Food Security, Market Processes, and the Role of Government Policy

Traditional analyses of food security have focused on the availability of food on farms and in markets, and on the access by households to that food. More recent concerns have stressed the effective nutritional utilization of that food by individuals, the sustainability of the food systems that produce the food, and the stability of both availability and access, often reflected in the volatility of food prices. Efforts to improve the level of food security are usually measured at the individual or household levels, but important policy issues – and political concerns – are also raised at the national level. At a global level, considerable concern exists over the outcome of the race between increases in food supplies and in food demand. Sharp increases in food demand from biofuel production raise special concerns, as does the possibility that climate change may sharply reduce yields of important food staples such as rice, wheat, and corn.