Food Security Analysis: History
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Subjects: Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Contributor:
Junfang Li
,
Wei Song

Food security is related to human wellbeing and sustainable development and an important guarantee for world peace. In the context of global climate change, increased food demand, resource depletion, conflicts, and frequent public health emergencies, food security is widely seen as one of the top challenges. Food security research has obvious interdisciplinary characteristics, involving a wide range of fields.

  • food security
  • sustainable development
  • Bibliometrix

1. Introduction

Food security concerns the stability of the international community and human wellbeing and plays an important role in sustainable development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development lists hunger eradication, achieving food security, and improving nutritional status as high-priority areas in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals[1]. In recent years, with the frequent occurrence of wars, extreme weather events, and public security incidents, global food security issues have become the focus of attention [2][3]. The innovation and development of science and technology promoted grain production in countries around the world, but the huge population base still brings great challenges to the carrying capacity of food resources. The number of people globally affected by hunger increased from 768 million in 2020 to 828 million in 2021[4], highlighting the worrying situation of global food security.

Currently, research on food security mainly includes the connotation of food security, the influencing factors, and how to guarantee food security. In 1974, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization first defined food security as “we should ensure that anyone anywhere can get enough food for survival and health in the future”[5] (pp. 303–320). The definition of food security, as agreed upon at the 1996 World Food Summit, contains four aspects: food, access, use, and stability. With the deepening of research, the concept of food security has been continuously refined and expanded, taking food hygiene, politics, human rights, and social culture into consideration. Therefore, food security not only refers to the problem of adequate food supply but also involves a balanced regional distribution and nutrition as well as stable eating habits. In 2012, the FAO updated the definition of food security, completing the development from only meeting survival needs to meeting positive and healthy living and food preferences [6]. The concept of food security from the initial emphasis on “food supply” to the later “focus on family and individual food acquisition power” indicates the extension from the macro overall to the micro individuals. After the 2012 revision, the concept of food security included macro- and micro-aspects, quantity and quality, and supply and demand. It is predicted that by 2050, food production needs to increase by 70% to meet the demands of the growing population. Currently, about 750 million people in the world face food security problems, and 1 billion people face long-term malnutrition[7].
Therefore, based on the macro-background of global climate change, wars and social conflicts, the uneven spatial distribution of water and soil resources, and the declining land production potential, several explorations from different perspectives and levels have been performed. Climate change is one of the important triggers of global food security, with complex impact mechanisms. The extent to which food insecurity can be attributed to climate change was quantitatively assessed by Dasgupta and Robinson[8]. Climate change will not only affect the global food supply directly by affecting food production but will also further push up food prices, which will exacerbate food security inequalities. Many efforts have been made at the national level to ensure the food security of certain countries. For example, in the face of food security threats caused by the decline in the rural population[9], rural aging[10][11], and abandoned farmland[12][13], China has actively adopted relevant policies and measures, such as strictly observing the red line of cultivated land (referring to the minimum land area for regular cultivation, China’s current red line is 120 million hectares of cultivated land), the construction of high-standard farmland, and the comprehensive improvement of rural land[13][14]. Policies and the international environment have a significant impact on regional food security. Recently, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and other crises have had a huge impact on international grain trade and sounded the alarm for some countries and regions that rely heavily on grain imports. For example, Singapore’s food supply chain was seriously threatened[15]by these incidents. Although food security in Asia and Latin America has improved due to the development of science and technology, improved agricultural productivity, and government intervention, the problem of regional distribution inequality remains. At present, the food risk in some developing countries in Africa, South Asia, and other regions is still high[16].
On the research scale, food security has global, national, family, and individual aspects. At the national level, food security is deeply affected by the population base, the population growth rate, and the urbanization level. Countries at different stages of development have different priorities for ensuring food security. For example, developed countries focus on the issue of regional food security balance, whereas developing countries, such as Africa, are committed to eliminating the food threat posed by poverty[17]. National food security is an important guarantee for food security at the family level. Low family income, large gaps between rich and poor, and immature markets will all lead to family food insecurity. Personal food security is highly important for personal nutrition and health, and excessive nutrient intake can cause many diseases, such as childhood obesity[18]. Analyzing the factors affecting food security is necessary to find adequate solutions. The influencing factors have been widely studied, and an evaluation index system has been established.
Research in the field of food security involves multiple disciplines and the comprehensive analysis of food security-related research from an interdisciplinary perspective to obtain an in-depth understanding of the current research situation.

