Academic literature on the topic 'Food security impediments'

Abstract The article examines the links between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the transformative aspects of establishing an encompassing agri-food trade policy in the European Union (EU). Starting with a review of the Sustainable Development Goals, this article focuses on the goal of sustainable agriculture and food security. The paper then investigates the transformative aspects of building a fair agri-food trade policy, including the significance of international trade agreements and the need for effective monitoring and enforcement. Research also includes a quantitative analysis of the scientific community’s interest in the EU’s effectiveness in implementing its agri-food trade policy, with a focus on the policy’s impact on global food security. The findings indicate that the EU is making progress toward achieving its objective of boosting global food security, but significant impediments remain to be surmounted.

SUMMARYThis review examines contributions of interdisciplinary (ID) research to understanding interactions between environmental quality, food production and food security. Global patterns of food insecurity and crop production are reviewed in relation to climate, land use and economic changes, as well as potential productivity increases compatible with environmental conservation. Interactions between food production and global processes make food insecurity a complex problem that requires ID analysis at local to global scales. Census and satellite data contribute to understanding of global cropland distribution. Analysis of land-use change exemplifies research between natural and social sciences. Quantitative modelling of global climate change impacts indicates relatively greater potential food insecurity in developing countries. International food security is increasingly interconnected through economic globalization and incentives for increased food production are required. Societies may not be able to expand available cropland without significant environmental risks; enhanced land and water productivity are the major opportunities available to increase food production. This requires renewed efforts in ID work to design and implement sound and efficient agricultural management practices. Models need to be informed by data from field experiments, long-term measurements and watershed monitoring by ground and remote sensing methods. Agricultural intensification may spare natural land but lead to increased pollution and water demand; reconciling conservation and productivity is a critical need. ID work provides many opportunities for synergies including conservation agriculture at the local level, efficient use of inputs, smarter land use taking into account spatial patterns and landscape ecology principles, and improved water management at field, system, watershed and basin levels. Goal-directed ID research is crucial, since producers, practitioners and policy makers should be involved. Geospatial, biotechnological and precision agriculture technologies linked with models can help inform strategies to achieve sustainable food production increases that maintain environmental quality. Implementation also requires ID work to overcome impediments due to human factors and facilitate adoption by farmers.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the food security status of 150 households in Osun state of Nigeria. The study area was chosen because relatively little energy consumption data are available concerning this geographical location. Design/methodology/approach – The study used both primary and secondary data. The suitable households sample was chosen by multi-stage random sampling technique. The methodology employed to group the households into either food secure or food insecure is by comparing daily per capita calorie consumption by each household with the threshold daily per capita calorie requirement of 2,710 kcal/day/adult equivalent. This method has proven to be efficient in measuring food security at household level. Findings – The results of the study reveal that majority of the households surveyed are food insecure that is their daily per capita calorie intake falls below the recommended daily per capita calorie requirement. The food insecure households constitute 54 per cent, surplus index of 0.36 per cent and food insecurity gap of 0.0038. Research limitations/implications – The greatest limitation to this study is the inability to collect data on the distribution of income, budget share on foods and socio-economic characteristics of the households to determine how their food security status is influenced due to impediments such as time, limited resources to collect a complete dataset used for the study. Also, recalling accurately the foods eaten in the last 24-hour was difficult for some of the household heads especially the aged ones and precise measurement of foods portion were also not accurate in some cases. Practical implications – The findings of the study will help the stakeholders in food sector in policy formulations and also serve as reference for other researchers who will work on similar topic. Social implications – The revelation that majority of the households are lacking in calorie intake will provide guidance for stakeholders in food sector to put in place efforts that will improve balance between food production and accessibility. Originality/value – The study used original data collected directly from the households for the study using structured questionnaires and the reference materials from secondary sources are appropriately cited. Also, it is worthy to note that not many studies have been carried out in the study area on food security especially in the rural areas.

