DOCSLIB.ORG

The New Geography of Food Security: Exploring the Potential of Urban Food Strategies

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The New Geography of Food Security: Exploring the Potential of Urban Food Strategies The Geographical Journal, Vol. 182, No. 2, June 2016, pp. 190–200, doi: 10.1111/geoj.12129 The new geography of food security: exploring the potential of urban food strategies ROBERTA SONNINO School of Planning and Geography, Cardiff University, Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3WA E-mail: [email protected] This paper was accepted for publication in October 2014 Food insecurity is increasingly ‘bimodal’, encompassing issues of quantity and quality, under- and overconsumption, in developed and developing countries alike. At a time when most of the world’s population lives in cities, food security has also assumed a strong urban dimension, raising new issues of physical and financial access to food. Finally, the recent emergence of a ‘New Food Equation’, marked by food price hikes, dwindling natural resources, land grabbing activities, social unrest, and the effects of climate change, is bringing onto the global food security agenda a range of often interrelated sustainability concerns. Responses to this new geography of food security are increasingly emerging at the local level, particularly in industrialised countries, where municipal governments are recasting themselves as food system innovators. Based on the documentary analysis of 15 urban food strategies from Canada, the USA and the UK, the paper addresses three main questions: What type of ‘foodscape’ do these documents envision, and why? Does the rescaling of food governance coincide with the emergence of a new localistic approach to food security? What type of priorities and concrete measures do city governments identify to deal with the new geography of food security? By highlighting the centrality of the relationships between urban and rural areas and actors as targeted intervention areas, the analysis raises the need for a tighter scholarly and policy focus on ‘connectivities’ – i.e. the role of food exchange nodes and of governance coordination in the design and implementation of more effective food security strategies. KEY WORDS: food security, urban food strategies, local food systems, policy analysis cities, food security has also assumed a strong urban Introduction dimension, which raises new issues of physical and ebates on food security have historically financial access to food. Finally, the recent emergence taken place at two different levels. The of a ‘New Food Equation’, marked by food price D ‘productivist’ position that emerged from hikes, dwindling natural resources, land grabbing discussions at the World Food Conference (1974) has activities, social unrest, and the effects of climate constructed the problem as one of national self- change (Morgan and Sonnino 2010), is bringing onto sufficiency, especially in developing countries. Over the global food security agenda a range of often time, and largely as a result of Sen’s seminal work interrelated sustainability concerns (Lang et al. 2009). (1981) on entitlement and access, productivism has Global food dynamics always have context-specific been challenged by an access-based approach manifestations and impacts. As Marsden and Sonnino that situates food security in the context of poor (2012, 427) state, food has particular spatial configu- households’ survival strategies. rative features, since its production and consumption In recent years, the unfolding of a new geography embody essential (and uncontrollable) natural and of food security has been exposing the limitations metabolic processes that depend on the type and of extreme macro (i.e. national) and micro (i.e. amount of resources available. For this reason, ‘food household-level) perspectives. Food insecurity today systems – and their health and wellbeing attributes – is increasingly ‘bimodal’, encompassing issues of inherently interact with (and shape) spaces and quantity and quality, under- and overconsumption, in places’. The bimodal dynamics that are shaping the both developed and developing countries. Moreover, new global geography of food security are bound at a time when most of the world’s population lives in to impact upon (and be impacted by) local The information, practices and views in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). © 2014 Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). The new geography of food security 191 environmental, socio-cultural and economic contexts was for the first time conceptualised as an issue of in very different ways. It is then not surprising that national self-sufficiency or self-reliance – ‘whether a innovative food policies are emerging at the local country can meet its own food needs’ (Lang et al. level, particularly in industrialised countries, where 2009, 255; see also Harsch 1992). Today, the pro- municipal governments are recasting themselves as ponents of this approach continue to focus on the food system innovators. supply side of the food chain and on the efficiency of Several academic and non-academic observers the production process, emphasising the role of have recently documented the emergence of urban scientific and technological innovation in mitigating food strategies, especially in relation to the new gover- food shortages. The central idea is that developed nance mechanisms that they have introduced to bring nations need to increase their food production for civil society into the food policy arena (Blay-Palmer domestic consumption and to supply developing 2009; FAO 2011a; Viljoen and Wiskerke 2012). As countries (Dibden et al. 2013; Rosin 2013). yet, however, no analysis has been performed to distil During the 1980s, the persistence of food crises in the vision behind these efforts to reform the urban the global South, coupled with Sen’s influential theory foodscape. What are the shared features of the on food entitlement and access (1981), began to emerging municipal policy discourses on food? Are change the emphasis from the ‘natural’ causes of these narratives signalling a new paradigmatic shift in hunger to its wider political and socioeconomic the interpretation of (and responses to) current food context (Dilley and Boudreau 2001; Gladwin et al. insecurities? More generally, are we witnessing the 2001; Valdivia and Gilles 2001). Over time, this emergence of a new localism that is