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:
To raise nutrition levels and living standards.
Secure improvements in production and distribution of Food and Agricultural products.
To improve the living conditions of the rural population.
To eliminate hunger.
The FAO sponsors the World Food Programme (WFP).
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.
