Rogerson, Evan; Dixit, Diwakar --- "Food security issues and the role of the multilateral trading system" [2016] ELECD 278; in Ewing-Chow, Michael; Vilarasau Slade, Melanie (eds), "International Trade and Food Security" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2016) 15

Book Title: International Trade and Food Security

Editor(s): Ewing-Chow, Michael; Vilarasau Slade, Melanie

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781785361883

Section: Chapter 1

Section Title: Food security issues and the role of the multilateral trading system

Author(s): Rogerson, Evan; Dixit, Diwakar

Number of pages: 12

Abstract/Description:

Addressing food insecurity and malnutrition is one of the most pressing challenges that the global community faces. The Global Strategic Framework adopted by the Committee on World Food Security has outlined some of the structural and underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition which, inter alia, include broader ‘governance’ issues, ‘economic and production issues’, ‘demographic and social issues’ and issues related to ‘climate and environment’. A holistic consideration of this complex matrix of issues is needed. This is the approach taken by the UN High Level Task Force on Food Security in its comprehensive framework of action (UCFA). While both demand and supply side factors were responsible for triggering the 2008 food crisis, overall food supply or availability has not presented a threat to global food security. Global food production/supply has consistently kept pace with demand that has been rising as a result of population and income increases. That is why Amartya Sen considered that food access (rather than availability) matters most: ‘Starvation is the characteristic of some people not having enough food to eat. It is not the characteristic of there being not enough food to eat.’