Factors associated with food security in rural communities across the globe

Abstract

Food security is a global issue that affects millions of people worldwide. Several studies have been carried out to understand the dynamics of food security resulting from emerging issues across the globe such as climate change, conflict, etc. The authors have reviewed in this article the factors associated with food security in rural communities considering the socio-economic characteristics of individuals, livelihood concerns, inflation in the economy and purchasing power of households, the use of technology, governmental or non-governmental support and the effect of food insecurity on individuals and households. The studies have shown that lack of employment opportunities, low income of households, climate change, inflation and instability of food prices, poor rural infrastructure, inefficient government policies, and lack of technology at household level are major contributing factors to rural food insecurity. Moreover, one of the key conclusions of the published studies is that food insecurity negatively impacts health in both adults and children.