Abstract After gaining independence from colonial powers many African governments were preoccupied for several decades with solving the problems of food security, poverty, high unemployment and slow economic growth. Many experts believe that one of the promising areas for reducing the effect of these problems is an accelerated transformation of agriculture in African countries based on the introduction of the latest achievements in the field of digital technologies. Modern digital technologies in agriculture may not only contribute to sustainable development, increase productivity and profitability, and create new job opportunities, but also positively affect the living conditions of small farmers – the main agricultural producers in Africa. The present paper describes the most common and widespread digital information and advisory solutions and discusses how small farmers benefit from using these digital services. The paper offers an analysis of the use of mobile and Internet communications as a basis for the introduction of digital technologies. Based on these findings, the author draws conclusions about the reasons for the underutilization and slow adoption of digital technologies in Africa’s agriculture.

SUMMARYGlobal food security is under threat by climate change, and the impacts fall disproportionately on resource-poor small producers. With the goal of making agricultural and food systems more climate-resilient, this paper presents an adaptation and mitigation framework. A road map for further agricultural research is proposed, based on the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. We propose a holistic, integrated approach that takes into account trade-offs and feedbacks between interventions. We divide the agenda into four research areas, three tackling risk management, accelerated adaptation and emissions mitigation, and the fourth facilitating adoption of research outputs. After reviewing specific technical, agronomic and policy options for reducing climate change vulnerability, we acknowledge that science and good-faith recommendations do not necessarily translate into effective and timely actions. We therefore outline impediments to behavioural change and propose that future research overcomes these obstacles by linking the right institutions, instruments and scientific outputs. Food security research must go beyond its focus on production to also examine food access and utilization issues. Finally, we conclude that urgent action is needed despite the uncertainties, trade-offs and challenges.

China is meeting many environmental challenges that threaten food safety and security but there are actions China may implement to improve this situation. Current impediments include continued population increase, rapid urbanization, and decrease in arable lands, water pollution and climate change. China should control the population, improve irrigation techniques, fight against water pollution and invest on education to facilitate a major transition in the development mode and strive for more sustainable consumption of natural resources. These actions will ensure China’s self-sufficiency and prosperity.

This paper is based on a review of experiences with a wide range of micro-agricultural water management technologies in sub-Saharan Africa with a special emphasis on southern Africa. The major finding of the study is that these technologies have the potential to make major contributions to improving food security, reducing rural poverty and promoting broad-based agricultural growth. However, there are serious policy impediments to successfully scaling out the use of these technologies at both national and regional levels. The paper makes seven specific policy recommendations whose implementation would enable promotion of wider uptake.

South Asia comprises almost one-quarter of the world’s population. It faces a host of disputes of varying natures, including armed conflicts, proxy wars, and religious and ethnic strife. Despite its deplorable state of human security and impoverished people, South Asia is considered the least integrated region globally. Approximately 1.99 billion people suffer in terms of energy, food, water and health security due to conflicts and hostile interstate relationships. This paper analyses the socio-political and security environment of the region and explores the impediments to regional integration. Focusing on the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, it highlights that the idea of regional integration cannot be realized without resolving core issues. Economic cooperation between regional countries can only be achieved if integration models like the European Union and Association of South East Asian Nations are considered with necessary deviations. Bibliography Entry Niaz, Muhammad Tariq. 2022. "Regional Integration in South Asia: Utopia or Reality?" Margalla Papers 26 (1): 108-120.

