Global Food Insecurity 2023

CHAPTER 11 – GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY HUNGER  According to Merriam Webster Dictionary a: a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient b: an uneasy sensation occasioned by the lack of food  People who suffer chronic hunger don’t have the option of eating when they are hungry....

CHAPTER 11 – GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY HUNGER  According to Merriam Webster Dictionary a: a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient b: an uneasy sensation occasioned by the lack of food  People who suffer chronic hunger don’t have the option of eating when they are hungry. They do not get enough calories, essential nutrients, or both. People who are hungry have an ongoing problem with getting food to eat. They have a primary need — how to feed themselves and their children today and tomorrow. They have little energy for anything else.  Hunger can manifest itself in different ways – undernourishment, malnutrition and wasting. GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY WHAT IS FOOD INSECURITY?  People living with food insecurity lack a stable, reliable means of getting the meals they need.  World Food Summit described it, food security is when “all people at all times… have access to sufficient safe and nutritious food… for an active and healthy life.”  According to the World Food Programme,  undernourishment occurs when people do not take in enough calories to meet minimum physiological needs.  Malnutrition is when people have an inadequate intake of protein and micronutrients.  Wasting, usually the result of starvation or disease, is an indicator of acute malnutrition with substantial weight loss. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY IN THE WORLD?  In 2020, the world’s population reached to 7.8 billion.  Globally, about 8.9% of the world’s population — 690 million people — go to bed on an empty stomach each night. Since 2014, the number of people affected by hunger has been slowly on the rise. If it continues at this rate, it’ll exceed 840 million by 2030. – released by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organization.  https://www.concernusa.org/story/worlds-hungriest- countries/ HOW IS PHILIPPINES?  In the Philippines, news about price increases in basic food commodity is plaguing the nation affecting each and every one of its inhabitants.  The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said commodity prices increased 2.5 percent in October. This was higher than the 2.3 percent posted in September and 0.8 percent in October 2019. ‘PAGPAG’ PHENOMENON  wherein a number of extremely poor groups “recycle” food scraps and use it for personal consumption or for enterprise is part of these marginalized groups’ lives.  Consuming pagpag leads to stunted growth in children, and heightens the risk of acquiring hepatitis A, cholera and typhoid  Despite the government’s incremental success at reducing poverty, eating and selling pagpag is a way of life in slums like Payatas.  For many, this kind of lifestyle seems to be unbearable, but for some it is a reality. ELEMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY  availability of food - having sufficient quantities of appropriate food available  access to food - having adequate income or other resources to access food  food utilization, safety, and sanitation - having adequate dietary intake and the ability to absorb and use nutrients in the body  Environmental stability – basically concerns with the status of ecology. CHALLENGES OF FOOD SECURITY  Many factors make it a particularly complex one:  climate change, which aggravates food insecurity;  the volatility of food prices;  land grabbing;  lack of investment in subsistence farming; and,  lastly, social factors such as conflicts, poverty, education, and the status of women. SOLUTIONS TO END FOOD INSECURITY  Reduce Food Waste  Reduce the Risk of Commercializing  Improve Existing Infrastructural Programs  Improve Trade Policies  Promote Diversification  Close the Yield Gap  Work Towards Defeating Climate Change CONCLUSION  Faced with the immense task of ensuring food security, where do we start? First we need to establish priorities.  Agricultural output obviously needs to be developed, but in an appropriate manner in order to give priority to strengthening and supporting local and family- based agriculture.  Another measure required is the fight against price volatility.  Food reserves also need to be put in place.