Food Security as a New Challenge in Asia

Food security in a just energy transition is a growing debate about designing sustainable food secure networks worldwide. Energy transition, land-use change, and food security are crucial factors for food security and provision. The increased demand for food products and customer preferences regarding food safety provide various issues for the current agriculture food supply chain (AFSC). Along with rising sustainability concerns, strict government regulation, food security, and traceability concerns compel managers, business houses, and practitioners working in AFSC to adopt new tools, techniques, and methodologies to model current food supply chain problems. Thus, in turn, design the food logistics network for food security. Hence, this study investigates the core determinants of food security and supply in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Lebanon over the period of 2010–2019. In order to estimate the objectives of the study, we employ the fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares estimators (DOLS) to draw the study findings. However, the estimated results show a negative association of land use with food security and supply. Likewise, energy transition, gross domestic product, and agricultural value added (AVA) contribute to the food security supply. In contrast, urbanization's negative but insignificant contribution to the food supply in selected economies exists. Besides, another core objective of the study is to investigate the moderate role of the energy transition on the gross domestic product, agriculture sector, and land use and find the significant contribution to the food supply. However, the current study also tries forecasting for the next 10 years and employs the impulse response function (IRF) and variance decomposition analysis (VDA). Congruently, this study uses the pairwise panel causality test and finds exciting outcomes. The COVID-19 crisis has posed challenges such as energy consumption and food security issues. On behalf of the results, the current study proposes imperative policies to investigate the desired level of food supply. The findings provide valuable insights for experts, policymakers, and officials to take practical measures for energy use and food security challenges.

The issue of food security has been widely studied by the international community. To reveal the research situation as it pertains to food security objectively, this paper comprehensively utilizes bibliometrics techniques (i.e., Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace) to explore the research status and development trends in the area of food security. The results show that: (1) food security research has shown an increasing trend during the past 30 years. The 2013–2019 period was shown to be an active period with a high yield of articles, which were published mainly in the developed regions of Europe and America. Particularly, the number of articles published in the United States was far ahead of other countries in the world. (2) Food security research involved agriculture, environmental science and ecology, food science and technology, and business economics. The research topic is an interdisciplinary subject with a good momentum of development and a large space remaining for research. (3) Climate change, poverty, gender, nutrition, and diet structure have been the focuses of food security research in recent years. Food security in China, India, and sub-Saharan Africa has attracted wide attention. (4) Food security research is becoming more and more mature. The research scope extended from food security to food security and water and land resource security. Research topics range from decentralized to systematic. (5) Food security research is likely to gain much attention in the future based on three pillars: food supply, food access, and food use. Sustainability and diversity of food supply, along with dietary restructuring and food conservation initiatives, are expected to be new trends in future research on land management.

Food insecurity is a global issue, with higher prevalence of hunger in developing countries. Low crop yield and food production - due to difficult topography and traditional farming methods - combined with lower income; fluctuations in prices and supply, and low quality of food have been causing food insecurity in Nepal. This research examines food (in)security situation in Upper-Mustang, Nepal. The results are derived from the data collected through face–to-face interviews with the heads of 66 households, in-depth interviews conducted with 22 key informants, and discussions with the group of local people in different (6) places. The household food system was studied from livelihood perspectives and food (in)security was assessed in relation to self-sufficiency or production sufficiency, access, utilization, and stability of food. Households in the Trans-Himalaya acquire food from multiple sources such as farming and livestock ranching, buy food from the market, and also receive food aid for the sake of survival during the food crisis. Food security situation in terms of self-production in Upper-Mustang is at worst stage that many households are facing severe to chronic food insecurity. Studied households access marketed food, though the price they pay is very high. The worrisome issue is that there is no significant improvement in food security situation over time in the Trans-Himalaya. Study found that not the household size but dependency ratio in the household increases food insecurity. On the other hand, quality of farmland in terms of cropping intensity and availability of irrigation rather than the farm-plot size contribute for food security. The issue of food security is still a valid development policy goal for Nepal in general and for the Trans-Himalaya in particular. Accordingly, food security interventions are important. Yet, policy for interventions should look into all components of food systems, particularly providing irrigation, promoting local food varieties, and provisioning for food subsidies and food aid together with subsidies in food transport.

