I. Introduction:
1. Concept of Food Security:
Can be defined in terms of adequate availability of food in the market, the need for economic access to food and biological absorption of food in the body. Availability is a function of production and access is conditioned by purchasing power. Biological absorption is determined by the availability of safe drinking water, primary health care and environmental hygiene.
2. Current World Food Crisis:
Soaring food prices, aggravated by decreasing production along with spiralling oil prices have plunged the international community in a food security crisis.
The crisis has led to food riots, protest and export restrictions worldwide. Food prices have increased by 40 per cent since 2007 and 83 per cent in the past three years.
Food security is one of the biggest challenges facing the world this century. An estimated 850 million in the world were affected by chronic hunger. Food production needs to increase by 50 per cent by 2030 to meet the rising demand, according to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Investment in agriculture was vital to ensure global food security, according to Mr. Ban.
II. Background:
1. Establishment of the FAO:
On October 16, 1945, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations was established at Quebec, Canada for the purpose of “contributing towards an expanding world economy and ensuring humanity’s freedom from hunger”.
2. Aims:
3. Permanent Headquarters:
Rome
4. Director General:
Jacques Diouf
5. World Food Day:
October 16 is commemorated each year as “World Food Day” to remind the world that “food for all” is yet an unachieved global and national responsibility.
III. World Food Summit (Rome, June 2008):
1. 181 Countries Participated in the Three-day Summit:
A three-day World Food Summit was organised by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) at its headquarters in Rome in June 2008. The Summit was attended by a record 181 countries.
2. Agenda of the Summit - Short term solutions and strategies to deal with the effects of global warming, growing demand for biofuels and a crumbling agriculture sector in the developing countries.
3. $3 Billion Emergency Aid Pledged at the Summit:
UN officials announced around $3 billion of emergency aid to help ease the global food crisis. However, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that up to $20 billion a year would be needed to increase food production by 50 per cent by 2030.
4. UN Task Force Action Plan to Tackle the Food Crisis:
Intended to be a Guide for Global and National Actors, both Institutions and Governments:
The Comprehensive Framework for Action (CFA) prepared by a high-level UN Task Force established and chaired by the UN Secretary-General is intended to be a guide for global and national actors, both institutions and Governments, and a catalyst for action that needs to start now, according to a UN Communiqué.
The CFA proposed to boost smallholder food production through urgent injection of key inputs such as seeds and fertilizers, improved rural infrastructure, and better links to the market, as well as expansion of microcredit programmes. The CFA suggested adjustment of trade and taxation policies to minimise export restrictions and import tariffs.
Sensible management of the impact of rising food prices on inflation and macro-economic policy;balance of payments support to net food importers where necessary; and ensuring immediate actions to respond to food price rises are financially sustainable for government, according to the CFA.
Call for establishment or improvement of real-time food security and food market monitoring systems as well as nutritional assessment systems to ensure that early warnings are received and contingency plans are in place.
Over the longer term, production can be increased through establishment of appropriate national policy frameworks , improvement in safety net programmes including food assistance, establishment of longer-term monitoring system to ensure that food crises are anticipated and prevented, development of regional and global mechanisms to improve emergency access to food, improvement of country-level stocks management, and development of better financial risk management.
The CFA emphasised the need for building a greater international consensus on sustainable biofuels, research and development into new technologies, and a reassessment of biofuel subsidies and protective tariffs.
The UN Communiqué pointed out that the UN system agencies were working with at least 40 national Governments to asses, food security, needs, and options for immediate and long-term action. The focus was on vulnerable groups like children and women.
Sakshi Education
Published date : 10 Aug 2009 01:53PM