Urbanisation and related insufficiency of food sources is due to the high urban population, insufficient urban food sources, and inability of some urban communities to afford food due to rising costs. Food supply can also be jeopardised by natural and man-made disasters, such as warfare, pandemics, or any other calamities which result in the destruction of crop fields and disruption of food distribution. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the impact of such calamities on the fresh food supply chain in Malaysia, especially when the Movement Control Order (MCO) policy was first implemented. The resulting panic buying caused some food shortage, while more importantly, the fresh food supply chain was severely disrupted, especially in urban areas, in the early stages of implementation. In this regard, urban farming, while a simple concept, can have a significant impact in terms of securing food sources for urban households. It has been used in several countries such as Canada, The Netherlands, and Singapore to ensure a continuous food supply. This paper thus attempted to review how the pandemic has affected Malaysian participation in urban farming and, in relation to that, the acceptance of urban farming in Malaysia and the initiatives and approaches of local governmental and non-governmental organisations in encouraging the urban community to participate in urban farming through peer-reviewed journal articles and other articles related to urban agriculture using the ROSES protocol. About 93 articles were selected after screening to ensure that the articles were related to the study. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the surge in Malaysians’ awareness of the importance of urban farming has offered great opportunities for the government to encourage more Malaysian urban communities to participate in urban farming activities. Limitations such as relevant knowledge, area, and space, however, are impediments to urban communities’ participation in these activities. Government initiatives, such as the Urban Community Garden Policy (Dasar Kebun Komuniti Bandar (DKKB)), are still inadequate as some issues are still not addressed. Permanent Food Production Parks (TKPM) and technology-driven practices are seen as possible solutions to the primary problem of land and space. Additionally, relevant stakeholders play a crucial role in disseminating relevant and appropriate knowledge and methodology applicable for urban farming. Partnerships between government agencies, the education sector, and the private sector are necessary to develop modern urban agricultural technologies as well as knowledge, knowhow, and supports to build and sustain urban community participation in urban farming activities.

Background: The phenomenon of climate change (CC) and its attendant challenges in agriculture have been widely document. Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) focuses on sustainable agriculture intensification for food sovereignty through the adoption of mitigation and adaptation practices. Agriculture provides the livelihood for 70% of rural poor in the developing world, so building farmer capacity in CSA is imperative for food security. Studies show that transformative change must be bottom-up – integrating scientific and ethical dimensions, using participatory research approaches that employ simple comprehensive tools for building participants’ capacity to adapt. Methods: The study uses the “Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security” (CCAFS) climate analogue and weather forecasting tools. These participatory learning tools allow participants to interrogate and explore their own geographical and climatic histories and to draw conclusions on climate variability. This study examined smallholder farmers’ understanding of CC and their resilience to it. The study consisted of 5 stages – selection of tools, planning and training of teams, meetings with community leaders and community members to select participants, focus group discussions, modelling sessions and community dissemination meetings. Results: Participants showed awareness of CC, explained in terms of rainfall variability, decreasing rainforest, increasing temperature and excessively long hot days. Farmers illustrated gendered perception of past and present landscapes, time use, past seasonal trends, vulnerabilities and access to key resources. They also observed that natural resources were declining, while population and social infrastructure increased. Participants modelled the shift in seasons and projected possible future scenarios. Finally, participants were willing to adopt climate smart agronomic practices. Conclusions: After establishing that farmers are aware of CC, follow-on-studies addressing the impediments to adaptation and provision of necessary tools and resources to facilitate adaptation must be carried out. This study can also be replicated among a larger smallholder population for increased capacity to practice CSA.

The protection of soil and the sustainable management of soils is a precondition for sustainable development, food security and the survival of humankind. Africa is the continent with the least land degradation. Yet, the pressure on soils is already enormous and continuously increasing due to a range of factors, including poverty, over-exploitation, population growth and climate change. Drivers of unsustainable soil management include overstocking, overgrazing, water erosion, landslides, and over-application of agro-chemicals. In light of this, the underlying legal, societal and political conditions have been comparatively analysed in “African Soil Protection Law”. Distinct country studies from Kenya, Cameroon and Zambia serve to comparatively expose the serious impediments of soil in Africa. While mapping out options for model legislation for improved sustainable soil management in Africa, the publication addresses intertwined, interdisciplinary and complex questions pertaining to soils, which may also be of comparative interest to other continents and jurisdictions.

AbstractThis chapter focusses on the role of science, technology and innovation (STI) in transforming the food systems of Asia and the Pacific to achieve long-term environmentally sustainable food and nutritional security (FNS). A “whole of systems” approach is required to address the issues, and that work is urgently needed to define ‘healthy’ diets for different regions, societies and cultures. Emphasis should shift from the provision of calories to the supply of balanced patterns of all essential nutrients, and the ‘holistic’ properties of foods should be recognised. The chapter identifies countries and regions, within Asia, considered to be at particularly high risk for future food insecurity. Systems analysis should be applied across the agricultural and food sectors of these countries to identify the actual technical and other impediments to FNS. It is envisaged that the results from such an analysis would be used to formulate a ‘blueprint’ for agricultural and food STI in Asia. Overarching recommendations are the establishment of a trans-national funding mechanism for the entire region, focussing on targeted interdisciplinary STI, and the establishment of regional centres of excellence for research, education and extension, focussing on the identified key areas of opportunity. It was concluded that there is an urgent need for investment and action.

