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Availability, Access, and Utilization
Food security is said to be a combination of three things – food availability, food access, and food utilization. Food security is the status where food availability is consistent, food access is stable, and the kinds of food that people consume have high nutritional value. Simply put, food security involves people’s steady access to sufficient and healthy food.
The concept of food security originated during the mid-1970s when the world began to suffer a major food crisis. The focus of the problem was the instability of food supply that led to malnutrition and famine. To address the issue, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and several countries around the world worked hand in hand which led to the World Food Conference of 1974. During this said event, food security was defined as “availability at all times of adequate world food supplies of basic foodstuffs to sustain a steady expansion of food consumption and to offset fluctuations in production and prices.”
In 2010, food security was redefined. According to the FAO, “Food security is a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”
To this day, experts say that the world still struggles to achieve food security. A significant portion of the human population stills suffers from water scarcity and malnutrition. Pressing world problems such as climate change, desertification, poverty, overpopulation, political and economic instabilities, and depletion of natural resources also hinder mankind from achieving food security.
Experts add that it may be a difficult plight, but achieving food security is not impossible. According to the FAO, the field of agriculture is vital to achieving food security. The group said that if national governments focus on improving their country’s agricultural sectors, jobs and food sources for the poor and hungry will be generated. FAO also emphasized on the need to improve rural markets and infrastructure to help uplift the quality of life of people living in those areas. The government can also promote agriculture by providing seeds, fertilizers
, and other farming needs of those who cannot afford them. The FAO stated that "approaches should be human rights-based, target the poor, promote gender equality, enhance long-term resilience, and allow sustainable graduation out of poverty."
Food is one of the most essential needs of humans to survive, making food security very important. It should be among every person’s will to fight against the inadequacy, unavailability, and low quality of food.
1. Define food availability, food access, and food utilization.
2. Why is food security difficult to achieve?
3. How can improving agriculture help achieve food security?
access 접근
utilization 이용
consistent 일관된
crisis 위기
malnutrition 영양실조
foodstuffs 식품류
offset 상쇄하다
fluctuation 변동
scarcity 부족
pressing 긴급한
depletion 고갈
plight 역경
fertilizer 비료
resilience 회복력
