The world produces more than enough food for every person. Modern information systems can identify where food is needed and transport systems can move food to these places. Despite this, the number of undernourished people in developing countries increased by 18 million between 1995 and 2002.

Halving global under nourishment, the first Millennium Development Goal, is achievable if high levels of investment in achieving food security continue, along with policy commitments to achieve this. Progress is already being made; over 30 developing countries have reduced under nourishment by 25 percent.

However, 33 percent of the population are still under nourished in sub-Saharan Africa. Whilst there has been significant progress in global food production, there has been insufficient progress in coordinating access to food. Limited access to available food causes under nourishment, not a lack of available food.

Research from the Food and Agriculture Organization argues that governments must learn from previous policy successes and failures to achieve food security. Key findings illustrate:

• A commitment to investing in agriculture is critical for enhancing food security and reducing poverty, for example funding locally specific technology. However, current investment in agriculture does not reflect the importance of this sector.
• Trade can increase access to food, but opening domestic markets to international competition can threaten food security, if there is not a developed infrastructure in place.
• Previous development assistance, such as debt relief, does not effectively target or benefit the neediest countries.
• Conflict and civil unrest reduces food production. Policies should prioritise action to address the factors that cause both food insecurity and conflict, such as access to resources.

Policies should reflect the emerging global, regional and national trends in food access and production. These include rapid urbanisation in developing countries; the increasing integration of global food markets through trade; the deterioration of natural resources; the rising costs of acquiring and using technology for development. To respond to these trends, the researchers recommend that policymakers:

• focus on areas where a high proportion of people suffer from under nutrition and high levels of poverty
• develop a ‘twin track’ approach that combines direct interventions to tackle hunger with longer term programmes to increase agricultural productivity
• improve the productivity of smallholder agriculture through the provision of appropriate technology and infrastructural and institutional reforms that reduce the costs of market participation
• make the best use of official development assistance – aid should reflect the priorities of recipients, and there must be greater coordination amongst donors
• combine poverty reduction strategies with the provision of global public goods – for example, funding farmers who maintain agricultural biodiversity and follow practices reducing carbon emissions.

Source(s):
‘Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger: Towards a Coherent Policy Agenda’ ESA Working Paper No. 06-01, by Prabhu Pingali, Kostas Stamoulis and Randy Stringer, January 2006 Full document.