ACHIEVINGWORLD FOOD SECURITY:

Why we continually fail andwhat it means for national security

ACHIEVINGWORLD FOOD SECURITY:

“People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.”

-- Bill Clinton

ACHIEVINGWORLD FOOD SECURITY:

Definition, dimensions and elements of food security Global commitments and performance The good and the bad Lessons learned The way forward Significance for national security The case of terrorism What can be done about it

DEFINITIONS OF FOOD SECURITY

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life

World Food Summit Plan of Action, November 1996

DIMENSIONS OF WORLD FOOD SECURITY

842 million people in the world do not have enough to eat.

The vast majority of hungry people (827 million) live in developing countries, where 14.3 percent of the population is undernourished.

Asia has the largest number of hungry people (over 500 million) but Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence (24.8 percent of population)

Poor nutrition causes nearly half (45%) of deaths in children under five -- 3.1 million children each year. 

State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO, 2013

ELEMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY

Enabling Environment

Political, social, legal and economic environment that is conducive to achieving food security

ELEMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY Availability

Sufficient quantities of nutritious food as a result of food, agriculture, fisheries, forestry and rural development policies and practices sustained over time at individual, household, national, regional and global levels.

ELEMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY

Access

Physical and economic access by all, at all times, to sufficient, nutritionally adequate and safe food.

ELEMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY Utilization

Food is properly used; proper food processing and storage techniques are employed; adequate knowledge of nutrition and child care techniques exists and is applied; and adequate health and sanitation services exist.

ELEMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY Trade

Food and agricultural trade and overall trade policies are in place conducive to fostering food security for all through a fair and market-oriented world trade system.

ELEMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY Investment

Promote optimal allocation and use of public and private investments to foster human resources, sustainable food, agriculture, fisheries and forestry systems, and rural development, in high and low potential areas.

ELEMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY Resilience

The ability of people, households, communities, countries and systems to mitigate, adapt to and recover from shocks and stresses, including climate change, in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability.

ELEMENTS OF FOOD SECURITY Safety Net

Prevent and be prepared for natural disasters and man-made emergencies and meet transitory and emergency food requirements in ways that encourage recovery, rehabilitation, development and a capacity to satisfy future needs.

GLOBAL COMMITMENTS

World Food Conference, 1974

U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger made the declaration that within 10 years no child would go to bed hungry.

GLOBAL COMMITMENTS

World Summit on Food Security, 1996

Reduction of undernourished people by half no later than 2015.

GLOBAL PERFORMANCE

19701975198019851990199520002005201020150

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000Millions Undernourished

World Food Conference

World Food Summit

WFS Target

Source: FAO

THE TEN WORST COUNTRIES

CountryPopulation(millions)

Percent Undernourished Causes of Undernourishment

1 Burundi: 9.8 73 Overpopulation, soil erosion, climate change, high food prices, ongoing civil war

2 Eritrea 6.3 65 Most productive land unused largely because of the displacement of nearly 1 million Eritreans during the 1998-2000 Eritrean--Ethiopian war, which left the country with a lack of skilled agricultural workers; widespread presence of land mines

3 Comoros .8.0 70 Around half of the population lives below the poverty line. Low educational level and poor economic infrastructure 

4 Timor-Leste

1.2 38 Decades-long struggle for independence; human capital shortage, infrastructure weakness; incomplete legal system; inefficient regulatory environment.

5 Sudan 35.5 25 Rampant ethnic strife; plagued by internal conflicts including two civil wars and the war in the Darfur region; extreme climate conditions 

THE TEN WORST COUNTRIES (Continued)

CountryPopulation(millions)

Percent Undernourished Causes of Undernourishment

6 Chad 11.4 33 Numerous conflicts; political and economic instability; subject to spill-over effects from crises in neighboring Sudan and the Central African Republic; erratic rains; cyclical droughts; locust infestations; poor farming practices

7 Yemen 26.0 32 Large-scale displacement; civil conflict, political instability; high food prices; endemic poverty; influxes of refugee and migrants.

8 Ethiopia 96.9

40 2011 drought; refugees from Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan.

9 Madagascar 13.6 34 Prone to natural disasters such as cyclones, flooding and drought, locust plague, deforestation; poor land management

10 Zambia 14.6 47 High dependence on rain-fed agriculture; absence of market incentives to encourage a fundamental shift from subsistence farming.

