Food production

Food Security – FAO

When all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and preferences for an active, healthy life.

Undernourishment (or hunger) – FAO

A person cannot acquire enough food to meet daily minimum dietary energy requirements over a year; main indicator used by FAO to measure food security.

Four Components of Food Security – Availability

Quantity, quality, and diversity of food supply; relies on sustainable farming and resource management.

Four Components of Food Security – Access

Ability to obtain food; improved via markets and income generation.

Four Components of Food Security – Utilisation

How the body uses nutrients; affected by diet diversity, health, and food preparation.

Four Components of Food Security – Stability

Being food secure at all times; considers shocks like price rises, conflicts, or poor harvests.

Measuring Undernourishment

FAO considers average calorie availability, inequalities in food consumption (Coefficient of Variation), and demographic info (age, sex, height, activity) to estimate minimum energy requirements per country.

UN SDGs – Food Security

Sustainable Development Goals established by UN in 2015, to be achieved by 2030; Goal 2 (“Zero Hunger”) aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.

Goal 2 – Zero Hunger

Contains 8 targets and 14 indicators to measure progress toward ending hunger and promoting sustainable agriculture.

FAO Food Price Index

Tracks changes in global food prices over time; shows volatility in food markets (e.g., 2021–2024).

Thomas Malthus

English historian/economist (1798) who theorized population grows exponentially while food grows arithmetically; predicted crises unless population growth is controlled.

Malthus’ Population Checks

Suggested controlling population via “moral restraint” and allowing war/famine to reduce population if unchecked; applied differently across social classes.

Primary Sector of Economy

The sector of the economy that extracts and produces raw materials, e.g., farming, fishing, and mining.

Types of Agriculture

Various methods of food production, e.g., subsistence, commercial, intensive, extensive, and industrial agriculture.

Factors Affecting Food Production

Influenced by climate, soil, technology, labor, government policies, and global trade; affects availability, price, and security.