National Food Security and Food Aid

Food security has been defined in a number of different ways. In its widest sense it means assured physical and economic access to food, at all times, to all citizens. In this sense, the subject covers all aspects of food supply and demand discussed in this book. In many countries, particularly large ones such as India, the main causes of food insecurity are domestic. They comprise low levels and unequal distribution of food, an unequal distribution of land and other assets to produce food, and low levels of investment to increase and to stabilize food production. In other, mostly smaller, countries food insecurity arises from large changes in the price of imported food or possibly from the threat of political food embargoes. Various authors distinguish between chronic and transitory, anticipated and unanticipated, regular and random, and seasonal and year to year food insecurity. For the purpose of this brief section, we confine the meaning to reducing fluctuations in food consumption and to the international contribution to food security. Special attention will be paid to the role of food aid as a contribution to national food security.