2. Introduction

Research on food security concerns various areas, and the content of such research has been constantly enriched, with significant progress in recent years. Studies in this field are of great significance for judging the development trend of food security scientifically and rationally. The development and evolution of the concept of food security have obvious stage and historical characteristics. The understanding of the connotation of food security has been constantly enriched and improved, and the results have gradually changed from theoretical to applied results. At first, food security mainly emphasized the sufficiency of food production and supply. After that, studies in food security began to pay equal attention to the total amount of food and quality safety and to the balance of food supply and demand [5][6]. In recent years, scholars have focused on various food security issues, from simple quantitative security to nutrition security, life security, and ecological security.
The whole research and development process in the field of food security can be understood through the analysis of article references, high-frequency keywords, countries and institutions, and thematic maps. At present, the mainstream view is that the countermeasures and suggestions for food security should be discussed mainly based on the four pillars, availability, access, utilization, and stability. Climate change, food nutrition and security, and sustainable agricultural development are hot issues in the field of food security research. From the perspective of disciplines, the interdisciplinary trend of food security research is obvious, and a growing number of scholars in environmental science, demography, and geography are paying attention to food security. Some research fields focus on ensuring food security and putting forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions. Scientists construct the evaluation index system of food security from the perspective of food production, distribution, consumption, and food reserves[19]. Among the many factors affecting food security, population is the most direct one, and the number of people directly affects the food supply pressure. The issue of food security in India and sub-Saharan Africa has received extensive attention from the international community. Historical reasons, natural resource constraints, climate disasters, agricultural production technology, and management level are all factors impacting food security in Africa. Taking them into account and exploring their interrelationships and influences can be the key to ensuring food security in Africa. It is worth noting that the research field has gradually expanded from the theoretical framework and norms to the technical level. More scholars in cross-cutting fields are considering how to promote food security from the technical level from the micro-perspective[20]. For example, they use the progress of biotechnology to improve varieties, promote efficient non-toxic pesticides, develop advanced agricultural technologies, improve water conservancy irrigation systems, establish agricultural information systems, and strengthen the application of information technology in agricultural management to achieve food security.

2. Introduction

The goal of food security research is to achieve food security in quantity, quality, and nutrition. Although the grain output still maintains a steady upward trend, and the nutritional level continues to improve, guaranteeing food security still faces enormous challenges, and the food security situation is still severe. Climate change poses many food security issues. Studies have shown that rising global temperatures and more extreme weather events will reduce the production of major food crops such as wheat, corn, and rice. To adapt to future climate change, adopting improved varieties, changing planting dates, and optimizing irrigation systems are important measures. Considering the productivity and sustainability of food and achieving the dual goals of food security and sustainable development are crucial topics. Agriculture accounts for 34% of greenhouse gas emissions, with the majority of them coming from land-use changes caused by agricultural activities and the rest from the food production supply chain[21]. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is important to resolve the contradictions between food production, greenhouse gas emissions, and resource depletion[22][23]. Man Li et al. proposed a comprehensive ecological and economic model to analyze crop phenology and nitrogen fertilizer absorption capacity, indicating that the yield can be improved by improving the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer use[24].
Agro-ecosystems are heavily dependent on water resources, and an increase in food demand will inevitably lead to an increase in water demand[25]. Many scholars evaluated the importance of water resources security to food security[26][27]. Determining how to achieve food security under the premise of ensuring water resources security is an important research topic and involves technology, management, policy, and other aspects[28][29]. Looking at agricultural development from the perspective of sustainable development, it is necessary to explore ecological agriculture models while taking into account the protection of the ecological environment. For example, Lucantoni et al. analyzed the transition to eco-agriculture on a farm in Cuba[30]. Biodiversity conservation has been largely investigated by the international community, with an emphasis on balancing food security and biodiversity conservation. For example, JZA B et al. identified 10 hot-spots that would
face food insecurity and biodiversity loss and called for attention to the status quo of conflict hot-spots in an effort to mitigate conflict[31][32]. Faced with the current situation that terrestrial grain productivity is constrained by future arable land potential and water resource depletion, Christopher et al. proposed that expanding the marine grain production capacity through timely fishery reforms would provide a guarantee for food security[33].

This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/foods11233915

References

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