2. The components and targets of the concept of food
security a. Four pillars and three trends
i. The four pillars model
The four pillars model was established on the basis of the
1974 WFC definition with the contribution of Amartya Sen. Since then the four
pillar model is well-established and used. The food security concept is a set
of 4 different but interconnected factors (FAO 2009).
· Availability: meaning the sufficient
quantity and appropriate quality of food supplied through domestic production
and/or imports together or food aid. In order to make availability possible,
adequate transportation and infrastructure are required.
2727 lacking from the original UNMD
·
25
Access: meaning the ability of individuals,
households or communities to purchase or produce themselves sufficient food.
Access requires functioning local and international markets to ensure the
effectiveness of the food supply (Maunder 2006).
· Utilization: meaning the ability of
individuals to absorb food's nutrients.
· Stability28: meaning the
access of food at `all times', implies that food security can be lost.
Stability is a risk management tool in the fight against hunger. Stability can
also concern the occurrence of shock and the ability of individuals, households
or communities to mitigate the impact (Security 2007).
The 4 pillars model highlights the breadth of the
multi-dimensionality of food security.
ii. The three trends of food insecurity
World Bank's report Poverty and hunger drafted in
1986 was very influential and introduced the idea of trends and «temporal
dynamics» within food insecurity. Three trends emerged, and while being
distinctive, an individual, household or community can experience all three
trends within a year sometimes at the same time. Food security can be endured
chronically, in a transitionary way or seasonally (FAO 2003) (Gibson 2012).
· Chronic: which arises from continuing
or structural poverty and low income. Households are persistently unable to
meet their food requirements, often endemic or structural (FAO 2000)
· Transitory: which involved periods of
intensified pressure caused by natural disasters, economic collapse or
conflict. shocks that cause a temporary decrease in access or availability of
food (World Bank 1986) (FAO 2006)
· Seasonal: which arises according to
cropping period or natural seasons. It is chronic or predictable in the sense
that it is inherent or inbuilt into existing patterns of endemic hunger and
transitory in that it can often be associated with seasonal fluctuations in
cropping patterns or employment trends (FAO 2008)
28 Also referred to as vulnerability.
26
b. Identifying the targets
After extensively defining the concept of security it is most
important to identify the possible individuals, households or communities
vulnerable to food insecurity (Scaramozzino 2006). The World Food Programme
refines vulnerability as follows:
« exposure to risk, mitigated by the ability to
cope» or more precisely «probability of an
acute decline in food
access or consumption» (WFP 2009)
The correlation between poverty and food insecurity is
well-documented (Arcand 2001) (Cohen 2005). 776 million29 people
live under the poverty line worldwide (World Bank 2018), profoundly affecting
their capacity to attain food security. This has a profound impact on their
ability to provide food security. It was estimated that developed countries
spend around 10% to 20% of their budget on food, while developing countries
spend around 60% to 80% (USDA 2008). Such proportions make poor populations
even more vulnerable to shocks generally linked to the country or world's
economic health.
Food security can be described as a phenomenon relating to the
nutritional status of individuals, households and communities and the risk of
that adequate status not being achieved or becoming undermined.
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