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Food Insecurity: Concept, Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions

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DOI: 10.47310/jiarjhss.v02i01.016

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IAR Journal of Humanities and Social Science
ISSN Print : 2708-6259 | ISSN Online : 2708-6267
Frequency: Bi-Monthly
Language: Multilingual
Origin: KENYA
Website : https://www.iarconsortium.org/journal-info/IARJHSS
Review Article
Food Insecurity: Concept, Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions
Abstract: The present article deals with the theoretical aspects of food insecurity and its
Article History concept, causes, effects and possible solutions at the global and national level. Food security
Received: 29.01.2021 can be easily defined as enough food is available at the community or household level,
Revision: 10.02.2021 national and global level. Food security is based on four (pillars; availability, accessibility,
Accepted: 17.02.2021 utilisation and stability). Availability addresses the “supply-side” of food security and is
determined by the level of food production, stock levels and net trade. Accessibility is
Published: 28.02.2021 concerns about insufficient food access have resulted in a greater policy focus on incomes,
Author Details expenditure, markets and prices in achieving food security objectives. Utilization is
Nafees Ahmad*1, S K Shahnawaz2, Muzafar commonly understood as the way the body makes the most of the various nutrients in the
Husain3, Sajid Qamar 4 and Zaid Alam5 food. Stability is typically linked to the vulnerability context, and risk factors can negatively
Authors Affiliations impact food availability or access to food. Simply food insecurity is defined as when a
1 person is unable to obtain a sufficient amount of healthy food on a day-to-day basis. Food
Research Scholar (Department of Geography, insecurity act as both cause and effect, due to lack of income and access food insecurity
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India) prevails and, in another way, due to food insecurity, violence and instability occur in a
2
Research Scholar (Department of Political Science, country. The leading cause of food insecurity is poverty, increasing population, drought, etc.
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India) These causes in food insecurity affect the population in the form of malnutrition,
vulnerability and stunted children. The solutions for these problems in food insecurity are
3
Teacher TGT (Govt. Co-ed Sarvodaya Vidyalaya awareness, decrease food waste and donations, etc.
MPK Phase-3 New Delhi)
4
Keywords: Food Insecurity, food availability, food accessibility, food sustainability, 24-
Assistant Professor (Budge Budge College, 24 HDR, anthropometry.
South Pargana)
5
Research Scholar (Department of Geography,
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India) INTRODUCTION
Corresponding Author* The essential items in the world for a human being are food, with clothing
Nafees Ahmad and shelter. It is also known as basic needs. Since the beginning of human
How to Cite the Article: civilization, food security is a vital tool for people. It holds great
Nafees Ahmad, S K Shahnawaz, Muzafar Husain, importance for nations those who have enormous population base and
Sajid Qamar & Zaid Alam (2021); Food Insecurity: weak agricultural infrastructure. The concept of food security originated
Concept, Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions . around 50 years ago at the time of global food crises in the early 1970s.
.IAR J Huma Soc Sci; 2021; 2(1): 105-113.
Copyright @ 2021: This is an open-access article
Approximately four decades ago, there were about 200 definitions of food
distributed under the terms of the Creative security published in different writings (Maxwell and Smith, 1992;
Commons Attribution license which permits Barichello and Clay, 2003). Food security is going through an
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction evolutionary change during the past many years with space and time.
in any medium for non commercial use From time to time, the concept of food security and their approaches have
(NonCommercial, or CC-BY-NC) provided the
original author and source are credited. been developed and modified according to the common understanding of
DOI:10.47310/jiarjhss.v02i01.016 the nature of the food problem and the evolution of the global food
system.

