Despite over a decade of progress, the prevalence of chronic global hunger and undernourishment is increasing. Climate change, increasing climate-related shocks, migration, economic issues, and growing conflict have all had an impact on food and nutrition security. Deteriorating food and nutrition security has a severe impact on people’s health and socio-economic situations, but it also has the ability to destabilise states, politically and economically.
Food and nutrition security is about more than having physical access to food. Food and nutrition security exists when all people, at all times, have reliable access to affordable, nutritious food. Food and nutrition security is a multi-faced issue that requires a multi-faceted response. Climate change, conflict, migration and food spoilage all heavily affect people’s access to food and nutrition.
Climate change is a particularly crucial factor exacerbating global chronic hunger as climate-related shocks such as droughts, as well as long-term changing climatic conditions, have had a major impact on agriculture; a primary source of food and livelihoods for the worlds poorest. Increasing global conflict has also increased the numbers of people without secure access to food. A rise in migration from developing countries has led to large numbers of people moving to areas that are struggling to sustain food distribution, particularly urban zones. The lack of technology in the storage and preservation, as well as the lack of access to appropriate markets, has led to avoidable food-waste and spoilage. These issues intersect with, and compound each other.
The right to food is a crucial element in the fight against poverty and injustice, securing this right goes beyond just providing physical access to food. Providing food and nutrition security involves improving gender equality, social protection, knowledge and technology transfers, promoting climate resilient agriculture approaches, improving credit access for the poorest, promoting local markets and value chains that provide the best returns for the producer, as well as supplying investment and business knowledge.
Dóchas Resources
- Dóchas Livelihoods, Food and Nutrition Security Working Group Submission to the Public Consultation on Ireland's New International Development Policy (2018)
- Dóchas Livelihoods Food and Nutrition Security Working Group 'Models of Agricultural Investment' (2012)
- Dóchas 'Eliminating Global Hunger: Towards a Strategic Irish Response' (2010)
- Dóchas 'NGOs welcome Irish Aid focus on world hunger crisis' (2009)
- Dóchas 'The New Green Revolution for Africa: Threats and Opportunities for Small Farmers' (2008)
- Dóchas Forum webpage 'The New Green Revolution for Africa: Threats and Opportunities for Small Farmers' (2008)
- Dóchas 'Hunger Task Force presents findings to Taoiseach' (2008)
- Dóchas 'Hunger: The Face of Poverty' (2008)
- Dóchas Letter re: Hunger Task Force (2007)
Government and Multilateral Publications
- FAO 'The State of Food and Agriculture: Leveraging Food Systems for Inclusive Rural Transformation (2017)
- UNDP 'Building Climate Resilient Food Systems' (2017)
- European Commission 'The Common Agricultural Policy in Ireland' (2016)
- European Commission 'The EU's Common Agricultural Policy' (2015)
- Ireland Report under EU Food and Nutrition Security Implementation Plan (2014)
- Irish Aid 'Hunger, Nutrition, Climate Justice Conference Report' (2013)
- FAO 'Food Security Communications Toolkit' (2011)
- FAO 'The State of Food and Agriculture: Women in Agriculture - Closing the gender gap for development' (2011)
- Hunger Task Force Report to Irish Government (2008)
External Resources
- Grain and La Via Campesina 'Seed laws that criminalise farmers: resistance and fightback' (2015)
- Climate-Smart Agriculture for Food Security (2014)