burdens of significant issues like obesity malnutrition
and hunger altogether. One in three people in the world suffer from malnutrition right now, and
there are several other kinds of the same problem-affecting people belonging to the same
community or country.

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The rate of diet or obesity-related diseases, which are non-transmittable for instances
strokes, certain kinds of cancers, cardiac diseases, etc. are rising in number, and this is
irrespective of the developing or developed status of a country. It is a fact that right now, there
are more people who are suffering from obesity, than people being underweight. When these two
issues are combined, the number counts to almost half the population of the world.
The estimated cost to the world economy of diseases caused by obesity and the number
of deaths caused by it count almost $2 trillion. Alongside, there are nearly 795 million people
who are suffering from malnutrition, and who are battling with hunger, daily. More than two
million people do not have sufficient micronutrients such as Vitamin A, Zinc, Iron, etc. which
affects their lifespan and overall health. Almost a quarter of children within the age of five have
stunted growths, diminished or low mental capacities and physical strength. Less than one-third
of young infants in about 50 low to middle-income countries meet the dietary standards, which
are required for growth.
The reasons, which lead to the overall food security challenge:
Population explosion- Despite initiatives being taken by the UNICEF, United Nations,
UNESCO and other small organizations, the growth in population is varying between across the
world. For example, population growth in Africa has an expectancy of doubling from 1 billion to
two billion by 2050. In other developing countries in Asia, the rapid rate of urbanization is
increasing day by day. An additional of 2.5 billion residents are projected in urban areas.
Changes in taste and preference- Along with the growth of population, the varied choices
in diets are also changing. It is a prevalent factor that with the improvement of socio-economic
scenario individuals are undoubtedly prone to opt for options in food, which are more expensive.