unit 3 - food security

food security

Access by all people at all times to nutritionally adequate, safe, personally acceptable foods from normal food channels.

food insecurity

Uncertain or limited access to foods of sufficient quantity or quality. Access to foods of sufficient quality highlights that a person may have access to enough calories, but not necessarily enough nutrients. Risk factors for food insecurity include anything that limits resources available for food acquisition, such as an increase in non-food expenditures, under- employment and poverty. Food insecurity leads to hunger, and hunger is a major health issue.

food poverty

Occurs in areas where there is enough food, however for some reason people cannot obtain it, and hunger occurs. Reasons can include war, political reasons, lack or resources (such as money or transportation).

hunger

“Hunger is usually understood as an uncomfortable or painful sensation caused by insufficient food energy consumption. Scientifically, hunger is referred to as food deprivation. Simply put, all hungry people are food insecure, but not all food insecure people are hungry, as there are other causes of food insecurity, including those due to poor intake of micro-nutrients.”

famine

Extreme, widespread food scarcity which causes starvation in the area.

the four pillars of food security

1. availability

2. accessibility

3. adequacy

4. acceptability

availability

access to sufficient amounts of food at all times. This is affected by time of year/season, civil conflict/war, food preservation and supply.

accessibility

physical access and economic means to access food at all times. Accessibility is determined by entitlements

adequacy

access to food that provides adequate nourishment and is safe. Adequacy is affected by: control over resources, nutrient content of the food/quality, knowledge of food/nutrition.

acceptability

access to food that is:

• personally palatable

• acquired by a socially-acceptable means of obtaining food (e.g. some people may not want to accept foods from a food bank or beg for food even if hungry because this compromises their dignity)

• culturally appropriate

fifth pillar is sometimes included: agency

encompasses the policies and processes that make food security achievable

some reasons of hunger in developing world include

• Regional quantity, quality and availability of food – e.g. drought preventing adequate food production in an area; can all people in the region access the available food?

• Discrimination factors that affect distribution – e.g. war; government corruption; unemployment and lack of borrowing power; racial, ethnic of religious discrimination.

• Individual household’s access to available food – e.g. transportation to get food; necessary infrastructure such as passable roads to food delivery.

• Access to clean water (in sufficient quantity) and health services (to prevent disease and illness)

• Individual childcare practices and knowledge (e.g. child fed while others in the family go hungry; knowledge of how to mix baby formula – if too much water is used, this will dilute the nutritional value, or using unclean water to mix formula)

• Inadequate food or nutrient intakes – causing malnutrition, weakness, disease (family may be too weak to compete for food)

two major challenges exist to banishing world food insecurity

1. provide enough for the worlds expanding population

2. make sure everyone has access to this food

hunger in developed countries

• lack of money

• political reasons: up to 80% of hungry children live in countries that produce surplus food, but the decisions of policy makers in those areas, largely determines who in the population has access to food

• countries of war: food transportation may be limited. also, have other concerns beyond hunger

• lack of transportation

• cannot afford

to stretch meager food supplies, adults often

• skip meals or cut their portion

• may be forced to break social rules: beg, steal, scavenge, and harvest dead animals

• may rely on foods with low nutrient density, but high calorie density, so calorie needs are met, but not nutritional needs

• single parent households

households are more likely to experience food insecurity if they

• Receive their income from minimum wages, part time jobs, workers compensation, employment insurance or social assistance

• Are First Nation, Métis or Inuit living rural or remote communities

• Have children (especially with a lone mother)

• Are homeless

• Are new immigrants

• Have chronic health problems

four common methods of food recovery are

a. Field gleaning: collecting crops from fields that either have already been harvested or are not profitable to harvest.

b. Perishable food rescue or salvage: collecting perishable produce from wholesalers and markets.

c. Prepared food rescue: collecting prepared foods from commercial kitchens.

d. Non-perishable food collection: collecting processed foods from wholesalers and markets.