The study conducted a content analysis of four selected Nigerian daily newspapers namely; Daily Trust, Leadership, the Nation and Vanguard Newspapers in order to assess the coverage of food security and climate change issues/stories by these newspapers. The study covered a period of three years (2020, 2021 and 2022). The objectives of the study were to determine the volume of coverage of food security and climate change issues by the selected Nigerian newspapers, compare the total coverage of food security and climate change issues amongst them. The four selected newspapers were purposively chosen based on popularity in four regions, a total of 4380 issues of the 4 newspapers were obtained. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the coverage while Paired t-test was used to compare differences between the total coverage of climate change and food security issues by each newspaper. The findings of the research revealed that coverage of food security and climate change information by selected newspapers in the study area is generally low with 1,247 (31%) articles and 611 articles (15%) respectively. Leadership newspaper had the highest number of coverages with 187 issues/stories on climate change while Daily Trust had the highest coverage of food security issues/stories with 365. It was therefore recommended that the newspaper publishers should increase innovative coverage and passing of food security and climate change issues including engaging Journalist in climate summits, workshops and conferences.

In the context of the Russіa’s war agaіnst Ukraіne, the issue of food security has become quite acute not only for Ukraine, but for the whole world. The Russian Federation is a terrorist state carrying out food terrorism with the aim of destroying the world (global) food security system and thus influencing the entire free world. The actions and war crimes of the Russian Federation during the war in Ukraine negatively affected the world economy, global food security, as well as the budgets of individual countries that were largely dependent on Ukrainian export of agricultural products. Considering the above, the purpose of the article is to study trends and issues (some aspects) of food security of Ukraine in the war conditions. Based on an analytical review and analysis, it was noted that more than 400 million people in the world depend on grain supplies from Ukraine, and the total amount of losses to the Ukrainian agricultural industry as a result of the Russіa’s war agaіnst Ukraіne, as of June 14, 2022, is already amounted to $4.29 billion. It is also stated that it is impossible even in the next 3-5 years to find alternative suppliers in the world (among the countries) and replace such volumes of agricultural products from Ukraine. In the context of this, is presented a plan of measures to ensure food security in the conditions of martial law, approved by the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 327-p dated April 29, 2022. It has been established that in order to protect and support Ukrainian agricultural production and ensure the sustainability of Ukraine's food security in a war (martial law), as well as to minimize any manifestations of the global food crisis, it is necessary to use all the tools and opportunities for Ukraine to influence global food policy, based on experience and real achievements of the leading positions in the global agricultural economy received by Ukraine, as well as to intensify and strengthen cooperation with partner countries, international and intergovernmental organizations, in particular with the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), on the transformation of food systems. The conclusion formulated that the Russian Federation is both a terrorist state and a state sponsor of terrorism.

