Despite adequate food production globally, poverty and inequality restrict many people’s access to healthy food. Credit: FAO, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020, CC BY
Climate change related floods, fires and extreme weather, combined with armed conflict and a worldwide pandemic have magnified this crisis by affecting the right to food.
Many assume world hunger is due to "too many people, not enough food." This trope has persisted since the 18th century when economist Thomas Malthus postulated that the human population would eventually exceed the planet's carrying capacity. This belief moves us away from addressing the root causes of hunger and malnutrition.
In fact, inequity and armed conflict play a larger role. The world's hungry are disproportionately located in Africa and Asia, in conflict-ridden zones.
As a researcher who has been working on food systems since 1991, I believe that addressing root causes is the only way to tackle hunger and malnutrition. For this, we need more equitable distribution of land, water and income, as well as investments in sustainable diets and peace-building.
But how will we feed the world?
The world produces enough food to provide every man, woman and child with more than 2,300 kilocalories per day, which is more than sufficient. However, poverty and inequality—structured by class, gender, race and the impact of colonialism—have resulted in an unequal access to the Earth's bounty.
A recent study showed that overconsumption of highly processed foods—soft drinks, snacks, breakfast cereals, packaged soups and confectionery items—can lead to negative environmental and health impacts, such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disorders.
Steering the world away from highly processed foods will also lessen their negative impacts on land, water and reduce energy consumption.
Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen's study of the Great Bengal Famine of 1943 challenged Malthus by demonstrating that millions died of hunger because they didn't have the money to buy food, not due to food shortages.
In 1970, Danish economist Ester Boserup also questioned Malthus's assumptions. She argued that rising incomes, women's equality and urbanization would ultimately stem the tide of population growth, with the birthrate, even in poor countries, dropping to at or below replacement levels.
Food—like water—is an entitlement, and public policy should stem from this. Unfortunately, land and income remain highly unevenly distributed, resulting in food insecurity, even in wealthy countries. While land redistribution is notoriously difficult, some land reform initiatives—like the one in Madagascar —have been successful.
Land reform initiatives in Madagascar have helped further plans to redistribute land and reduce food insecurity. Credit: Shutterstock
To address food insecurity, we must invest in diplomacy by co-ordinating humanitarian, development and peacekeeping activities to avoid and curtail armed conflicts. Poverty reduction is part of peace building as rampant inequalities serve as tinderboxes for aggression.
Protecting our ability to produce food
Climate change and poor environmental management have put collective food production assets including soil, water and pollinators in peril.
Several studies over the past 30 years have warned that soil and water contamination from high concentrations of toxins such as pesticides, dwindling biodiversity and disappearing pollinators could further affect the quality and quantity of food production.
Reducing food loss and waste will help reduce environmental impacts of the food system, as will transitioning to healthier, sustainably produced diets.
Food, health and environmental sustainability
Food is an entitlement and should be viewed as such, not framed as an issue of population growth or inadequate food production. Poverty and systemic inequalities are the root causes of food insecurity as is armed conflict. Keeping this idea central in discussions about feeding the world is essential.
We need more initiatives that enable equitable distribution of land, water and income globally.
We need policies that address food insecurity through initiatives like rights-based food sovereignty systems.
In areas affected by conflict and war, we need policies that invest in diplomacy by co-ordinating humanitarian, development and peacekeeping activities.
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'Too many people, not enough food' isn't the cause of hunger and food insecurity (2022, April 12)
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