Zarmina Khan

In the 1996 World Food Summit, food security is defined as when every person has economic and physical access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food at all times, which fulfils his or her nutritional needs and food preferences for a healthy and active life.

Food security has four dimensions.

  • Physical availability of food
  • Food consumption
  • Physical and economic access to food
  • Stability of the other dimensions over time

Physical availability of food: The supply side of food security is related to the physical availability of food and it is determined by the level of net trade, food production, and stock levels.

Food consumption: Household food security is not guaranteed if there is enough supply of food present at the national and international levels. There are some apprehensions that inadequate food access has resulted in a major policy emphasis on markets, incomes, expenditures, and charges in accomplishing food security aims.

Physical and economic access to food: people’s adequate nutrient intake and proper energy are the result of good care, healthy eating habits, food preparation, different kinds of food, and intra-household food sharing. Collectively, good biological use of expended food could determine the nutritional level of people.

Stability of the other dimensions over time:  Even if today, your food intake is sufficient but still you could be food insecure if you do not have appropriate food access periodically, endangering corrosion of your nutritional status. Economic factors, weather situations, and political instability could affect your status of food security.

Whereas Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1996 (FAO) defined Food insecurity as when people don’t have sufficient economic and physical access to safe, adequate, and nutritious food that fulfills their dietary needs and preferences for an active and healthy life.

According to the Elevating Voices: Insights Report 2023, chronic health conditions, racism and discrimination, poverty and unemployment, and a lack of affordable housing could be causes of food insecurity. However, there are chances that people with a steady income and accessibility to reasonable housing can also face some challenges that could lead to food security issues, as well as medical emergencies, family crises, loss of employment, or any natural disaster.

Moreover, food insecurity can affect the well-being, school and work lives, and physical and mental health of people.

FAO has taken action to measure food insecurity using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale and claims that uncertainty regarding the ability to obtain food leads food security towards mild food insecurity. Compromising food quality and variety reducing food quantity and skipping meals cause moderate food insecurity. No food for a day or more can be taken as a severe food insecurity condition.

Food security analysts have highlighted different types of food insecurity

  • Chronic Food Insecurity
  • Transitory Food Insecurity
  • Seasonal Food Insecurity

Chronic food insecurity is long-term or persistent, it happens when individuals are unable to fulfil their minimal food needs over a continuous period, and it results from a lack of resources, protracted periods of poverty, and insufficient access to monetary and productive assets. Chronic food insecurity can be handled through archetypal long-term development measures to solve poverty issues, such as education or access to prolific assets, e.g., credit. There could also be a need for more direct access to food to increase their productive capability.

Transitory food insecurity is short-term and temporary, and it happens when there is an abrupt decline in the capability to produce or access enough food to sustain a good dietetic status. It results from short-term blows and variations in food access and obtainability, counting year-to-year fluctuations in national food production, household earnings, and food costs. Transitory food insecurity is complicated as compared to chronic food insecurity because it is unpredictable and can arise all of a sudden. It demands different kinds of interventions and capacities, such as early warning capability and security net projects, which makes the planning and programming more challenging.

Although seasonal food insecurity happens when there, is a cyclic pattern of insufficient obtainability and access to food. It is linked to the seasonal variations in work opportunities, environment, labour demand, diseases, and cropping patterns.

The writer is Research Associate at School for Law and Development.

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