beginning to created a shift from an international and national (i.e. address the complex dynamics at play through a macro) policy focus to an emphasis on the individual reconfiguration of the relationships between food (i.e. micro) level of poor households, generating the system actors, spaces and governance scales? emergence of a ‘livelihood security’ model that has To begin to answer these questions, the paper uncovered the complexity of demand strategies examines 15 urban food strategies from Canada, the employed by vulnerable people2 (Maxwell 1996; USA and the UK1 – countries that are widely Lindenberg 2002; Davis et al. 2001). In current considered as pioneers of municipally led food debates, this model has been incorporated into wider policies (Mendes 2008; Sonnino 2009a). The sample access-based approaches that focus on issues of food includes cities of very different sizes where public distribution (Sage 2013) and emphasise the role of bodies have produced or commissioned a strategic traditional knowledge and endogenous development document that explicitly aims to reconfigure the strategies in addressing food insecurity (McIntyre et al. urban food system. These documents, which always 2009; Marsden 2013). include a vision statement, an action plan and often An emerging literature is raising the need for a new also a set of indicators that aim to facilitate the type of approach that bridges the gap between supply- monitoring of progress towards the identified goals, led and demand-led narratives and between macro have been comparatively analysed in relation to three and micro perspectives on food insecurity (Barling main discursive elements: the motivations behind et al. 2008; Sonnino et al. 2014). Central to this cities’ perceived need to rescale food governance; the argument is the recognition that the unfolding of a key concepts and ideas deployed to construct the new and complex geography is adding new layers of underlying narrative of the strategies; and the role meaning to the very notion of ‘security’ in relation to attributed to re-localisation in relation to food security the food system. Simply put, the concept of food and sustainability concerns. Altogether, such elements security today evokes a series of interrelated public provide important insights into the potential of these health, political, socioeconomic and ecological crises urban innovations to become a significant counter- that threaten human survival and, for this reason, force to the complex socioeconomic and environ- require strong public intervention. For the State, mental dynamics that are shaping the new geography securing appropriate quantities of quality food for all of food security. At the same time, as it will be argued citizens is crucial to reduce the human and financial in the conclusions, they identify new intervention costs of a constantly worsening public and ecological areas that require more specific attention in the health crisis and to avoid social unrest. formulation of theoretical and policy agendas for food Four fundamental dimensions of the problem security. currently shape the rhetoric on food security. First, the ‘nutrition transition’, linked to the global expansion of the Western
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Food Security and Identity: Iceland
    FOOD SECURITY AND IDENTITY: ICELAND A thesis submitted to Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Gina Marie Butrico August, 2013 Thesis written by Gina Butrico A.A.S., Middlesex County College, 2009 B.A., Kent State University, 2011 M.A., Kent State University, 2013 Approved by ___________________________________, Advisor Dr. David H. Kaplan, Ph.D. ___________________________________, Chair, Department of Geography Dr. Mandy Munro-Stasiuk, Ph.D. ___________________________________, Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs, Raymond A. Craig, Ph.D. College of Arts and Sciences ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ..........................................................................................................v List of Tables ....................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ ix Chapter I. Introduction .................................................................................................1 Food Security in Iceland ..............................................................................3 Food Identity in Iceland ...............................................................................5 Site Selection ...............................................................................................6 Food Geography...........................................................................................7
    [Show full text]
  • A Moragues Faus T Marsden 2017 the Political Ecology of Food Postprint.Pdf
    This is an Open Access document downloaded from ORCA, Cardiff University's institutional repository: http://orca.cf.ac.uk/104340/ This is the author’s version of a work that was submitted to / accepted for publication. Citation for final published version: Moragues Faus, Ana and Marsden, Terry 2017. The political ecology of food: Carving 'spaces of possibility' in a new research agenda. Journal of Rural Studies 55 , pp. 275-288. 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.08.016 file Publishers page: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.08.016 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.08.016> Please note: Changes made as a result of publishing processes such as copy-editing, formatting and page numbers may not be reflected in this version. For the definitive version of this publication, please refer to the published source. You are advised to consult the publisher’s version if you wish to cite this paper. This version is being made available in accordance with publisher policies. See http://orca.cf.ac.uk/policies.html for usage policies. Copyright and moral rights for publications made available in ORCA are retained by the copyright holders. The political ecology of food: carving spaces of possibility in a new research agenda Moragues-Faus Ana and Marsden Terry Cite as: Moragues-Faus A. and Marsden, T. 2017 The political ecology of food: carving Journal of Rural Studies (In press) spaces of possibility in a new research agenda Abstract: In times of austerity and global environmental change, recent crises related to food (in)securities and (un)sustainabilities urge us to reposition agri-food research.