The transition to a circular bioeconomic model that incorporates sustainable extraction processes such as enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) is motivated by climate change, population growth, and changing diets to address food security and safety, and preserve natural resources (land, and water) and biodiversity. EAE can be applied to extract nutrients and bioactive molecules for food analysis and profiling, and for industrial exploitation of bioactive compounds from novel feedstocks. Commercial extraction processes require high recovery of the targeted compounds and must guarantee the preservation of the biological activity of the products, which is difficult to achieve using conventional methods. EAE is a possible alternative to preserve the quality of final products while reducing the industrial footprint in the food sector at a larger scale. This chapter describes the parameters that impact the extraction yield obtained in the EAE process and provides recent examples of its successful application for the extraction of polymers and bioactive compounds of very diverse matrices (plant, animal, mushrooms, yeast, food waste, and insects), with emphasis on process conditions. This chapter also identifies the challenges and opportunities of EAE and the emerging areas of research to facilitate the economic feasibility of the enzymatic extraction of bioactive molecules. Costs related to enzyme production and its use are one of the main impediments to the industrial application of the EAE process. Recent research progress suggests that reduction of EAE costs can be achieved by a holistic approach considering all steps: enzyme production (by using cheap enzyme production media, in-house enzyme production), selection of feedstock (i.e., food byproducts), enzyme recycling (enzyme immobilization, nano-biocatalysts), the search of novel enzymes (marine degrading polysaccharides), more robust enzymes (i.e., extremozymes) and/or enzyme improvement (bioengineering), and EAE process optimization (minimum optimal enzyme dosage). EAE technology for food analysis and production of bioactive molecules keeps building momentum as it is sustainable, environmentally friendly, and innovative

The Andean Community of Nations (CAN) and others countries in Latin America (LA), as any less developed countries (LDCs), are located by inception on the wrong side of the “digital gap”. Therefore, these countries confront an enormous challenge from the network revolution that is unfolding. Globalization represents a new paradigm composed of integrated and interdependent economies. The Globalization Index (GI) determines the rank of the countries within the model. This index is composed of several variables in which economic integration and technology, among others, play a very important role in country classifications. Currently, a diminishing trend of FDIs is preponderant in the region, and this affects the knowledge-based society and also the efforts to make these countries members of the new globalization paradigm. Dessler (2004) stated that globalization is the tendency of firms to augment their sales, ownership, and manufacturing facilities to new markets located abroad. The research literature is consistent with the definition of globalization. Hill (2003), among others, agreed that the term globalization refers to a new paradigm in which the world economy is more integrated and interdependent. Therefore, this integration demands new methodologies and mechanisms to allow countries to perform their new roles within this emerging framework. A preponderant element in this new array is the convergence of computer-based power and telecommunications. These parameters are interrelated to computing infrastructure, new communication technology, and governmental policies that will make the old telecommunication model, a monopoly, obsolete; therefore, a new paradigm will evolve that makes this technology accessible to everyone through a new system that promotes and encourages competition within the private sector (Ochoa-Morales, 2003c). Also, convergence that is taking place with computing and telecommunication demonstrates the importance of the development of this sector and the socioeconomic impact on the economic perspective and to the stimulus of economic growth (Ochoa-Morales, 2003a). Kearney (2003) classified countries using a Globalization Index (GI), which determines the rank of the country as a more global country. Sixty-two countries that represent 85% of the world’s population compose the sample used. The index is epitomized by 13 variables grouped in four baskets: (1) economic integration, (2) personal contact, (3) technology, and (4) political engagement. Economic integration is represented by trade, foreign direct investments (FDIs) and portfolio capital flows, and income payments and receipts. Personal contact consists of international travel and tourism, international telephone traffic, and cross-border transfers. Technology is characterized by number of Internet users, Internet hosts, and secure servers; and political engagement is characterized by number of memberships in international organizations, UN Security Council missions in which each country participates, and the quantity of foreign embassies hosted by the countries. The ranking for the year 2003 shows Ireland as number one, Switzerland number two, and the United States as eleventh. Ireland has large investments in high-tech and information technology. Its Internet infrastructure is still growing, and the number of secure servers has increased 32.6% from 337 to 500 in 2002. Also, it has been the most talkative country in the world, included heavy domestic and international traffic. The above is unequivocal proof of the high correlation that exists between technology, a parameter of the new paradigm, and access to new markets that will be the cornerstone of globalization. According to Kearney (2003), one variable is economic integration in Latin America (LA), and the Caribbean economic integration is extant. Numerous regional and multilateral agreements are present such as the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), composed of Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela; MERCOSUR, composed of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina; The Group of Three (3), composed of Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela; and the CARICOM, composed of English speaking countries (Islands) within the Caribbean Basin (Secretaria, 1998). Ochoa-Morales (2001) stated that, from an economic perspective, the outcome is trade and therefore stimulus to economic growth. Foreign direct investments (FDIs) can greatly contribute to a host country’s economy providing the required factors of production are present, making the countries more competitive within the globalization framework. Schuler and Brown (1999) emphasized that the most important occurrence in the location of the FDIs is the support or impediment exercised by the institutions in the host country. Another important factor within the GI is technology characterized among other parameters by Internet users and Internet hosts. In LA, the growth rate of the Internet has been the highest in the world, and the number of users has increased 14-fold within the 1995 to 1999 period (UIT, 2000). The literature defines teledensity as the number of main telephone lines for every 100 inhabitants, excluding wireless access. This term is also used as a parameter to measure the level of telecommunication infrastructure of any country. A review of the literature also shows the existence of a high correlation between teledensity and economic development, and a negative one between teledensity and population size has been found (Mbarika, Byrd & Raymond, 2002).