The term and the concept of „food security‟ were started nearly four and a half-decade ago during the World Food
Conference organised in 1974 by Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The world
community for the first time in this conference tried to find out ways and means to provide food security to the hungry
people by producing enough food, promise for the supply of food and giving safety form with the fluctuations in food
prices (Anderson and Cook, 1999) and first time the concept of food insecurity came into existence as a means to
distinguish the relationship between hunger, poverty and unemployment. Food insecurity is a very complex phenomenon
due to a range of factors that vary in importance among social groups, across regions and countries, as well as overtime.
These factors can be grouped in four clusters representing the following four areas of possible vulnerability those are the
socio-economic and political environment, the performance of the food economy, care practices, health and sanitation
(FAO. 2000). The 2008 global food crisis create riots in many countries, which seek the attention of the public in food
security. In July 2009 G8 heads of state agreed to “to act with the scale and urgency needed to achieve sustainable global
food security” (Barrett, 2010).

India is a second-most populous country after China and is the world‟s largest democracy. Many people in this country
still live every day being food insecure. According to Chakravarty and Dand (2006) in India, the main reason for the
prevalence of food insecurity is the demand deflation, which is the result of falling agrarian incomes over the past few
decades. Some small elite people of the country had a significant amount of private ownership of assets, which give a
dualistic nature to our economy in between these small elite class and considerable-sized poor section of the society. In
food insecurity, poverty plays a vital role to hamper the growth of hunger.

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Poverty exists with food insecurity and is the accessibility, availability, utilisation and stability
leading cause of hunger, malnutrition, low income, (Napoli et al., 2011).
illiteracy, homelessness, inadequate housing, social
discrimination, etc. India is the largest populated There are four dimensions of food security:
country of hungry people which is around 194.6 million  Availability: It is mainly the supply or production
(15.2%) of the population (FAO et al., 2019). The total of food materials. “The amount of food that is
number of undernourished people was 172.4 million in present in a country or area through all forms of
1990-92, which increased to 237.7 million in 2005-07, domestic production, imports, food stocks and food
i.e., nearly 38% increase in undernourished people. aid” (WFP. 2009).
(Skoet & Stamoulis, 2006). More than 820 million  Accessibility: The concept of accessibility in terms
people all over the world were still hungry in 2018 of food security refers to “physical, social and
(World Health Organization. 2018). While (Shakeel, economic access” (FAO. 1996). This term was first
2017) states that despite the increase in production the introduced by the Amartya Sen in the early 1980s
per capita availability of food is declining at the same after the Bengal famines (Sen, 1982). Accessibility
time the most needed people are far away from the food means affordability in which every household
and the gap between those eating less and those eating member, at all times, have access to enough food
more are continuously increasing. are far the for an active, healthy life.
production of the food increases and the upper class of  Utilization: It means to the proper consumption of
the society are eating better Although urbanization is food and nutrition. No access to clean drinking
