FOOD SECURITY

MPH (Food security I)

Girma Akalu
PhD, Applied Nutrition
Head, Food Science & Nutrition Research Department
EHNRI
Regional Coordinator, FOSNNA

MPH (Food security I)

CORE POINTS
18 million people die due to starvation each year
2 billion people suffer from malnutrition
by 2020, 70% of SSA population will be starved (IFPRI)
80% of the products of the world belongs to developed countries
(Poor distribution)

starvation in the midst of plenty

MPH (Food security I)

Conceptual Definition

Time
Food

Who

Health

Access

MPH (Food security I)

DETERMINANTS OF FOOD SECURITY

i. Food Supply
Availability of food
National
Regional
Local

Determinants
Production
Stocking
International trade
Poor households food security
Seasonal variations
Prices

MPH (Food security I)

ii. Social Stress

Market price
Amount in the market
Labor patterns
Wages

iii. Individual Stress

Nutritional status
Morbidity and mortality
Migration

MPH (Food security I)

Chronic

Food insecurity
Cyclical

MPH (Food security I)

Dimensions of food insecurity

(Three dimensions)
Sufficient supply
Stability supply
Access

Dimensions of food security problems

Self-sufficient and inefficient system
Food defiant and efficient system
MPH (Food security I)

Dimensions of food insecurity: elucidated from qualitative research (Kendall et al. 1997)

Individual level

Household level

Quantitative

Insufficient intake

Food depletion

Qualitative

Nutritional inadequacy

Unsuitable food

Psychological

Lack of choice, feelings of

deprivation

Food anxiety

Disrupted eating patterns

Food acquisition in socially

unacceptable ways

Social

MPH (Food security I)

Indicators of Household Food Security

A. Supply Indicator
-

Metrologicaldata
Informationonnaturalresources
Agriculturalproductiondata
Marketinformation

B. Food access indicators

-Landusepractice
-Dietarychange
-Diversificationofincomesources
-Livestocksales
-Saleofproductionassets

C. Outcome indicators
-Householdbudget&expenditure
-Foodconsumptionfrequency
-Subsistencepotential
-Nutritionalstatus

-Agro-ecologicalmodel
-Foodbalancesheets
-Informationonpestdamage
-Regionalconflict
-Diversificationoflivestock
-Changeoffoodsource
-Accesstoloans/credit
-Seasonalmigration
-Distressmigration
-Household perception of food
insecurity
-Storageestimate

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Sources of risks in food insecurity population

No

Risks

Factors

Some of affected population

Crop production risk

Pests,drought,
etc

Farmswithnoirrigation,fertilizer
andpestcontrol

Agricultural trade risk

Disruptionof
export/import

Poor urban people and agents

working on export/import of
agriculturalproducts.

Food price risk

Largepricerise

PoorHHspurchasingfooditems

Employment risk

Unemployment
duetocrop
failure

Wage-earningfarmlaborers

Health risk

Infectious
diseases

Entirecommunity

Politics and policy failure

Warand
civilunrest

AnyHHinthearea

Demographic risk

Individualrisks

FemaleheadedHHs,childrenand
elderly

Source: FAO/WHO, 1992

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Approaches for reducing problems of food insecurity/hunger

Main causes
Recommendation

Discipline
Health

-Nutritionaldisorder
-Environmentalstress
-Disease

Vaccination
Breastfeeding/weaningfood
Environmentalsanitation

Agriculture

Lowfoodsupply

Foodproduction/Foodaid
Postharvesttechnology
Marketing

Education

-Ignorance
-Foodhabits

Nutritionaleducation
Masscommunication

Population Science

Highpopulationdensity& Populationcontrol
growthrate
Resettlement

Neo-classical Economy

Unfairdistributionsof
food

Planners

Lack of planning & Foodandnutritioncouncils

coordination
Training

Source: Jonsson, 1981

Fiscalpolicies
Incomegeneratingprojects
Employmentprograms

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