Food Security in a Global Context

Food insecurity remains a major problem in almost all continents, especially in most Third World countries. In 2009, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that there were over 1 billion hungry people in the world, most of them in the Asia Pacific.

The FAO says that hunger was on the rise even before the global food and economic crises. It blames the increase of hunger on high domestic food prices, lower incomes and increasing unemployment due to the economic meltdown.

But in the eyes of many, hunger and and food security is the result of centuries of colonial and neo-colonial exploitation of Third World countries. This has continued to intensify during the past few decades through oppressive and exploitative programs of institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization.

Food insecurity is also caused by ecological problems, lack of technical skills, and inimical local power structures.

Global land grab

During the last few years, governments and large corporations from China, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and other countries have been acquiring large tracts of farmland in countries like Sudan, Ghana, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brazil.

Global Peasant alliance La Via Campesina said that tens of millions of hectares have been leased and bought to produce food and fuel.

An upcoming report from the World Bank covers 389 land agreements in 80 countries. Thirty-seven percent of these deals are slated for the production of crops and livestock while 35% are allotted to biofuels.

The global land grab diverts land, food and agricultural resources from the host countries to the corporations and government buyers, thus increasing hunger in countries that are already food-insecure. Global land grabbing has intensified in he wake of the food and financial crisis, as corporations rush to invest in agriculture.

Climate Change

Rapid global warming is also posing an increasing threat to food security. The onset of droughts and floods have devastated farmers around the world. Peasants, especially those from Third World countries, badly need help in adapting and mitigating the effects of climate change.

Global Food Security Advocates

All over the world, farmers, scientists, and development workers continue to work together to ensure food security for the people, especially the poor peasants.

These groups promote sustainable agriculture, seeking to ensure food security at the community level. Sustainable agriculture offers an alternative from the chemical-intensive conventional farming being promoted by large corporations and by international think tanks such as the International Rice Research Institute. Among the tenets of sustainable farming are organic agriculture, diversified crops, low-cost, appropriate and efficient technology, and biodiversity-based food systems.

In the face of rising hunger, food security advocates continue to find ways to bring more food to the people, and to ensure farmers have control over what they grow. Food security advocated believe that access to healthy, sufficient and culturally acceptable food is a right that belongs to each citizen of the world.