increasing day by day and the poor people are still water, poor environment, lack of hygiene, poor
living mainly in rural areas. Around 7.3 million people health infrastructure, lead to reduced assimilation
move into the fast-growing urban areas of India every of the consumed food. To achieve nutritional
year. Though the number of middle-class citizens is security, environmental hygiene necessary, Primary
also growing, there is a big gap between the rich and health care and clean drinking water facility should
poor which is increasing continuously. In India, 21.9 be adequately available. Cooking habits also need
per cent of the population is living below the poverty cautious evaluation because some methods of
line (Census of India, 2011). The growing number of cooking may lead to the loss of essential nutrients
populations is overstressing natural resources, i.e., Swaminathan (M. S. 2006).
water, housing and electricity in the cities have not been  Stability: Stability defines the temporal dimension
able to fulfil the requirement of people moving into the of food and nutrition security, individually the time
city. As a result, low-cost housing being built and many frame in which food security is being considered.
people are bound to live in the slums and hamlets, Stability is assumed when the supply food, income
having more people in a one-room shed. The people and economic resources remain constant in a
living in the slums also face the problem of food household level during the year and in the long-
security and nutrition due to low poverty. While India term. Besides, it is also essential to minimize
can be producing a sufficient amount of food to feed its external risks such as natural disaster, climate
entire population, there have been many obstructions in change, price volatility, conflicts or epidemics, etc.
the past decade, including droughts, especially in (Klennert, 2009).
Maharashtra and natural disasters. The success or
failure of crops in the country is directly related to Food Insecurity:
climate and weather because the significant proportion Food insecurity is described as “limited or uncertain
of the farmer is mainly based on monsoon for availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited
agriculture (Kaczor, 2013). However, India's overall or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially
economy and trade relations are improving, but the poor acceptable ways”. (American Dietetic Association 1998).
Those individuals whose food intake decreases below their
people are still struggling to survive. Food and minimum calorie requirements are coming under the food
nutritional security can be improved through insecure category, as well as the person who is physically not
developments in both national domestic policies. Thus, fit, or have some disease due to the lack of food and hunger or
this study seeks to provide basic concepts of food unbalance diet. (FAO. 2000)”. Thomas (2006) defines food
insecurity and possible solutions. insecurity as “Food insecurity exists when people do not have
adequate physical, social or economic access to the sufficient,
Food Security: safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food
Food security is to define as “When all people, preferences for an active and healthy life. According to FAO
at all times, have physical, social and economic access Food Insecurity is defined as “a situation that exists when
people lack secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and
to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their nutritious food for normal growth and development and active
dietary needs and food preferences for an active and and healthy life”. (FAO, IFAD. 2013).
healthy life.” (IFPRI. 2019). Food security is an
essential part of human life because it affects human
health and also influences the economic and political
stability of the state. Food security has four pillars:

