Providing Food Security for All

About this book

This introduction to global food security issues provides an analysis of production and supply systems, factors contributing to domestic production growth and variability, the relationship between the macro-economic environment and food security, and options for the future. The authors illustrate how a micro-economic grassroots approach, rooted in the self-help capabilities of the poor, is not only feasible, but is in fact a productive means of enhancing food security. The text contains charts and tables and a food security index that ranks developing countries in terms of their vulnerability to hunger.

Contents

- Part 1 Concept and elements of food security
- The concept of food security - why food insecurity?
- famines and relief
- what about the future? - elements of food security

Part 2 Production and supply: food staple and cereal production
- consumption
- self-sufficiency ratios
- adequacy of consumption
- food security status
- filling the consumption gap
- variability of food prices

Part 3 Factors contributing to domestic production: sources of growth and variability of production - an overview
- the regional setting
- resource base and environmental concerns
- input supply
- credit
- research and extension
- marketing pricing and distribution
- manpower
- women and household food security
- traditional crop development

Part 4 Entitlement: distribution of landholdings
- landlessness and near-landlessness
- land reform - an answer to access and landlessness?
- poverty, employment and real wages
- household coping strategies
- emergency food relief
- emergency production support for rehabilitation
- general and targetted approaches to food assistance
- evolution of food aid by use
- stabilization of prices and income
- micro-enterprises
- livestock and fisheries production
- participation - a key to entitlement
- food entitlement and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

Part 5 The macro-economic environment and food security: internal macro-economic environment
- external macro-economic environment
- internal and international structural adjustments and food security
- the world beyond - North South and South-South relations

Part 6 Options for the future: general policies
- targeted policies
- at the international level
- regional policies

Part 7 A final word. Annexes: country groups
- growth rates
- food security index (food supply status, food supply trends, food production trend)
- internal balance status of developing countries
- nominal and real agricultural interest rates
- external balance status of developing countries
- export prices of cereals and soybeans
- export prices of selected food commodities, 1985-88
- long-term net aggregate flows and net transfers to developing countries
- employment

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