Agriculture production is directly dependent on climate change and weather. Possible changes in temperature, precipitation and CO2 concentration are expected to significantly impact crop growth and ultimately we lose our crop productivity and indirectly affect the sustainable food availability issue. The overall impact of climate change on worldwide food production is considered to be low to moderate with successful adaptation and adequate irrigation. Climate change has a serious impact on the availability of various resources on the earth especially water, which sustains life on this planet. The global food security situation and outlook remains delicately imbalanced amid surplus food production and the prevalence of hunger, due to the complex interplay of social, economic, and ecological factors that mediate food security outcomes at various human and institutional scales. Weather aberration poses complex challenges in terms of increased variability and risk for food producers and the energy and water sectors. Changes in the biosphere, biodiversity and natural resources are adversely affecting human health and quality of life. Throughout the 21st century, India is projected to experience warming above global level. India will also begin to experience more seasonal variation in temperature with more warming in the winters than summers. Longevity of heat waves across India has extended in recent years with warmer night temperatures and hotter days, and this trend is expected to continue. Strategic research priorities are outlined for a range of sectors that underpin global food security, including: agriculture, ecosystem services from agriculture, climate change, international trade, water management solutions, the water-energy-food security nexus, service delivery to smallholders and women farmers, and better governance models and regional priority setting. There is a need to look beyond agriculture and invest in affordable and suitable farm technologies if the problem of food insecurity is to be addressed in a sustainable manner. Introduction Globally, agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change. This vulnerability is relatively higher in India in view of the large population depending on agriculture and poor coping capabilities of small and marginal farmers. Impacts of climate change pose a serious threat to food security. “Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (World Food Summit, 1996). This definition gives rise to four dimensions of food security: availability of food, accessibility (economically and physically), utilization (the way it is used and assimilated by the human body) and stability of these three dimensions. According to the United Nations, in 2015, there are still 836 million people in the world living in extreme poverty (less than USD1.25/day) (UN, 2015). And according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), at least 70 percent of the very poor live in rural areas, most of them depending partly (or completely) on agriculture for their livelihoods. It is estimated that 500 million smallholder farms in the developing world are supporting almost 2 billion people, and in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa these small farms produce about 80 percent of the food consumed. Climate change threatens to reverse the progress made so far in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. As highlighted by the assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC), climate change augments and intensifies risks to food security for the most vulnerable countries and populations. Few of the major risks induced by climate change, as identified by IPCC have direct consequences for food security (IPCC, 2007). These are mainly to loss of rural livelihoods and income, loss of marine and coastal ecosystems, livelihoods loss of terrestrial and inland water ecosystems and food insecurity (breakdown of food systems). Rural farmers, whose livelihood depends on the use of natural resources, are likely to bear the brunt of adverse impacts. Most of the crop simulation model runs and experiments under elevated temperature and carbon dioxide indicate that by 2030, a 3-7% decline in the yield of principal cereal crops like rice and wheat is likely in India by adoption of current production technologies. Global warming impacts growth, reproduction and yields of food and horticulture crops, increases crop water requirement, causes more soil erosion, increases thermal stress on animals leading to decreased milk yields and change the distribution and breeding season of fisheries. Fast changing climatic conditions, shrinking land, water and other natural resources with rapid growing population around the globe has put many challenges before us (Mukherjee, 2014). Food is going to be second most challenging issue for mankind in time to come. India will also begin to experience more seasonal variation in temperature with more warming in the winters than summers (Christensen et al., 2007). Climate change is posing a great threat to agriculture and food security in India and it's subcontinent. Water is the most critical agricultural input in India, as 55% of the total cultivated areas do not have irrigation facilities. Currently we are able to secure food supplies under these varying conditions. Under the threat of climate variability, our food grain production system becomes quite comfortable and easily accessible for local people. India's food grain production is estimated to rise 2 per cent in 2020-21 crop years to an all-time high of 303.34 million tonnes on better output of rice, wheat, pulse and coarse cereals amid good monsoon rains last year. In the 2019-20 crop year, the country's food grain output (comprising wheat, rice, pulses and coarse cereals) stood at a record 297.5 million tonnes (MT). Releasing the second advance estimates for 2020-21 crop year, the agriculture ministry said foodgrain production is projected at a record 303.34 MT. As per the data, rice production is pegged at record 120.32 MT as against 118.87 MT in the previous year. Wheat production is estimated to rise to a record 109.24 MT in 2020-21 from 107.86 MT in the previous year, while output of coarse cereals is likely to increase to 49.36 MT from 47.75 MT. Pulses output is seen at 24.42 MT, up from 23.03 MT in 2019-20 crop year. In the non-foodgrain category, the production of oilseeds is estimated at 37.31 MT in 2020-21 as against 33.22 MT in the previous year. Sugarcane production is pegged at 397.66 MT from 370.50 MT in the previous year, while cotton output is expected to be higher at 36.54 million bales (170 kg each) from 36.07. This production figure seem to be sufficient for current population, but we need to improve more and more with vertical farming and advance agronomic and crop improvement tools for future burgeoning population figure under the milieu of climate change issue. Our rural mass and tribal people have very limited resources and they sometime complete depend on forest microhabitat. To order to ensure food and nutritional security for growing population, a new strategy needs to be initiated for growing of crops in changing climatic condition. The country has a large pool of underutilized or underexploited fruit or cereals crops which have enormous potential for contributing to food security, nutrition, health, ecosystem sustainability under the changing climatic conditions, since they require little input, as they have inherent capabilities to withstand biotic and abiotic stress. Apart from the impacts on agronomic conditions of crop productions, climate change also affects the economy, food systems and wellbeing of the consumers (Abbade, 2017). Crop nutritional quality become very challenging, as we noticed that, zinc and iron deficiency is a serious global health problem in humans depending on cereal-diet and is largely prevalent in low-income countries like Sub-Saharan Africa, and South and South-east Asia. We report inefficiency of modern-bred cultivars of rice and wheat to sequester those essential nutrients in grains as the reason for such deficiency and prevalence (Debnath et al., 2021). Keeping in mind the crop yield and nutritional quality become very daunting task to our food security issue and this can overcome with the proper and time bound research in cognizance with the environment. Threat and challenges In recent years, climate change has become a debatable issue worldwide. South Asia will be one of the most adversely affected regions in terms of impacts of climate change on agricultural yield, economic activity and trading policies. Addressing climate change is central for global future food security and poverty alleviation. The approach would need to implement strategies linked with developmental plans to enhance its adaptive capacity in terms of climate resilience and mitigation. Over time, there has been a visible shift in the global climate change initiative towards adaptation. Adaptation can complement mitigation as a cost-effective strategy to reduce climate change risks. The impact of climate change is projected to have different effects across societies and countries. Mitigation and adaptation actions can, if appropriately designed, advance sustainable development and equity both within and across countries and between generations. One approach to balancing the attention on adaptation and mitigation strategies is to compare the costs and benefits of both the strategies. The most imminent change is the increase in the atmospheric temperatures due to increase levels of GHGs (Green House Gases) i.e. carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) etc into the atmosphere. The global mean annual temperatures at the end of the 20th