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Moreover, food insecurity is classified into world have made significant progress towards poverty
three major categories by the FAO (Food and alleviation, Africa, in particular, Sub-Saharan Africa
Agricultural Organization) those are (i) Acute: Severe continues to lag behind. It is predicted that there will be
hunger and malnutrition to the point that lives are in a an increase in this tendency until and unless preventive
significant threat immediately (e.g., famine), (ii) measures are not taken. Since 1970 the condition of
Occasional: It is defined as existence of food insecurity food security on the continent has worsened and the
due to a specific temporary circumstance, (iii) Chronic: share of the malnourished population has remained
the requirement of food needs is consistently or within the range of 33 to 35 per cent in Sub-Saharan
permanently under threat. Africa. There is a lot of variation in the prevalence of
malnutrition within the continent which varies by
Food insecurity is a multi-dimensional concept, and it region. It is lowest in Northern Africa with 4 per cent
affects every section of the population in different and the highest in Central Africa with 40 per cent.
ways: children and mothers are also prone to food (Mwaniki, 2006). There are many numbers of causes of
insecurity with various factors are overpopulation, food insecurity in different regions. But some common
gender inequality, lack of education and poverty. causes are:
Overpopulated areas have the problem of food and can
lead to malnutrition among children, especially in rural Population growth
areas. The female child suffers more than the male child Various scholars have different thought
because they eat food after the male child due to male according to population growth and food insecurity.
superiority. Lack of knowledge in women regarding Malthus gave an inverse relationship between the
nutrition, breastfeeding is also a concerning problem population and resources, a rapidly growing population
(Upadhyay & Palanivel, 2011). Generally, we assume become a burden on resources. So, he introduces
that childhood food insecurity is caused by poverty, but positive checks (war, natural disaster, calamities) which
there are other factors which also influence the children occur if we do not control the population growth.
food insecurity, i.e., mother‟s physical and mental British environmentalist, Sir Jonathan Porrit said that
health, residential instability, living in a household “It’s no good blaming climate change or food shortages
without parents, no payment support foe child, mother‟s or political corruption. Sorry to be neo-Malthusian
past and current substance abuse, and immigrant parents about it, but continuing population growth in this
(Gundersen & Ziliak, 2014). region makes periodic famine unavoidable – as many
people have been pointing out since the last famine.
According to the UN report, about 805 million Many of the children saved by the money raised over
people are undernourished as of 2014 in the world the next few weeks will inevitably be back again in
around one in eight people. A major section of these similar feeding centres with their own children in a few
population lives in developing countries in which more years time”. If we see, we find that the increase in
than 14% of peoples deficient in meeting their dietary population indirectly affects food security, but the effect
energy requirements. (Agriculture Organization Ed., of poverty is more than that. As we saw in the famine of
2014). The leading cause of food insecurity in Bengal in 1943. According to Nobel Laureate Amartya
developing countries is the lack of purchasing power for Sen, “starvation is the characteristic of some people not
food due to poverty. Africa has the highest proportion having enough food to eat. It is not the characteristic of
of food insecurity which worsened since 1970 and the there being not enough food to eat. While the latter can
malnourished population remained in the 33-35 per cent be a cause of the former, it is but one of many possible
range in Sub-Saharan Africa. Malnutrition is highest in causes”. We find that growth of population exacerbated
central Africa with 40 per cent while the lowest in the pressure on environmental degradation, social
northern Africa with 4 per cent. (Mwaniki, 2006). causes and climate change and further these factors
pose the food insecurity problem to the state or region.
Causes of Food Insecurity: Despite a sufficient amount of food availability, the
Food insecurity is both a cause and a issue of food insecurity is found in many areas. This
consequence of violence, contributing to a vicious cycle depicts the other factors like poverty, access,
or “conflict trap”. Food security is critical for political purchasing power rather than population growth.
stability. It is linked to increased risk of common
failure, protests and rioting, communal violence and Conflict and Political Instability
civil conflict. Violent conflicts, in turn, create food Food insecurity can be both a cause and
insecurity, malnutrition and in some instances famine. consequence of conflict and political instability. The
Thus, food insecurity can perpetuate conflict, although relationship between conflict and food security affects
its effects depend on the context, with the most robust each other as food scarcity leads to market collapse. As
links evident in states that already have fragile markets a result, food availability in the market decreases, which
and weak political institutions (Collier et al., 2003). create greater havoc in public. Because of persistent
Inability of people to gain access to food due to poverty conflicts and food insecurity millions of helpless people
in developing countries is the root cause of food ready to migrate away from their homeland to a better
insecurity. Although the remaining countries of the place.