Abstract The Petroleum Working Group (PWG) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has developed the Petroleum Resource Specifications and Guidelines (PRSG) to facilitate the application of the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) for evaluating and classifying petroleum projects. The UNFC was developed by the Expert Group on Resource Management (EGRM) and covers all resource sectors such as minerals, petroleum, renewable energy, nuclear resources, injection projects, anthropogenic resources and groundwater. It has a unique three- dimensional structure to describe environmental, social and economic viability (E-axis), technical feasibility and maturity (F-axis) and degree of confidence in the resource estimates (G-axis). The UNFC is fully aligned to holistic and sustainable resource management called for by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda). UNFC can be used by governments for integrated energy planning, companies for developing business models and the investors in decision making. Internationally, all classification systems and their application continue to evolve to incorporate the latest technical understanding and usage and societal, government and regulatory expectations. The PRSG incorporates key elements from current global petroleum classification systems. Furthermore, it provides a forward-thinking approach to including aspects of integrity and ethics. It expands on the unique differentiator of the UNFC to integrate social and environmental issues in the project evaluation. Several case studies have been carried out (in China, Kuwait, Mexico, Russia, and Uganda) using UNFC. Specifically, PRSG assists in identifying critical social and environmental issues to support their resolution and development sustainably. These issues may be unique to the country, location and projects and mapped using a risk matrix. This may support the development of a road map to resolve potential impediments to project sanction. The release of the PRSG comes at a time of global economic volatility on a national and international level due to the ongoing impact and management of COVID-19, petroleum supply and demand uncertainty and competing national and international interests. Sustainable energy is not only required for industries but for all other social development. It is essential for private sector development, productive capacity building and expansion of trade. It has strong linkages to climate action, health, education, water, food security and woman empowerment. Moreover, enduring complex system considerations in balancing the energy trilemma of reliable supply, affordability, equity, and social and environmental responsibility remain. These overarching conditions make it even more essential to ensure projects are evaluated in a competent, ethical and transparent manner. While considering all the risks, it is also critical to reinforce the positive contribution a natural resource utilization project provides to society. Such an inquiry can focus on how the project contributes to the quality of life, environment, and the economy – the people, planet, and prosperity triad. Such an approach allows consistent, robust and sustainable investment decision making and energy policy development.