Current trends in food security

Abstract

The problem of food security has always been relevant and was studied by academics from the economic, environmental, social, and gender approaches, however rising prices, and in some cases food shortages, have triggered a new interest in this area of research. This problem is being addressed at the level of the state and international organizations. However, the approach to the task of these actors is different. If international organizations approach the problem of the food security from the standpoint of the international norm “the right to food”, relying on the postulates of neoliberalism, then states consider the necessity to provide population with food as a dilemma, where national interests outweigh the scales. The armed conflict in Ukraine has exacerbated the problem of food security, as food supply chains have been disrupted, provoking states to treat the export and import of food from the point of view of neorealists. This, in turn, led to food shortages, rising food prices, and in some places even famine. A survey of Kazakhstani population showed that there are some socially vulnerable people for whom the problem of providing the nutrition necessary for a healthy lifestyle is acute, which indicates the need for further research with the subsequent adoption of positive changes in food security policy.