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indirectly affects the socio-economic conditions of

These migrated people become a refugee in people through agriculture, market effects, etc. The
many countries. Sometimes the asylum country because social and economic disturbance is observed with the
of some reason is not able to fulfil the adequate support changes in agricultural incomes, food markets, prices
to the refugees, then again, the food insecurity arises in and trade patterns, and investment patterns. At the farm
that particular place. (IFPRI, 2019). Andersen and level, they can reduce revenues. They can influence
Shimokawa (2008) find that the population with poor physical capital and force farmers to sell productive
health and nutrition are more responsible in the civil capital, for instance, cattle, field, to absorb income
conflict in the food-insecure region. Food security is shocks. As a result, farmers become weak and have no
most critical for political stability. It is related to money to invest. This problem directly affects the social
increased risk of democratic failure, protests and impacts on farming households, limiting their capacity
rioting, communal violence and civil conflict. As a to face other expenses, such as health, education and
result, these conflicts create food insecurity, standard of living (FAO. 2016). Safe water and
malnutrition and in some cases famine (Brinkman & sanitation facilities are also affected by climate change
Hendrix, 2011). In recent scenario, the major problem is which may lead to diarrheal disease that can disturb the
human is the destroyer of the human being as we have absorption of nutrients. Climate change can also
seen in the Syria and Yemen, where armed forces and increase different vector-borne diseases which can
rebels destroy the country which causes food insecurity hamper people's physiological capacity to get necessary
and civil war. But after that, they also block the aids nutrients from the foods consumed and decrease labour
from the NGOs and international organizations. (Elver, productivity due to morbidity (Zewdie, 2014). The
2017) also said that "it is crucial that the international effects of climate change on food security are the
community understands that it is an international crime consequences of climate changes themselves and the
to intentionally block access to food, food aid, and to underlying vulnerabilities of food systems. They can be
destroy the production of food." defined as “cascading impacts” from climate to
biophysical, then economic and social, and to
Urbanisation households and food security. At each level,
The world population will increase from 6.7 to vulnerabilities worsen the effects (FAO. 2016). The
9.2 billion from 2007 to 2050 in the urban areas of less food-production system stability is a direct influence by
developed countries (United Nations, 2008) and the changes in climate variability. Increased frequency
according to the FAO estimates that global food and intensity of the drought and flood would be a great
production should be increased up to 60 per cent by threat to stability, whether the impact is domestic, local
2050 to meet population demands. According to Sova or through the global food market. The frequency and
(2016), it is projected that around two-thirds of the magnitude of food emergencies might increase,
world‟s population will live in urban areas. It shows an resulting from complex interrelations between political
expected decline in the rural population, which means conflicts and migration in a context of increased
the population at worldwide will need to produce more competition for limited resources.
food with fewer farmers to meet the growing caloric
demands in cities. This adds to an already problematic The ‘financialisation’ of food
task for the world‟s farmers side by side, the Financialisation of food refers to the increasingly
agricultural land is decreased by the expansion of urban significant role played by financial markets in the agri-food
settlements (Matuschke & Kohler, 2014). It displays sector (Clapp, J. 2012). The financialisaton process affected
that the agriculturally productive land should be limited food systems in recent decades and financial actors, markets
and motivations play a more significant role in society, and in
up to less attractive locations (Matuschke, 2009). In all sectors of the economy (Epstein, 2005). Food is being used
developing countries, urban growth and the growing as a commodity in international markets by speculators. The
number of megacities indicate that more food is sole purpose of these speculators is only to earn profits. They
available to the people who live in an environment that have no direct interest in the foodstuffs, and they only used
has traditionally been supposed as inappropriate for them as a source of income. Speculation is a valuable tool
agriculture (Szabo, S. 2016). Finally, it should be which is used for food price volatility. The result of these
emphasized that the future outlook in relations between price hikes has been seen in the international food markets in
urbanisation and food security is mixed. The global 2007-08, 2010 and 2012, which show that how sudden price
merging patterns in production and urbanisation and shocks can generate severe and prolonged food crises. As
many organisations assure that food is a human right and food
economic and human development provide opinions for cannot be used as a commodity for exploit. In November
an optimistic outlook in terms of sustainable urban 2014, Pope Francis said that it is painful to see “the struggle
development and the fight against hunger and under- against hunger and malnutrition hindered by market priorities,
nutrition (Szabo, 2016). the primacy of profit, which reduce foodstuffs to a commodity
like any other, subject to speculation and financial speculation
Climate change in particular" (What causes food insecurity? 2015).
It leaves a deep impression on food security in
different ways. It affects the crops, livestock, forestry,
fisheries, and aquaculture. Thus, climate change