The article is devoted to studying innovative principles of public policy in Ukraine’s food security sphere. The author analyzed the current state and challenges of food security in Ukraine due to globalization, military conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other threats. The author also considered the main directions and tools of public policy aimed at ensuring food security at the national and regional levels, as well as Ukraine’s contribution to global food security. The research used comparative analysis, statistical analysis, case study, and SWOT analysis methods. Food security affects the development of countries and the world. Ukraine has the potential to improve it but faces challenges such as a low level of the economy, corruption, underfunding of education and science, weak state policy, and military aggression of Russia. A comprehensive and innovative strategy is needed to improve food security in Ukraine, which would consider all aspects of the food system. Ukraine can benefit from the experience of other countries that have successfully implemented innovative principles of public policy, such as Estonia, Israel, Singapore, and South Korea. Food security of Ukraine and the world in the conditions of war and pandemic is a dangerous scenario that requires an immediate and joint response from the international community. Based on the obtained results, the author developed recommendations and proposals for improving public policy in the sphere of food security in Ukraine, in particular regarding the creation of a national system of monitoring and early warning of food threats, development of sustainable agricultural production, diversification of production and markets, increasing competitiveness and innovativeness of cultural and creative industries, strengthening participation and accountability in the cultural sphere, as well as using the experience and best practices of other countries. It is necessary to show political will and leadership of the authorities and interested parties to improve the situation, introduce an effective system of monitoring and evaluation of food security using modern technologies, and implement innovative principles of public policy, which would contribute to the development of the agricultural sector, standards and safety of food products, information culture and awareness of the population. The article has theoretical and practical significance for researchers, practitioners, authorities, public organizations, and other interested parties who deal with food security issues in Ukraine and the world. Keywords: innovative principles, public policy, food security, Ukraine, competitiveness, analysis, current state, recommendations, indicators, modeling, improvement.

Food security is one of the crucial areas of global concerns, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic, a number of countries, including Malaysia, started to impose a generalised quarantine or lockdown as a measure to curb the spread of the disease. The key aspect of this measure is the restricted movement of people, goods and transportation. As a result, food supply and consequently, food security became embroiled in the mix. Questions such as will we be able to get the food supply during the pandemic, will there be enough food for everyone, and how will we cope in ensuring household food security were asked. Thus, the aim of this paper is to explore the issues of household food security and the short-term coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically focusing on the views of respondents from Sarawak, Malaysia. Findings and discussion in this paper are based on data that was collected online from 235 respondents from all over Sarawak, Malaysia. It is found that availability of food is not really an issue but the challenges of food security during the COVID-19 pandemic are more focused on access to their preferred food and the choices of food that are available. A number of coping strategies has also been identified, such as getting food from alternative sources like online shopping, home vegetable gardens and preservation and storing of surplus food to make them last longer. These measures are not considered as severe.

