Food security

Food security is a complex and multifaceted issue that involves ensuring that all people have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. It is built on four pillars: availability, access, utilization, and stability.

Availability: This refers to the presence of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality, supplied through domestic production or imports (including food aid). Availability addresses the "supply side" of food security and is dependent on factors such as agricultural production, stock levels, and market supply.

Access: Having enough food available is not sufficient if individuals cannot access it. Access involves having the resources to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet. This can be affected by poverty, distribution infrastructure, food prices, and socio-economic status.

Utilization: Even with available and accessible food, proper nutrition depends on a balanced diet, water and sanitation, and adequate health care. Utilization is about how the body uses the various nutrients in food. This includes knowledge of nutrition and childcare, as well as food preparation, diversity of diet, and equitable distribution of food within the household.

Stability: To be food secure, a population, household, or individual must have access to adequate food at all times, and not risk losing access as a consequence of sudden shocks (such as an economic or climatic crisis) or cyclical events (such as seasonal food insecurity). Stability can be threatened by political unrest, economic fluctuations, and disasters.

Sustainability: While not one of the original pillars, sustainability is increasingly recognized as essential for food security. It involves managing natural resources in a way that ensures food security not only for the present but also for future generations.

Nutritional Adequacy: Food security also implies that the food available, accessible, and utilized ensures dietary needs. Nutritional adequacy is important for the prevention of malnutrition and for the overall health and productivity of individuals.

Cultural Appropriateness: Food that is acceptable within a particular culture and supports local dietary preferences and customs is an important aspect of food security.

Agency and Equity: The ability of individuals and communities to make choices about their food and the equitable distribution of food across different demographics are also key components of food security.

Global and Local Interactions: Food security is influenced by global trade patterns, agricultural policies, investment in agriculture and rural development, and food aid. Local conditions such as infrastructure, education, and local governance also play critical roles.

Resilience: Building resilience in food systems to withstand and recover from disruptions is a critical aspect of ensuring food security. This includes climate resilience, economic resilience, and social resilience.

Policy and Governance: Effective policies and governance are crucial for ensuring that food security goals are met. This includes investment in agriculture, food safety nets, nutrition programs, and support for smallholder farmers.

Physical availability of food: Food availability addresses the “supply side” of food security and is determined by the level of food production, stock levels and net trade.

Economic and physical access to food: An adequate supply of food at the national or international level does not in itself guarantee household level food security. Concerns about insufficient food access have resulted in a greater policy focus on incomes, expenditure, markets and prices in achieving food security objectives.

Food utilization: Utilization is commonly understood as the way the body makes the most of various nutrients in the food. Sufficient energy and nutrient intake by individuals are the result of good care and feeding practices, food preparation, diversity of the diet and intra-household distribution of food. Combined with good biological utilization of food consumed, this determines the nutritional status of individuals.

Stability of the other three dimensions over time: Even if your food intake is adequate today, you are still considered to be food insecure if you have inadequate access to food on a periodic basis, risking a deterioration of your nutritional status. Adverse weather conditions, political instability, or economic factors (unemployment, rising food prices) may have an impact on your food security status.