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Knowledge and Information Systems people may be manifest the feelings of alienation,
Food production and rural development in stress, and anxiety, and they may experience reduced
those countries which have food insecurity require productivity, decrease in work participation and school
suitable and up-to-date technologies which are very performance, and reduced income level. The household
helpful in the transfer of technology for sustainable dynamics may also be disturbed due to the
development, local food traditions and promote preoccupation with obtaining food, which may lead to
modernization of local production methods. To get anger, pessimism, and irritation among other vices.
advantage from these technologies will need proper
training, education and development skills for local Poverty and Hunger
human resources (Rome Declaration, 1996). Poverty and food insecurity have a very close
Knowledge and Information Systems are significant relationship. This view strongly stressed that food
things to understand agriculture-related knowledge, insecurity is a direct result of poverty. When you are
safety net policies, environment, health and education, hungry, you cannot do anything. As a result, you will
administration, marketing, and even political continue to be poor and hungry. Hunger, poverty and
information. Knowledge improvement services, early disease are interlinked, with the contribution of hunger,
warning systems and management information systems the disease is generated. Hunger reduces the immunity
support all other efforts to address food security. against most diseases, and make prone to the illness.
Information systems are used exclusively to collect the Poor people often cannot produce or purchase enough
performance of data that are related to crop production food to eat and so are more vulnerable to disease.
areas by using remote sensing and field data-gathering
networks to provide early warning of emerging food Malnutrition
insecurity situations (FAO, 2000). Knowledge and Poor access to food and chiefly healthy food
information system plays a vital role to strengthen food contributes to malnutrition in both aspects,
security. Hence FAO, WFP and IFPRI took a global undernutrition as well as overweight and obesity.
initiative and made the Food Security Information Malnutrition increases the risk of low birth weight,
Network (FSIN) strengthen food and nutrition security childhood stunting, and anaemia in women of
information systems for making reliable and accurate reproductive age, etc. Food insecurity can affect the
data to guide analysis and decision-making. child stunting, wasting and micronutrient deficiencies
by negatively affecting the sufficiency of food
Effects of Food Insecurity consumption. A diet considered as insufficient intake of
The global food crises imperil the lives of vitamins, protein, calories, and minerals will also
millions of people in the most vulnerable communities, obstruct foetal, infant and child growth and
particularly in the countries where poverty, malnutrition development (World Health Organization 2018).
and death from hunger are upswings day by day. The
combined effect of rising food prices and lack of health Depression
care could be catastrophic for the poor. The countries, Food insecure people are very much prone to
like India, experiencing constant food shortages and mental health problems. Poverty and mental health
distribution problems leading to chronic and often problems have a great linkage, basically emotional and
widespread hunger amongst significant numbers of psychological disorders (Griffin et al., 2002). The study
people. It effected on the social as well as economic presents three principal findings. First, after controlling
well-being such as education, health, living of standard, for conventional socioeconomic and socio-demographic
behavioural challenges, etc. in the society. Therefore, variables, food insufficiency increases the risk of
food insecurity enables malnutrition and leaves children depression and predicts this risk better than measures of
weak, vulnerable, and less able to fight common low income, the primary source of income, and
childhood diseases like diarrhoea, acute respiratory education. Second, the negative effect of food
infections, malaria, and measles etc. Adolescents and insufficiency is not attributable to social resources
adults also grieve adverse effects of food insecurity. disparities, even though these resources significantly
Food insecurity can lead to low levels of energy, growth reduce the size of the impact. Generally, we have seen
failure, delay in maturation, impaired cognitive ability, that the problem of depression through food
reduced capacity to learn, less ability to resist from insufficiency is stronger in women than men, but this
infections and illnesses, reduced life expectancy, study shows that single fathers face more depression
growth in maternal mortality, and low birth weight. than any other groups, including single mothers from
Moreover, it may also result to political instability in the food insufficient households (Wu & Schimmele,
the food insecure region because as food-insecure, 2005).

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Fig. A conceptual framework for understanding the welfare effects of food crises
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2006.

Achieving food security in its totality The fast disappearance of the easy option of expansion
continues to be a challenge not only for the developing of the cropped area to achieve supply expansion (c) The
nations but also for the developed world (Oxfam, 2002). increasing emergence of the food security problem as a
The difference lies in the magnitude of the problem in problem of the urban poor in low-income countries”
terms of its severity and proportion of the population (Braun, 1990).
affected. In developed nations, the problem is alleviated
by providing targeted food security interventions, Possible Solutions
including food aid in the form of direct food relief, food About 800 million people on the globe do not
stamps, or indirectly through subsidised food get adequate food to eat, while about 1.5 billion people
production (IFPRI, 2006). These efforts have are overweight. The world population is increasing and
significantly reduced food insecurity in these regions. expands an additional 2 billion people by 2050. Climate
Similar approaches are employed in developing change modifies traditional agricultural areas, scientists
countries but with less success (Mwaniki, 2003). Three and policymakers are competing to figure out how to
other significant issues are emerging from the risk address both problems. These food insecurity problems
problems of food insecurity which must be a concern. are not caused only by government regulations or
“(a) The risk of temporary global food shortages (b) traditional farming practices.