    [Show full text]
  • Proquest Dissertations
    INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note vrill indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 UMI' GLOBALIZATION AND FOOD SECURITY IN LESS INDUSTRIALIZED SOCIETIES: AT-RISK POPULATIONS AND THE SOCIOLOGY OF HUNGER DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Stephen J. Scanlan, M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 2000 Dissertation Committee Approved by: Professor J.
    [Show full text]
  • Addressing Urban Food Security Risks Through Urban Agriculture
    sustainability Article Food for Thought: Addressing Urban Food Security Risks through Urban Agriculture Jorinda Steenkamp 1 , Elizelle Juanee Cilliers 1,2,*, Sarel Stephanus Cilliers 1 and Louis Lategan 1 1 Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa; [email protected] (J.S.); [email protected] (S.S.C.); [email protected] (L.L.) 2 Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Food and nutrition security has been neglected in the planning field for reasons of a lack of connection between food and planning and the perception that agricultural activities have no place in the modernizing world. However, considering increasing climate change impacts and implications on industrialized agriculture, there is a clear need to establish shorter, more sustainable agricultural production practices and food supply chains. Urban agriculture is proposed as a potential method of intervention for planners to support sustainable food production and supply chains. The paper utilized a multiple-case study design to analyze four best practice examples of urban agriculture in the Global South to uncover its potential to address food security associated risks and contribute to sustainable development objectives. The results delivered evidence of the potential to harness the multifunctionality of urban agriculture to not only improve the food security of the most at-risk populations, but to also address other urban risks such as unemployment, community decline and food deserts. The recommendations for this paper relate to establishing a food security department, mapping and encouraging more sustainable food supply chains, creating land uses and zonings Citation: Steenkamp, J.; Cilliers, E.J.; specific to urban agriculture and to utilize its multifunctionality to address other urban risks.
    [Show full text]
  • The Geography of Food: an Article Selection
    https://www.elsevier.com/social-sciences/geography- planning-and-development/the-geography-of-food-an- article-selection The Geography of Food: An Article Selection This Article Selection has been created in order to highlight some of the huge body of research on the topic of Food across Geography, Planning and Development journals. In recent years, we have published an increasing number of articles on this topic, from a very wide range of perspectives, and interest continues to grow today. From food security to food miles, urban agriculture to nutritional labeling, Food is approached from many different research angles across the discipline of Geography, as will become clear from the papers featured in the collection below. We begin with introductions written by two Editors, William Moseley and Guy Robinson, who take different approaches to summarising work in the field. Read on for their expert contributions, followed by a variety of Food-related articles. We hope this collection proves stimulating and useful to all those with an interest in this research area, and that it gives readers an insight into how wide-ranging the work on Food in Geography has become. Kay Tancock, Publisher – Geography, Planning and Development Photo used with kind permission of William G. Moseley Introduction by William G. Moseley Introduction by Professor Guy M Robinson A selection of food papers from journals in Elsevier’s Geography, Planning and Development portfolio Introduction by William G. Moseley (Macalester College), Associate Editor, Food Policy While a long standing feature of the discipline, the geography of food and agriculture has experienced a renaissance over the past 10-15 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Food System Transformations in the Sahel and West Africa
    No. 4, APRIL 2021 MAPS & FACTS FOOD SYSTEM TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE SAHEL AND WEST AFRICA Implications for people and policies SAHEL AND WEST AFRICA Club Secretariat SAHEL AND Authorised for publication by Laurent Bossard, Director, SWAC/OECD Secretariat. WEST AFRICA Club Secretariat The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of OECD member countries or RPCA members. This document, as well as any data and maps included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. RECOMMENDED CITATION SWAC/OECD (2021), Food system transformations in the Sahel and West Africa: implications for people and policies , Maps & Facts, no. 4, April 2021. CONTENTS P. 22 FOOD SYSTEMS & THE SDGS P. 5 BUILDING SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS • Healthy diets, healthy planet • Food systems are becoming more complex • Towards national and regional food system policies THE TRIPLE CHALLENGE OF FOOD SYSTEMS P. 7 • Feeding cities – connecting to opportunities • Managing transitions in food production systems • Food and nutrition security, livelihoods and environmental • Supporting inclusive employment creation sustainability • Promoting Healthy & balanced diets • Ensuring food and nutrition security • exploiting the opportunities offered by digital technologies • Two out of three West Africans depend on food systems • Promoting resilient food systems • Environmental sustainability and adaptation to climate change DRIVERS OF FOOD SYSTEM TRANSFORMATIONS P. 11 INFORMING BETTER FOOD SYSTEM POLICIES P. 31 • Six key drivers • Building a shared understanding • Demographic drivers: population growth and urbanisation • The importance of data and evidence • Economic drivers: income, prices and trade • Promoting inclusive policy dialogue on food system priorities • Socio-cultural drivers – the diversity of food systems • Policies, regulations & governance P.
