Defining food security has gone through a series of stages. At present, it is generally broken down into five elements: Availability, affordability, access, destination of use and stability.

Nutrition security goes beyond the concept of food security by emphasizing not only by the availability of food but its nutritional content and ability to promote health and well-being. It ensures that people have access to a sufficient quantity and quality of nutritious food that enable humans to live a healthy life. In ensuring global health and human development we must ensure that people have access to diverse, nutrient-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains.

Well. Food is central to human condition for a variety of reasons including physiological and health requirements. Agriculture, by mastering food production, marked what is commonly known as the beginning of “civilization” and largely attached humans to their habitat.

For over a century, humans have steadily mastered their knowledge and power over means of production, science, health and safety, industry and technology.

To this day, however, poverty and hunger remain a sad reality, a prevailing feature of the planetary landscape both in developing and to a lesser extent significant pockets in several OECD countries, and the evidence of human collective failure in tackling the MOST basic human right, THE RIGHT TO FOOD.

There appears to be no end in sight to the prevailing hunger affecting over 800 million humans according to FAO. Why such hunger at such magnitude and so chronically?

It is misleading when the most common justification advanced for food insecurity is demographic. Growing world population is so often suggested as the reason for food insecurity.

The truth is that the reasons for food insecurity are historic, financial and structural in nature. Indeed, the way food systems are articulated, policy options adopted be in farming, crop selection, stapling, cattle management, trading, funding, training, all explain the prevailing food insecurity especially in low-income countries.

Food insecurity stems from a combination of factors, including poverty, climate change, conflict, and economic instability. Poverty limits access to sufficient and nutritious food, while climate change disrupts food production through erratic weather patterns, droughts, and floods. Conflict and political instability displace communities – forcing farmers to become soldiers – and destroying infrastructure and farmland, further reducing access to food and long-term agriculture productivity. Economic challenges, such as inflation, unemployment, and rising food prices also strain households’ ability to afford nutritious meals.

Furthermore, lack of capacity due to lack of proper education, training, and lack of resources for sustainable farming practices is a major hurdle to food insecurity.

Indexing food security serves the purpose of offering a tool to assess, compare and understand the food security topic in a consistent and somehow harmonized approach. Such index often offers the basis to form opinions, design or evaluate strategies, policies across regions or countries. In the hands of institutions, national aid agencies, donors, such measure becomes an objective base to grant and condition loans or extend financial aids.

The international developmental scene is populated with a series of food security indices. The most prominent one is the Global Food Security Index (GFSI).

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is an agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve food security. Founded in 1945, the FAO works to ensure that people have regular access to sufficient high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. Its key activities include promoting sustainable agriculture, improving food production, enhancing nutrition, and advocating for responsible use of natural resources. The FAO also helps countries develop policies, share knowledge, and implement strategies to achieve global food security and alleviate poverty, especially in rural areas.

The World Food Program (WFP) is the food assistance branch of the United Nations and the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security. Established in 1961, the WFP provides emergency food aid to communities affected by crises, such as natural disasters, conflicts, and economic instability. It also supports long-term development projects aimed at improving nutrition, building resilience, and enhancing food systems. The WFP works globally to ensure that vulnerable populations receive the food they need to survive and thrive, and it collaborates with governments, NGOs, and other partners to create sustainable solutions to hunger.

Various organizations and agencies work globally to combat hunger and food insecurity. Key players include the World Food Program (WFP), which provides emergency food assistance and supports long-term recovery efforts in crisis-affected areas, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which focuses on improving agricultural practices and food systems.

Governments, international partnerships, and research institutions also play crucial roles in addressing these issues through coordinated efforts, global agendas and policy frameworks.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Action Against Hunger, World Central Kitchen, Caritas, Oxfam, among others, play a key-role in the contribution to Food and Nutrition Insecurity by delivering aid, advocating for policy changes, and implementing development projects.

Regardless of where the NGO’s are formed, i e in countries suffering from food insecurity or in OECD countries, as part of civil society, they often play a crucial role in increasing awareness on the imperative need to fight for nutrition and food security, in generally alleviating hunger and consolidating capacity and knowledge transfer.