Micro-food businesses play a vital role in Malaysia’s economy, making it imperative to understand their dynamics concerning food supply and crisis management for business resilience. This paper delves into the critical issue of food security within the context of micro-food businesses in Malaysia, particularly how they grapple with challenges like maintaining food supply chain stability during crises. Through a narrative review, this research explores the four pillars of food security (availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability) while incorporating agency and sustainability considerations. The review also analyzes food security at general, national, and micro-food business levels, encompassing food supply and crisis management strategies. A comprehensive search was conducted on Emerald Insight, Scopus, and Google Scholar, incorporating Google searches for pertinent reports and policy documents. Drawing on existing literature and research in this field, the paper sheds light on the ongoing challenges and issues surrounding food security among micro-food businesses in Malaysia. Besides, it underscores the need for further in-depth investigations to gain a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of this sector’s intricacies. By highlighting these areas, this study contributes to the ongoing discourse on food security and calls for proactive measures to address the persistent challenges faced by micro-food businesses in Malaysia, ultimately contributing to broader global food stability efforts.

Climate change in the global perspective has increased the occurrence of natural disasters, which subsequently decreased agricultural production and intensified the issue of food security. Developing countries, such as Pakistan, are facing severe food security issues, where most of the population still experiences poverty and hunger in their daily lives. Flood disasters ruin valuable land, cause agricultural production losses, and interrupt livelihood routines as expected household livelihood becomes more vulnerable. This research work focused on investigating the flood hazards vulnerability and risk of food security in the Bait community flood-prone areas of Punjab, Pakistan, with a broader aspect in contrast to previous research work. A constructed food security index composed of several IPCC and FAO factors with correlated dimensions of food security was used for the empirical estimation in this study. A composite food security index was developed through polychoric principal component analysis. To estimate the influence on the overall food security condition in the study area, a food security index was regressed on various independent variables. Estimates of the study indicated that three-fourths of household respondents in the study area are confronted with the issue of food security with changeable scale. Financing schemes, physical assets, and family type illustrated the positive influence on respondents' food security level, whereas respondents suffering property losses owing to floods had a negative influence. The study findings suggested integrated strategies must be adopted to effectively deal with issues of food security in the scenario of increasing severity of flood disasters. Policymakers and disaster-concerned institutions need to develop disaster risk mitigation strategies by constructing new water reserves and clearing river encroachments to deal with flood disasters. Agricultural research and development authorities need to provide climate friendly seed varieties and promote particular food crops for flood prone areas to ensure food security and reduce livelihood vulnerability, specifically for the flood-prone communities.

<p><em>Indonesia responds to the urgency of the threat of food crisis by </em><em>developing</em><em> national food estate. According to reports released by FAO and United Nations, the Covid-19 pandemic has the potential to threaten more than 50 million people towards extreme poverty. This has an impact on the global food crisis that threatens other countries if they do not take the right steps immediately. Food crisis is one of the non-traditional threats because it has significant impact on lives of many people in a country. Non-traditional threats are defined as security threats that hit a country non-militarily, it can be in the form of issues of climate change, economy, limited resources, disease outbreaks, or food security. Food security can be achieved when access to food can be easily achieved by all elements of society and meets the domestic needs. However, when access to food cannot be easily accessed by public, it creates a potential for a food crisis. This is because food is the primary need of every individual which must be fulfilled at any time so it is a national security issue. Through these problems, the availability of national food security must be guaranteed by the government. Along with high population growth and a pandemic outbreak, national food security and stability is on the verge of limitations. This article aims to explain the development of food estate as Indonesia’s strategy in facing the threat of food crisis in the next few years. This research used qualitative analysis method to understand the urgency of the development of food estate as a way for Indonesia to face the threat of food crisis by using the theory of threats, food security, and food estate. In this case, Jokowi responded to the threat of the food crisis by building national food estate in Central Kalimantan. The development of national food estate is considered to be able to meet Indonesia’s food reserves in the next few years, especially after the pandemic period. The results of the research in this article show that the government sees the potential for the food crisis as a national threat, so it needs measurable steps that can overcome these problems and pay attention to the sustainability aspect in its implementation. Therefore, building a food estate is the right step to answer this challenge.</em></p><p><strong><em>Keywords: </em></strong><em>n</em><em>on-</em><em>t</em><em>raditional </em><em>t</em><em>hreat, </em><em>f</em><em>ood </em><em>c</em><em>rises, </em><em>f</em><em>ood </em><em>s</em><em>ecurity, </em><em>f</em><em>ood </em><em>e</em><em>state, national security</em></p>