local efforts

food recovery programs depend on volunteers

food banks

provide groceries and food

community kitchens

programs where individuals come together to prepare meals that they can take home to their families

community gardens

typically grown on donated plots of land, and typically grown on donated plots of land and seeds are donated to a community group as well

school feeding programs

provide meals to children at school

food share programs

an ex of a food share program in Winnipeg is fruit connect. people with fruit trees can register to have people come pick the fruit from their trees. the fruit is equally shared between the owner, picker, and community groups that accept local fruit

food loss and waste damage the sustainability of our food systems

• All resources used to produce this food - including water, land, energy, labor, and capital - go to waste.

• The disposal of food loss and waste in landfills leads to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.

• Negatively impacts food security and availability and contribute to increasing the cost of food.

hierarchy of solution for food loss and waste

• Reduce (make changes to reduce the amount of grown and harvested food that is not eaten)

• Recover (donate surplus food or make animal feed or other products using the surplus)

• Recycle (use ingredients from the surplus food for non-food products like pharmaceuticals or cosmetics, make biodiesel or create compost)

• Dispose (send to landfill or incinerate)

food sovereignty

"Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agricultural systems. It puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations."

seven pillars of food sovereignty

1. Focuses on food for people: Food is not a commodity . Puts people at the center of food policies.

2. Builds knowledge and skills : Build on traditional knowledges that kept our food production sustainable. Reject the technologies that undermine or contaminate local food systems.

3. Works with nature : Build resilience and work with the ecological environment, not against it.

4. Values food providers: Support the people who grow food sustainably.

5. Localizes food systems: Reduce the distance between food producer and consumer. Reject food dumping by large corporations.

6. Puts control locally . Give control to the local bodies and reject large corporations that abuslocal food systems.

7. Food is sacred : Value food as a gift and not as a commodity.

community gardens and urban agriculture

empower people to grow their own food in urban settings

indigenous food sovereignty

maintained holistic relationship with the land and the food it provides. food carries cultural, spiritual, and social significance

seed saving and heritage crops

preserving and exchanging traditional crop varieties to maintain agricultural diversity and prevent the loss of heirloom plants

farmer’s market and local food movements

connect local producers directly with consumers. fair prices and consumers gain access to fresh locally grown produce

community-supported agriculture

consumers purchasing shares of a farm’s harvest in advance

agroecology and sustainable farming

application of ecological principles to agriculture to mitigate climate change minimize the use of external inputs such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides

food policy councils

consultations with government representatives, farmers, consumers, and community organizations, to shape local food policies.

farm-to-school programs

initiatives connect schools with local farmers, providing students with fresh, locally produced food in their meals. These programs promote healthy eating habits, support local farmers, and strengthen ties between educational institutions and the agricultural community.

land conservation and agroforestry

integrates trees and crops on the same land, providing ecological benefits while also producing food. Indigenous communities in various regions practice agroforestry.

social movements

advocate for policies that support food sovereignty principles, such as fair trade, local food procurement, and protection of small- scale farmers' rights.

cost of production of food

minimal external input such as synthetic chemicals, the crops may have lower yield. Without the use of GE seeds, the yield and disease resistance may be low. Low yield leads to less profit and/or higher production cost. Higher costs would result in less competitive pricing. Further, patents don’t allow seed saving in many cases.

law and regulation

Zoning regulations may restrict urban and peri-urban agriculture, limiting individuals' ability to grow food in their own communities. These restrictions can hinder the development of community gardens, urban farms, and other initiatives that promote local food production.

cost of land acquisition

Agricultural land acquisition favors large farmers. Non-agricultural land is often too expensive.

governmental support

lacks for small scale sustainable agriculture. The subsidies favor large scale production creating an uneven playing field

free trade agreements and globalization

Import of cheap food from other parts of the world and can compete with locally grown food.

economic framework

Canadian and global economic framework is based on mass production at low cost.