COMMON THEMES

Worst cases: Most suffer from civil disorder Absence of enabling environment Large displaced populations Widespread poverty Poor or underutilized natural

resources Some particularly prone to natural

disasters

SOMEWHAT HAPPIER STORIES

CountryPopulation(millions)

Percent Undernourished Causes of Undernourishment

1 Bangladesh 166.2 15 Commitment of successive governments to poverty alleviation has resulted in considerable progress; ever-increasing population density, climate change, scarce natural resources (with nearly no agricultural land left untilled); vulnerability to price shocks and persistent poverty.

Market reforms, favourable terms of trade (higher gold 2 Ghana 25.7 5 and cocoa prices) and a good investment climate; Despite

rapid progress in reducing poverty and hunger, Ghana has made less progress in reducing undernutrition

3 Nepal 30.9 16 Policies have been in place to promote agricultural research, technology adoption and infrastructure development, although undernutrition is still widespread.

4 Nicaragua 5.8 22 Down from 55% since the early 1990s; economic and political stability experienced after several years of political and economic turmoil in the 1980s and succession of costly natural disasters. Well-targeted policies; diversified food production; increased access to new international markets through participation in the CAFTA

COMMON THEMES

Better cases: Improved governance Period of relative stability Increased investment in agriculture

WHY WE CONTINUALLY FAIL

Unrealistic targets assure failure.

The causes of food insecurity are multifaceted, requiring a concerted effort on several levels simultaneously.

Absence of long-term commitment to mainstreaming food security and nutrition in public policies and programs.

Assisting countries that lack the stability and political will to achieve food security is unproductive.

THE WAY FORWARD

To work with countries that: Are truly committed politically to reducing

hunger. Have or are willing to develop a

comprehensive, multifaceted plan to achieve food security.

To protect against natural and man-made disasters a safety net will always be needed, comprised of: Emergency preparedness planning; Reserve food supplies; Supplementary feeding programs.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR NATIONAL SECURITYThe lessons of history

Food assistance following World War II bolstered alliances in Europe and Asia

Food for Peace program begun in 1954 has strengthened relations globally

Food price riots in 34 countries in 2007-9 led to instability and, in some cases, government collapse

Multi-year drought destroying vast agricultural lands in Syria an underlying cause of the current civil unrest

WHAT IT MEANS FOR NATIONAL SECURITYThe lessons of history

Former President George Bush, 2001:

A world where some live in comfort and plenty while half of the human race lives on less than $2 a day is neither just nor stable.

Former President Lula da Silva of Brazil, 2006:

Where there is hunger there is no hope…. Hunger nurtures violence and fanaticism. A world where people starve will never be safe

LTC (R) Brent C. Bankus, U.S. Army War College, 2009:

The U.S. military should work with host nations’ security forces and government agencies in building capacity to deal with contingencies such as food and energy insecurity.

President Barack Obama, 2012:

Reducing malnutrition and hunger around the world advances international peace and security—and that includes the national security of the United States.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR NATIONAL SECURITYFood security in today’s world

John Kikandi was enlisted by an armed group in the Congo at the age of 15; he became a child soldier. He quickly realized that, whatever his masters might say about their political goals, they were really fighting for food - nothing else.

“We fought for food”

WHAT IT MEANS FOR NATIONAL SECURITYThe case of terrorism

Terrorists are generally not poor Al Qaeda, Al Shabab, Hamas, Hezbollah and

ISIS are not rooted in poverty and hunger But they receive their justification and

support from widespread human misery and hopelessness; they thrive in failed states Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia

Food security is a necessary but not sufficient condition to address terrorism

WHAT IT MEANS FOR NATIONAL SECURITYFood security in today’s world

U.S. Intelligence Community 2014 Worldwide Threat Assessment

“The lack of adequate food will be a destabilizing factor in countries important to United States national security that do not have the financial or technical abilities to solve their internal food security problems…. Lack of food and nutrition in nations with weak governments might embolden insurgent groups to exploit conditions and undermine and destabilize regions.”

WHAT IT MEANS FOR NATIONAL SECURITYWhat can be done

Make food security an integral part of foreign policy discussion

Make food security an integral part of bilateral dialogs

Support the U.S. foreign aid budget with emphasis on food security programs

Thank you