Global Aspects of Food Security in the World: Economic Dimensions

Abstract

Abstract. Introduction. Food security is the basis of national security of any country. The definition of food security is based on four main dimensions, which include the physical availability of food, the economic availability of food, the quality and safety of products, and the environmental sustainability of food production. Thus, if the measurements of the physical availability of food, its quality and environmental safety are mainly related to the sphere of regulation of the system of technologies and sciences related to the production of agricultural products, then the question of the economic availability of food belongs to the sphere of scientific research by economists who develop recommendations for reforming state policy to improve this indicator. The vast majority of studies on the issue of the economic availability of food concern the provision of rational standards of consumption of the nutritional and energy composition of food products. At the same time, the consequences of not complying with these standards of consumption both in the short-term and in the long-term, which lead to the deterioration of the health and productive forces of the population, require a more in-depth study. Purpose. The purpose of the study is to define and analyze the basic aspects of food security through the prism of the economic dimension in order to form a map of bottlenecks in ensuring food security in the world and to find solutions for their elimination. Results. Full provision of food security is possible only under the condition of ensuring its main components: availability, quality, safety of food, as well as economic availability of food products. It is possible to ensure the ability of citizens to purchase the necessary nutrients through a comprehensive policy of increasing the level of real incomes of the population, as well as through the development of agricultural technologies. Decreasing the quality of the diet leads to systemic problems with the health of the population, which affects the composition and quality of labor resources in the country, and, as a result, affects the development of productive forces. Conclusions. The insufficient level of food security, which is based on the economic impossibility of providing adequate nutrition for the population, leads to systemic health problems and reduces productive potential. In addition to the crisis caused by the epidemiological consequences, the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine led to the deepening of the global economic and food crisis. The significant rapid growth of the consumer price index for food confirms the fact that food prices have risen, which forces many consumers to review their consumption habits. This change in consumption habits often leads to a deterioration of the diet, which in developing countries leads to malnutrition, and in developed countries can serve as a cause of obesity, even among children. To eliminate the negative effects of unhealthy nutrition, states should take care of the use of advanced agricultural technologies that would help ensure high harvests and reduce food prices.