There are three types of activities.

The first category is centered around Policy. These entities advocate for increased food assistance in areas most affected by hunger especially in remote conflict zones or for the benefit of populations victims of extreme natural hazards.

The second category is formed by NGO’s active in promoting agri entrepreneurship activities in specific environments. For instance promoting small scale farmers, placing special emphasis on female rural workers or fighting against child labor.

The third category of NGO’s centers its activities on soft support such as education, training and vocational activities. This segment is based on a long term vision focused on human development and on knowledge sharing.

We believe in a strong civil society, your role and your voice count!

By understanding the root causes of food insecurity, you can share your knowledge with your family, friends and beyond, helping to create a ripple effect of positive change.

Together, we can educate the future generations and work for a more food secure world, one person at a time.

Education plays a vital role in enhancing food security by equipping individuals and communities with the knowledge and skills needed to grow, prepare, and access nutritious food. Educated farmers can adopt agricultural techniques that enhance productivity at the same time as protecting natural resources, biodiversity, and sustainability. Nutrition education raises awareness of the critical role food plays in health as well how crop and food choices impact the well-being and prosperity of families.

Additionally, education empowers women, improves economic opportunities, and fosters innovation in food systems. By raising awareness and fostering resilience, education ensures communities are better prepared to combat food insecurity and adapt to challenges such as climate change.

Climate change impacts food security by reducing food availability through affecting crop yields, livestock productivity, and fish stocks due to rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and increased extreme weather events. It affects food access by driving up food prices and disrupting supply chains, making it harder for vulnerable populations to afford and access nutritious food. Furthermore, climate change threatens food stability by causing more frequent natural disasters, disrupting agricultural seasons, and contributing to displacement, migration, and conflict over scarce resources, all of which exacerbate food insecurity.

In many African countries, traditional agricultural methods, such as low-input farming, limited use of irrigation, and reliance on rain-fed agriculture, make the continent’s food systems highly vulnerable to climate change, leading to cycles of land degradation and reduced productivity. Furthermore, inefficient food supply chains and post-harvest losses exacerbate these impacts, as wasted food contributes to emissions when it decomposes. Together, these factors make agriculture in Africa both a significant contributor to climate change and highly susceptible to its effects, highlighting the need for sustainable agricultural practices and improved food systems that can reduce emissions and enhance resilience.

If you want to learn more, we recommend you to visit The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. https://www.ipcc.ch

Local food system practices and agriculture in Africa are both shaped by and contribute to the challenges of climate change. Agricultural Expansion is the primary cause of deforestation in Africa. Subsistence farming, which relies on “slash-and-burn” techniques, and large-scale commercial agriculture (such as plantations for crops like palm oil, cocoa, and rubber) require extensive land, leading to significant forest loss. Deforestation releases stored carbon and reducing the landscape’s capacity to sequester CO₂.

Further on, small-scale farmers often rely on diesel-powered pumps for irrigation and generators for electricity due to limited access to renewable energy, resulting in significant greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, household cooking practices, which predominantly use wood, charcoal, or crop residues, are a major source of black carbon and CO₂, contributing to both local air pollution and global warming. These practices, while vital for local livelihoods, collectively intensify the effects of climate change. To address these challenges, it is essential to promote sustainable practices and technologies that reduce emissions, such as improved cooking stoves, renewable energy for irrigation, and conservation agriculture, thereby enhancing both food security and climate resilience across the continent.

If you want to learn more, we recommend you to visit The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. https://www.ipcc.ch 

Yes, food security is a question of national security. The capability or inability of a nation to feed itself directly impacts political stability, economic status, public health, and military actions. When populations lack reliable access to sufficient and nutritious food, it can lead to social unrest and political instability, as seen in several historical events. Economic instability often follows, with reduced productivity and increased healthcare costs weakening a nation’s global standing.

Import dependency creates a strategical vulnerability of Nations to global supply chain disruptions and external pressures. At the same time climate change and resource conflicts further exacerbate these risks.