Food security – a challenge

‘Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food ....’
- Article 25 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

The right to food is also enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Combating hunger and malnutrition is also a key objective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With the Program of Action 2015, the German Government is making its contribution towards implementing the MDGs and realising the right to food.

Hunger and its causes

Enough food is produced in the world to feed its population – and yet around a billion people go hungry. Hunger is primarily the outcome of unequal distribution of resources and lack of access to food. Many people are too poor to buy the food they need, or cannot afford the foods which make up a balanced diet, resulting in hidden hunger. Hunger impairs people’s physical capacities, so a hungry person cannot cultivate his or her fields properly or earn an adequate income. Poverty is both the cause and the effect of hunger.

Rural development is the key to combating hunger and poverty. However, if small farmers are to have prospects for the future, they need better access to productive resources such as water and land. More than anything, secure access to land is becoming increasingly important. Massive and often illegal land grabbing for commercial agricultural production – of biofuels, food and feedstuffs, etc. – deprives local communities of valuable arable land and pasture and forces them into areas with less fertile soils. Suitable marketing opportunities and better access to education are also important, especially for women. They are responsible for feeding their families, so if their knowledge of farming and the processing of foods is improved, everyone benefits.

High population growth is increasingly leading to over-exploitation of finite natural resources. Sustainable management of these resources is the best protection against loss of arable land and pasture. Civil wars and natural disasters cause hunger in some regions, as do bad governance and corruption in many cases. The liberalisation of the world agricultural trade, combined with the industrialised countries’ high agricultural subsidies, means that many developing countries opt to import cheap basic foodstuffs rather than promote their own agricultural sector. This creates dependency on the world markets and its price fluctuations. Developing countries therefore need fair chances on the world market.

In many regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa, small farmers need to adapt to climate change, which will lead to more food insecurity. Agricultural research provides an important basis for this process.