    [Show full text]
  • Factors Affecting Healthy Food Choices for Low Income Residents of Sioux Falls, South Dakota
    South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2021 Broccoli Over Brownies: Factors affecting Healthy Food Choices For Low Income Residents of Sioux Falls, South Dakota Aileen Patricia Profir South Dakota State University Follow this and additional works at: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd Part of the Food Studies Commons, and the Human Geography Commons Recommended Citation Profir, Aileen Patricia, "Broccoli Over Brownies: Factors affecting Healthy Food Choices For Low Income Residents of Sioux Falls, South Dakota" (2021). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5219. https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/5219 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BROCCOLI OVER BROWNIES: FACTORS AFFECTING HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES FOR LOW INCOME RESIDENTS OF SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA. BY AILEEN PATRICIA PROFIR A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Major in Geography Specialization in Geographic Information Sciences South Dakota State University 2021 ii THESIS ACCEPTANCE PAGE Aileen Patricia Profir This thesis is approved as a creditable and independent investigation by a candidate for the master’s degree and is acceptable for meeting the thesis requirements for this degree. Acceptance of this does not imply that the conclusions reached by the candidate are necessarily the conclusions of the major department.
    [Show full text]
  • Geo IB2 Geography of Food and Health 2017.Pptx
    Geography IB Course IB2: Geography of food and health dr Robert Łuczak 1 Geography of food and health – Syllabus Definitions: • Food miles - a measure of the distance that food travels from its source to the consumer. This can be given either in units of actual distance or of energy consumed during transport • HALE - Health-adjusted life expectancy, based on life expectancy at birth but including an adjustment for time spent in poor health (due to disease and/or injury). It is the equivalent number of years in full health that a newborn can expect to live, based on current rates of health and mortality • Trans national corporation (TNC) – a firm that owns or controls productive operations in more than one country through foreign direct investment • + detailed case studies The underlying concept: • The health of a population is the direct consequence of having enough food, a balanced diet and reduced susceptibility to disease2 . Health – Syllabus Tas ks : Variations in health • Describe the variations in health as reflected by changes in life expectancy at national and global scales since 1950 • Explain the patterns and trends in terms of differences in income and lifestyle Measuring health • Evaluate life expectancy, infant mortality rate (IMR) and child mortality (CMR), HALE (health-adjusted life expectancy), calorie intake, access to safe water and access to health services as indicators of health • Prevention relative to treatment • Discuss the geographic factors that determine the relative emphasis placed by policy-makers, in one
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the US Food System
    CLIMATE CHANGE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY AND THE U.S. FOOD SYSTEM U.S. GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH PROGRAM Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the U.S. Food System December 2015 Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the U.S. Food System This document and all individual sections herein may be cited as follows: Brown, M.E., J.M. Antle, P. Backlund, E.R. Carr, W.E. Easterling, M.K. Walsh, C. Ammann, W. Attavanich, C.B. Barrett, M.F. Bellemare, V. Dancheck, C. Funk, K. Grace, J.S.I. Ingram, H. Jiang, H. Maletta, T. Mata, A. Murray, M. Ngugi, D. Ojima, B. O’Neill, and C. Tebaldi. 2015. Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the U.S. Food System. 146 pages. Available online at http://www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/FoodSecurity2015Assessment/FullAssessment.pdf. Additional Technical Contributors: Mamta Chaudhari (GWU), Shannon Mesenhowski (USAID), Micah Rosenblum (USDA FAS), Isabel Walls (USDA NIFA), and Keith Wiebe (IFPRI) DOI: 10.7930/J0862DC7 This document was produced as part of a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. NCAR’s primary sponsor is the National Science Foundation. Image credits: Images are I-Stock/I-Stock. com, Shutterstock/Shutterstock.com unless otherwise noted. I-Stock/I-Stock.com: Cover, pgs. x, 13, 16, 17, 35, 37, 38, 40, 41, 50, 53, 60, 66, 71, 74, 85, 87, 92, 93, 110, 111. Shutterstock/Shutterstock.com: Title page, pgs. 1, 12, 17, 22, 24, 25, 36, 52, 56, 58, 65, 68, 75, 80, 81, 84, 104, 106, 108, 111, 112, 114, 115.