The article reveals the general state of food security and its problems, which consist in providing the country with food. It was found that modern research on food security is limited to the issue of food security in the context of the coronavirus pandemic and hostilities in the country. The study revealed that modern national and global food security systems are very vulnerable to the consequences of the crisis. An analysis of data on the volume of production and consumption of food by the population, which are quite disappointing at the present time, was also made. Then, an action plan was developed to ensure food security in martial law conditions and the National Food Security Platform was created, which consists in the fact that the international community jointly prepared and signed the “Initiative for the Safe Transportation of Grain and Food Products from Ukrainian Ports”, which provides for the creation of a security mechanism for the transportation of grain and food products from the port of Greater Odessa. The current issues of food security in wartime conditions, which are complicated by the fact that about a third of Ukraine is a battlefield unsuitable for cultivation due to conflicts, are considered. Safe areas of state regulation of food products are identified (Odesa, Chornomorsk, Pivdenny). Positive results from the implementation of priority areas of state regulation of food safety are noted. The study confirms the thesis of the need for joint coordinated efforts of the international community to counter the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in order to ensure food security at the national and global levels. But best of all, the world community should begin to address the issue of preventing crisis situations at the early stages. Because it is cheaper and safer to prevent any situation than to deal with its consequences later.

Food Security in <scp>COVID</scp>‐19: Insights from Indigenous Fijian Communities

Purpose – This chapter explores the way in which the food crisis of 2008 and issues of food security have impinged upon debates about agriculture and agricultural support in Scotland. Methodology/approach – Adopting a discourse analytic approach, a series of pivotal Scottish agricultural policy documents produced between 2001 and 2010 are examined. Official agricultural policy discourse over time is traced as is the nature of that discourse as the food crisis impinged upon and altered the context of debates about agricultural policy reform. Findings – The chapter finds that prior to the food crisis, agricultural policy documents were dominated by neoliberal discourse that emphasised the importance of agriculture becoming more oriented towards the market and by a growing emphasis on multifunctionality. But after the food crisis, the dominant political rhetoric utilised different arguments to defend agricultural subsidies and argue for a continuing role for the state in perpetuating agricultural production. It is suggested, however, that the key factor in this retrenchment to continued farm support was not the food crisis per se; rather, it was the intersection of issues of food security with the rise to power of the Scottish nationalists and their resistance to the UK's neoliberal position. Originality/value – The chapter provides the key insight that, for Scotland at least, the food crisis did not spark a change in domestic agricultural policies, but rather became an argumentative resource that was opportunistically deployed in established debates about agricultural policy reform.

Moving forward from 2020, Africa faces an eminent challenge of food safety and security in the coming years. The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations (UN) estimates that 20% of Africa’s population of 1.2 billion people face the highest level of undernourishment in the world, likely to worsen due to COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the entire world to its knees. Factors such as insecurity and conflict, poverty, climate change and population growth have been identified as critical contributors to the food security challenges on the continent. Biotechnological research on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) provides a range of opportunities (such as increased crop yields, resistance to pests and diseases, enhanced nutrient composition and food quality) in addressing the hunger, malnutrition and food security issues on the continent. However, the acceptance and adoption of GMOs on the continent has been remarkably slow, perhaps due to contrasting views about the benefits and safety concerns associated with them. With the reality of food insecurity and the booming population in Africa, there is an eminent need for a more pragmatic position to this debate. The present review presents an overview of the current situation of food safety and security and attempts to reconcile major viewpoints on GMOs research considering the current food safety and security crisis in the African continent.