Food systems and security helping the poor to cope

Food security can be defined as ‘having enough physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food’. Threats include the ability of people to deal with declining farm productivity or the loss of assets before or after harvest. Increasingly, the traditional rural focus of food security is shifting due to rapid urbanisation and growing urban slums.

Approximately 800 million people in the developing world are undernourished and suffering from chronic hunger. Whilst food security is most at threat from political instability or civil conflict leading to situations of famine, it is also related to vulnerability of the poor to:

• shocks e.g. droughts, floods, crop pests and diseases
• seasonality e.g. periods of underemployment or prolonged dry spells
• trends e.g. population growth or increasing water scarcity.

Developing and promoting crop varieties which have a greater tolerance or resistance to adverse conditions can help to alleviate food insecurity. Early-maturing varieties of groundnut, chickpeas and beans, all important sources of protein for poor people, can pre-empt potential water scarcity later in the season. However, it is important to recognise that there are still many gains to be made from conventional breeding techniques. Improved management methods, such as seed priming are also contributing to better crop establishment.

Rural-urban migration is having a dramatic impact on food systems and security. A massive increase in urban and peri-urban livestock keeping, provides an important source of income and nutrition for the landless. In both urban and rural areas, livestock keeping can act as an ultimate food security insurance policy against crop failure as it provides a source of nutritious milk and meat, and people are able to sell their animals for cash in times of extreme hardship. However, animals must be well maintained and kept healthy to ensure these insurance policies remain viable.

Even if a good harvest is achieved, post-harvest losses of crops and fish due to pests and diseases can still devastate the livelihoods of poor people. In West Africa, the larger grain borer insect is capable of turning many maize and cassava stores to dust. Research using natural predators, pheromone traps and diatomaceous earths (naturally occurring mineral dusts) as alternatives to expensive and potentially hazardous pesticides, is proving successful in reducing its impact in Ghana and Tanzania.

In the fisheries sector, losses also occur throughout the supply chain in handling, transportation, processing and storage. Blowfly and hide beetle infestation in traditionally cured fish are a complex and important cause of nutritional and economic losses. Although research into physical (barriers to access) and chemical (insecticides, salting, plant-based repellents) methods have had successes, there is a need to tackle underlying causes. Current research in east India is addressing this issue by focusing on systemic studies of the forms and influences of infestation.

A holistic food security policy should look at both pre- and post-harvest issues as well as socio-economic considerations such as equitable access to inputs, services and markets and the overall welfare of farming households as well as goals of increased yield or productivity. Agriculture can help contribute to long-term environmental sustainability through improving the efficiency of input and resource use. In all research, continued emphasis on integrated social and natural science partnerships will be vital to ensure food security and minimise the vulnerability of the poor in future years.

Dr. John Witcombe
Manager, Plant Sciences Programme
Centre for Arid Zone Studies
University of Wales
Bangor
Gwynedd LL57 2UW
UK
j.r.witcombe@bangor.ac.uk

John Sanchez
Manager, Post-Harvest Fisheries Programme
Natural Resources International Ltd
Park House
Bradbourne Lane
Aylesford
Kent ME20 6SN
UK
j.sanchez@nrint.co.uk

Views expressed on these pages are not necessarily those of DFID, IDS, id21 or other contributing institutions. Copyright remains with the original authors but (unless stated otherwise) articles may be copied or quoted without restriction, provided id21 and originating author(s) and institution(s) are acknowledged. Copyright © 2005 id21. All rights reserved.