Government policies in poor countries can make or break efforts to end hunger. Good governance, including the rule of law, low levels of corruption, and respect for human rights, is essential for achieving food security. Policies conducive to ending hunger and poverty need to be put in place at all levels, from the local to the national (Sanchez & Swaminathan, 357).
Between these two articles (the UNEP report and Sanchez), we can see a split in the causes of food insecurity between practical issues of food production and the structural policies which allow for (or hinder) the necessary framework to improve crop yields. The latter is primarily an issue in developing countries, which often suffer from political or social unrest and a lack of financial resources to implement change. Consequently these countries frequently suffer the most from resource depletion due to unsustainable farming methods and are in the least advantages position to change these practices.
The issue is further complicated when one factors in the importance of water resources, not only for day-to-day survival, but also in support of agricultural practices. UN reports (as of 2008)suggest that currently 92% of the worlds population has an adequate water supply, compared to just 62% projected for 2025. Tim Lang, writing for The Ecologist, extrapolates this issue further suggesting that:
Embedded water is likely to be as or more important a measure of sustainability as food miles or CO2 emissions. FOr instance, 1kg of grain-fed beef takes 15 cubic metres of water and 1kg of grass-fed lamb needs 10 cub metres, while 1kg of cereals needs only 0.4-3 cubic metres. Buy imported food and you’re buying someone else’s water. Each Kenyan green bean stem is equivalent to four litres of water - and this from an officially water-stressed country. Buying this way is a new colonialism (33).
Lang goes on to dissect the world’s working population, pointing to the increasing urbanization of the workforce and begging the question, where will our farm labour come from in the future if our populations are moving to the city? Lang is concerned with global hunger issues, but he is particularly aware of discrepancies between the wealthiest nations and those that struggle to feed themselves. For Lang, the solution is not only in the practice of farming, but in the behavior and habits of consumers (specifically in wealthy developed countries). Therefore, a search for longterm solutions to food insecurity are rooted in the issue of sustainability (both in habits of eating and methods of production).
What UNEP outlines in its report mirrors much of the literature, by calling for a shift in agricultural practices the world over, emphasizing long term planning and a shift toward “eco-based production and reversing land degradation” (Smil, 7). The focus on sustainability of the land goes back to the issue of efficiency; how can today’s farmers get the greatest yields over a long term basis, without depleting the land (forcing movement into less suitable areas and needlessly destroying habitat and biodiversity). As Sanchez and Swaminathan suggest:
Restoring soil health is often the first entry point for increasing agricultural productivity, because soil nutrient depletion is extreme in most areas where farmers have small holdings, as in Africa. Applying appropriate combinations of mineral and organic fertilizers, using leguminous green manures and agroforestry fertilizer trees, returning crop residues to the soil, and using improve dm methods of soil conservation can restore soil health and double or triple yields of the cereal staple crop (357-358).
As Sanchez and Swaminathan point out, these techniques are valuable for small-scale farmers in areas most affected by food insecurity (i.e. Africa and India), due to their limited resources and land. By focusing on restoration of soil quality, these techniques lay the groundwork for long term success and sustained yields, rather than the short term bursts in productivity which are achieved through genetically engineered crops and harmful synthetic fertilizers. While agricultural research and development has certainly increased food production in the short term, it does not lead to a viable long term solution based in sustainable practices. Furthermore, synthetic products and high yield practices often lead to instability in the food market and volatile price fluctuations. These issues are addressed as well in the UNEP report and point to a second part of the food security solution, that of structural/policy change:
To decrease the risk of volatile prices, price regulation on commodities and larger cereal stocks should be created to buffer the tight markets of food commodities and the subsequent risk of speculation in markets. This includes reorganizing the food market infrastructure and institutions to regulate food prices and provide food safety nets aimed at alleviating the impacts of rising food prices and food shortage, including both direct and indirect transfers, such as a global fund to support micro-finance to boost small-scale farmer productivity. (Smil, 8)
This proposal points again to the importance of small-scale operations in the wider fight against food insecurity, as well as acknowledging the need for financial support for farming in developing nations. The link between micro-finance and sustainable practices is a direct one, but only when combined with the government policies outlined by Sanchez and Swaminathan can such micro-finance programs truly become effective. The necessary political stability must be present in order for financial accountability to take effect. This accountability will be crucial in securing micro-finance investors, who must be certain that money lent for sustainable agricultural practices will indeed be spent in that fashion. Therefore, the the ultimate solution to food insecurity will be a combination of policy change combined with innovative and sustainable practices. One must support the other, and vice versa, if the problem of world hunger is to be taken on.
Bibliography
Smil, V.,2000: Feeding the World :A Challenge for the 21st Century,MIT Press
United Nations Environmental Programme, 2009 : ‘The Environmental Food Crisis’,available at
Sanchez,P. And Swaminathatn ,M., ‘Cutting World Hunger in Half’, Science,Volume 307,January 2005, available from:
Lang, Tim, (2008) ‘Food Insecurity’ The Ecologist, 38, 32-34