    [Show full text]
  • An Assessment of the Impact of Food Security on Rural-Urban Migration: a Case Study of Mathare Slums in Nairobi County and Kiandutu in Kiambu County
    AN ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF FOOD SECURITY ON RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION: A CASE STUDY OF MATHARE SLUMS IN NAIROBI COUNTY AND KIANDUTU IN KIAMBU COUNTY BY BALALA, AMER ABDULHAKIM ID NO: 627460 A Thesis Presented to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in International Relations UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY – AFRICA SUMMER 2019 DECLARATION I undersigned, declare that this is my original work and has not been submitted to any other college or university other than United States International University – Africa for academic credit. Signed:……………………………… Date:…………………………………… Balala, AmerAbdulhakim (627460) Student This thesis has been presented for examination with my approval as the appointed supervisor. Signed:……………………………… Date:……………………………… Mr. Joseph Kimani Njuguna Supervisor Signed:……………………………… Date:……………………………….. Prof. Martin C. Njoroge Dean, School of Humanities and Social Science Signed:………………………………. Date:……………………………….. Ambassador Prof. Ruthie Rono Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic and Student Affairs 2 COPYRIGHT All rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be photocopied, recorded or otherwise reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any electronic or mechanical means without prior permission of USIU-A or the author Amer Abdulhakim Balala © 2019. 3 Abstract Migration in Kenya occurs whenever people seek business opportunities and education in higher learning institutions from other parts of the country. It is typical for Kenyans to migrate from rural homes to urban locations to seize employment opportunities as well. An analysis of literature that investigates migration in Kenya will illustrate that people migrate to urban areas due to food scarcity in rural locations. Residents of arid and semi-arid parts of the country depend on pastoralism and trade to obtain food.
    [Show full text]
  • Environment and Food
    Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 02:12 24 May 2016 Environment and Food This timely book provides a thorough introduction to the interrelationship of food and the environment. Its primary purpose is to bring to our attention the multiplicity of links and interconnections between what we eat and how this affects the Earth’s resources. Having a better idea of the consequences of our food choices might encourage us to develop more sustainable practices of production and consumption in the decades ahead. Although human societies have, over time, brought under control a large proportion of the Earth’s resources for the purpose of food production, we remain subject to the effective functioning of global ecosystem services. The author highlights the vital importance of these services, and explains why we should be concerned about the depletion of freshwater resources, soil fertility decline and loss of biological diversity. The book also tackles some of the enormous challenges of our era: climate change, to which the agri-food system is both a major contributor and a vulnerable sector; and the prospect of significantly higher energy prices, arising from the peaking of oil and gas supplies, which will reveal how dependent the food system has become upon cheap fossil fuels. Such challenges are likely to have significant implications for the long-term functioning of global supply chains, and raise profound questions regarding the nutritional security of the world’s population. This book argues that a re-examination of the assumptions and practices underpinning the Downloaded by [University of Defence] at 02:12 24 May 2016 contemporary food system is urgently required.
    [Show full text]
  • The Geography and Causes of Food Insecurity in Developing Countries
    AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS ELSEVIER Agricultural Economics 22 (2000) 199-215 www.elsevier.com/locate/agecon The geography and causes of food insecurity in developing countries Lisa C. Smitha·*, Amani E. El Obeidb, Helen H. Jensenb a International Food Policy Research Institute, 2033 K Street, N. W Washington, D.C. 20006, USA blowa State University, Ames, !A, USA Received 21 May 1999; received in revised form 30 August 1999; accepted 15 November 1999 Abstract At the 1996 World Food Summit, 186 countries made a commitment to reduce the number of chronically undernourished people by half by 2015. In order to formulate effective policies for reaching this goal, a thorough understanding of the location and causes of food insecurity is needed. This paper provides a broad overview of the current character of food insecurity in developing countries, focusing on two questions: (1) Why are they food insecure? and (2) Why are the food insecure? To answer the latter question data from 58 developing countries with high prevalences of food insecurity are employed to examine the relative importance of two of food insecurity's most basic causes: national food availability and the inability of people to access food due to poverty. Using child malnutrition as a proxy (along with descriptive controls for non-food determinants of malnutrition), the paper finds little correlation between national food availabilities and food insecurity. The group of countries that exhibit the highest severity of food insecurity are those with high poverty and food (dietary energy) surpluses, consistent with the view that poverty is the most widespread cause of food insecurity in the 1990s.
    [Show full text]