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However, the other important factors are faster, cheaper, and in a lighter way. If you use SMS or
responsible for this like climate change, population voice call, you don‟t have 10-page questionnaires. You
growth and unsustainable use of resources are gradually can throw out some simple questions, over time, and
increasing pressure on the population and world see the responses you get. There are many UN „no-go
governments to alter the way food is produced, zones.‟ So, there were instances where we flew in by
distributed and consumed in the whole world (Harmon, helicopter and had two hours to figure out what is going
2012). on with 100,000 people” (Husain, A., 2015). At
present, WFP uses a new method of Vulnerability
Policy Framework Assessment and Mapping to conducts food security
There should be good policies to combat the food analyses of vulnerable populations. This monitoring
insecurity either the government or private. A report method of food security now allows WFP to gather
was published by published West et al., (2014) in which real-time data in order to properly recognize and
they define leverage points to provide a sufficient evaluate the situation in distant areas that were
number of calories to nourish 3 billion people. previously inaccessible (Reddy, A., 2017). The use of
 Close the yield gap: World Wildlife Fund technologies and mobile phone could also use to reduce
estimated that up to 2050, around 120 million the problems faced by the extension of the traditional
hectares of natural habitat would be converted into service in developing countries. First, poor
farming in developing countries. In many regions infrastructure is responsible for access problems in
of the world, agricultural land is producing only 50 remote areas. Second, traditional “extension programs”
per cent of its productive capacity. If this gap is in which specialist provide one-way information to the
closed, then the yield could feed around 850 farmers in remote areas, but in those areas, the feedback
million people. process is absent (Torero, 2014).
 Use fertilizer more efficiently: According to
West, the use of fertilizers on wheat, rice and maize Fairtrade
crops could be reduced up to 13-29 per cent and the The global competition, unfortunately, creates
production is still the same. unfair trade between the underdeveloped, developing,
 Raise low water productivity: The irrigation and developed countries. As a result, food prices are
system should be improved and grow those crops increasing rapidly and also the poverty level. There is
which use less water can challenge this problem. an irony, those countries which are more engaged in
However, this change is not merely because agricultural products come under the underdeveloped
farmers grow crops on market values. So, we can and developing countries to become even weaker.
change this to providing economic incentives, and Phillips (2000) told that about sixty per cent of the total
these changes should be on regional differences population of the third world countries is engaged in
and cultural differences. food production. Therefore, it is necessary for
 Target food for direct consumption: West and his development to ensure food commodities prices in the
colleagues considered that if the crops which were international market. There should be a review of the
used for animal feeding were applied directly to WTO and international trade agreements although
feed the people, then they can provide enough WTO fabricates to ease in global trade obstacle
calories for 4 billion people. Because when the specifically under developing and developing countries.
crops are converted into animal food and other Despite that, it has not been matched his objective
non-food uses, then it lost many of its calories. under the influence of developed countries which work
 Reduce food waste: At the world level, 30-50 per as to impart basis inputs influence over decision
cent of food is wasted due to the lack of storage making.
facilities and ineffective preparation. The world
population will reach around 9.6 billion by 2050,
and the main challenge for the government is to
CONCLUSION
feed the people. Then according to the UN, it is not In this paper, we have examined the concept, causes,
necessary to produce more food, only to stop effects and solutions to food insecurity. The problem of
wasting the food which we already have (Verchot, food insecurity is most common in the world it must be
2014). seen as a security threat to the country and also to the
entire world. If the problem is confronted with all
Information and Communication Technologies seriousness by executing the recommendations of
(ICT) various policymakers and the other type of measures
At present, when people are more connected to which are ready to end food insecurity, then the nations
the other world, and the world shrinks like a single will be self-sufficient in terms of food security. The
country. The use of smartphones is more common in current situation of the hunger is worsening, evidence
every state, and it is used in different fields to sort out shows that the number of hungry people in the world is
the problems related to agriculture, health, education rising, reaching 821 million in 2017 which means one
and rural livelihood projects in Asia. “We were curious: in every nine people is hungry and around 150 million
if we used mobile technology, could we get information children are stunted (WHO 2018). India rank 103 rd out
of 119 in qualifying countries.
111
Nafees Ahmad, et al., IAR J Huma Soc Sci; Vol-2, Iss- 1 (Jan-Feb, 2021): 105-113

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