The Challenge of Food Security

Food security is a global issue that encompasses all three spheres of sustainability; environment, social and economic. It is not about scarcity, because there is enough food worldwide, but is about the reliable access to sufficient and nutritious food. Food shortages have already occurred in history, for example the pressure from a growing Sumerian population and unsustainable land practices became greater than its agricultural output. We are facing the same problem today and its complexity is large-scale including the management of land and resources, economic growth, political stability and poverty.
 
There are three pillars of food security; availability, access and utilisation (see image). Interruptions to any of the components will lead to food insecurity affecting food supply and market prices. Stabilisation can be affected by various causes such as weather, water supply, pest and disease management, the economic environment as well as emergency and disaster planning which factor into food production policy development. Maintaing stability among the three pillars of food security is essential for ensuring continous food supply.



The three pillars of food security. Food security means that at all
times we have access to nutritious food needed for a healthy life.



The current food supply system is inefficient as food is wasted and is unequally distributed. In some countries food is wasted due to lost yields from crop death or poor storage facilities. In others, volumes of food are discarded before it can be consumed because of expiration dates or damaged packaging. Land is becoming increasingly degraded and nutrient depleted which reduces nutrient levels of cultivated food. Consumers are also dealing with the proliferation of energy-dense, low in nutrient food that is cheap and widely available. This means there is less variety of affordable nutritious food causing increased malnutrition, a growing problem affecting many countries.

Problems in the current food supply system is only compounded with a changing climate, reduced water productivity and soil erosion all in a time of economic instability. These are the environmental and social externalities that remain relatively unknown to the consumer that is without knowledge of the food supply chain from where food originates to when it is bought. It is vital the consumer understands the food supply chain in order to be able to make the most informed decisions to be healthy and well-nourished.

With an unstable reliance on food production and distribution, the greatest challenge is to remain productive and adapt under mounting pressure. This system is highly complex in understanding the many reasons why people are without food, and this involves many sectors and stakeholders. As the complexity of food supply increases a collapse in the food supply chain becomes more probable, necessitating a time to stop debating and a move into action.