Food security is a global challenge impacted by multiple evolving threats to the food supply chain. This issue is particularly severe in Asia and the Pacific, where over 1 billion people currently face moderate or severe lack of access to sufficient food of adequate quality. As governments work to address the region’s many development challenges and ensure that economic growth benefits everyone equitably, ensuring food security is emerging as a growing priority.
More than 80% of the region’s food is produced by as many as 450 million smallholder farmers. These small-scale producers represent some of the poorest people in the region and are particularly vulnerable to shocks, typically lacking access to technology or financial support that could help them build resilience. With so many of its food producers also being highly vulnerable, Asia and the Pacific is one of the most food-insecure regions in the world.
However, enhancing food security goes beyond just increasing the resilience of food producers. Efforts are also needed to ensure that access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food is available to all. According to the World Bank, over 320 million people in Asia are experiencing extreme poverty and regular hunger, living on less than $2.15 per day. Faced with such a dire situation, it is critical to consider how inclusive growth efforts encompass strategies to feed the poor.
Challenges to Food Security
The world faces an array of specific challenges that threaten food security, many of which are exacerbated by growing populations, urbanization, and evolving dietary preferences.
Climate Change
Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and erratic shifts in rainfall patterns create numerous challenges for food production and supply chains. Climatic alterations reverberate through the agricultural landscape, significantly impacting crop yields and the availability of essential sustenance.
In Asia and the Pacific, climate change has the potential to be particularly devastating. World Bank studies on the impact of El Niño events in Asia found that a single drought can result in millions of people falling into poverty. As climate-related shocks become more frequent, vulnerable smallholder farmers will suffer compounding consequences.
Land Degradation
Unsustainable farming practices, soil erosion, intensive tillage, and deforestation have contributed to land degradation, which is further exacerbated by urbanization, increasing population, conflicts, and climate change. In South Asia alone, land deterioration has been estimated to cost as much as $10 billion annually in losses. Failure to control and reverse land degradation will create significant challenges for food and nutritional security.
Water Stress
Water scarcity disturbs crop irrigation and livestock and significantly burdens agriculture. In South Asia, only about half of the region’s cropland uses modern irrigation methods that can reduce water stress. The remaining half, comprising primarily smallholder farmers in rural areas, are at higher risk of water scarcity. As populations continue to grow, compounding pollution and increasing demand will put precious water resources under even more pressure.
Conflicts
Conflict profoundly disrupts food supply chains, driving populations from their homes and exacerbating food security challenges. The economic repercussions of conflicts on food production and the urgency of effective strategies require attention. The ongoing conflict in Myanmar has resulted in a sharp decline in food production due to the destruction of rural infrastructure, loss of livestock, deforestation, and displacement of communities.
Pandemic
Recent pandemics, such as the COVID-19 outbreak, have unmasked critical weaknesses in the global food supply system. Across the Asia and the Pacific region, household food consumption and nutrition were significantly affected as people lost jobs while prolonged lockdowns and labor shortages reduced crop production and disrupted logistics operations.
Enhancing Food Security Within the Inclusive Growth Agenda
The inclusive growth priorities adopted by governments across the region continue to evolve in response to new or growing threats. In the last decade, we have seen increased focus on investments in digital inclusion, education, and skill development to help ensure that all members of society share the benefits of economic growth. More recently, environmental sustainability and climate resilience have also emerged as major components of these strategies.
Tackling the region’s food security challenges amid evolving inclusive growth priorities requires a multifaceted approach that addresses the complex linkages between economic development and access to affordable and nutritious food supplies. Policies that not only stimulate economic progress but also safeguard the availability and affordability of food by supporting the region’s 450 million smallholder farmers are critical. Examples of steps policy makers could take to accomplish this include the following:
Investing in agriculture to support the development of sustainable and efficient agricultural practices, with a particular focus on vulnerable smallholder farmers. This could include allocating resources toward research, skill development, technology, and infrastructure investments to build a productive and resilient agricultural sector.
Prioritize rural development and support smallholder farmers’ access to critical services. Since smallholders represent the most significant portion of farmers in the region, policy interventions that improve rural infrastructure, healthcare, market access, finance, or education could boost their opportunities for growth and resilience. Many underutilized crops available in rural areas are well adapted to challenging environments and possess superior nutritional value. Integrating these crops into modern agriculture could be a valuable strategy for creating a more sustainable, equitable, resilient, and healthy agrifood system that enhances food security and livelihoods.
Enhance social protection programs to boost the resilience of smallholder farmers and help to ensure that even the poorest communities can access adequate and nutritious food. Social safety nets and welfare programs such as cash transfer programs or food subsidies are some examples of interventions that could be implemented to achieve this.
Addressing food security challenges within an inclusive growth agenda requires an approach that can embrace the need to enhance agriculture productivity and efficiency while also improving the well-being of the region’s smallholder farmers. Efficient production systems will bridge the gap between supply and demand, ensuring that food is not only plentiful but also accessible to all. By focusing on these strategies, we can pave the way for a more food-secure future that can withstand the uncertainties of the modern world.
This blog article was originally published by the Griffith Asia Institute as part of a series of articles on inclusive growth and development within the Griffith Asia-Pacific Strategic Outlook 2024, available here: https://www.griffith.edu.au/asia-institute/resources#gapso
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