Food Security: Emergency Across the Globe

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People and food’s rising movement across various borders have changed patterns in food production and consumption. There is an increase in the production and/or consumption of food in places where these were not present before. Use of food is now consumed in a different manner. Food that might be cooked before eating in the place where it is grown might be transported across the globe and consumed raw. The food trade expansion has resulted in an increase in the availability of food globally. However, this has also raised concerns about food safety. Member states of FAO request that food safety events be handled properly.

Food safety is a significant factor of food security. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, emphasized the significance of food security in his speech to the World Summit on Food Security in November 2009. He said that one child dies every five seconds. This would be around 6 million children a year. Even with the world having enough food, more than one billion people are still hungry. Populations can be forced to eat unsafe or contaminated food because of food scarcity. A country that already has food scarcity that is subjected to a food safety scare can face severe disruption in the food supply. The use of fertilizers, veterinary medicines, and pesticides to increase food production still exposes potential risks. Thus, a system must be developed in preventing food safety threats.

Actions Taken By Countries to Combat Food Security Issues

FAO-Hungary Scholarships

Applications are now open for the FAO-Hungary scholarships. The Regional Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said that students in countries in the Near East and North Africa are qualified to apply for agriculture-related studies at Szent Istvan University.  Rural development and agribusiness, horticulture, and agricultural water management are some of the courses covered.

UAE Food Bank Initiative

UAE just recently institutionalized the fight against hunger and food waste through the UAE Food Bank Initiative. This was initiated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai.

FAO Representative to UAE Mr. Nabil Gangi said that this program characterizes the UAE communities. It also reflects the vision of the father of the country, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Sheikh Mohammed’s initiative is to obtain zero food waste. This is probably the first in the world.

UAE also has a Dubai Zero Waste (DOW) program and FAO plans to incorporate UAE’s best practices among its ““Technical Platform on the Measurement and Reduction of Food Losses and Wastes.”

Iraq’s Cash-for-Work Programme

FAO is currently restoring the water supply to Ninewa Plains. The north Al Jazeera irrigation scheme is to clean the main canal of the said region. This project will permit to restore farming. It also provides income for families that work for this project.

The Al Jazeera irrigation scheme used to supply water for 250,00 hectares of land. The Islamic State of Levant destroyed 100 smaller canals due to debris and were also contaminated by explosive devices.

Green Technology for Agriculture

One-third of global greenhouse emissions is generated by food and agricultural chains. These chains also require huge amounts of water and consume one-third of global energy.

FAO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development created a methodology to adopt sustainable climate-friendly technologies. These include conservation agriculture and solar-powered water pumps. These two agencies tested the methods in Morocco and published their findings in a report: Morocco: Adoption of Climate Technologies in the Agrifood Sector.

Conclusion

Food security is an issue that has a global scope. Agencies like FAO and its partner institutions are making a way in order to combat this issue. As long as agencies work together, the fight against food security is a battle that can be won.