The role of the population's access to basic needs in building resilience and ensuring food security: Case study of Romania

Purpose. The aim of the article is to study the role of tools of economic diplomacy in ensuring food security, identification of effective measures that contribute to the stability of food systems and their reform in the context of global challenges. Methodology of research. A set of scientific methods was used to achieve the goal of the study, in particular: the abstract and logical method was used to formulate generalizations and conclusions based on the results of the analysis of the relationship between economic diplomacy and food security; methods of analysis and synthesis were used to substantiate theoretical approaches to economic diplomacy, to substantiate the impact of its tools on food security; comparative analysis – to study the experience of leading countries in the world in using tools of economic diplomacy to develop food systems and ensure the protection of agricultural producers; empirical analysis – to assess the policy of protectionism and the use of restrictive measures by countries in international trade, the impact of Ukraine's economic diplomacy tools on its foreign trade and food security in the world; institutional analysis – to identify the role of institutions (including funds) in solving food issues; the method of visual analysis was used to visualize the results of the study through graphs, charts and tables. Findings. The multifaceted nature of the problem of food security is substantiated. The directions of its research in the scientific field are analysed. It is confirmed that research on food security through the prism of economic diplomacy is not frequent in the domestic scientific literature. However, in practice, countries use mechanisms of bilateral and multilateral cooperation to solve food security problems. It is substantiated that food security is significantly affected by changes in the geopolitical and geo-economics order, a crisis of confidence in international organizations, climate change and environmental policy. The main tools of economic diplomacy, with which it affects food security, are identified. The landscape of economic diplomacy is characterized by the intervention of countries in international trade that are protectionist in nature. The role of agrarian protectionism for food security is determined. The state of protection of agricultural producers in 2023 in individual countries of the world is analysed. The problem of foreign trade regulation for Ukraine and the main barriers, including in the agricultural sector, are revealed. The role of multilateral diplomacy in ensuring food security is revealed. The programs of individual countries and funds aimed at overcoming the food crisis and maintaining food security are analysed. The role of Ukraine in ensuring global food security and the main challenges it experiences in connection with the war are argued. The role of regional integration in food security is confirmed. Measures are proposed for the effective use of economic diplomacy tools to ensure food security. Originality. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the comprehensive analysis of economic diplomacy tools aimed at ensuring food security in the face of modern global challenges; substantiation of their role in stabilizing food systems in the context of climate change, geopolitical instability, social and economic inequality. Practical value. The practical value of the study lies in the fact that the approaches developed in it to the use of economic diplomacy tools to ensure food security and the conclusions drawn can be used by food security actors at all levels of its functioning, including in the process of improving state policy in the field of food security, integration into educational programs for training specialists in international relations and international economic relations. Key words: geopolitical uncertainty, food security, agriculture, economic diplomacy, tools of economic diplomacy, bilateral and multilateral cooperation, protectionist policy, agrarian protectionism, international trade, foreign trade of Ukraine, WTO, financing of food security programs.

PurposeThis paper aims to review scientific contributions that are essential to reduce the challenges to food security in Africa through food processing and appropriate storage technologies.Design/methodology/approachSeveral literature studies on the role of food processing and appropriate storage technologies in ensuring food security and food availability in Africa were critically reviewed.FindingsThe study revealed that the world faces multiple challenges to food security including under nutrition and overconsumption, rising food prices, population growth, rapid diet transitions, threats to agricultural production, inefficient production practices and supply chains and declining investment in food system research. Many people lack adequate amounts of foods that are rich in the nutrients needed for a healthy and productive life. According to FAO, 1996, chronic undernutrition affects 43 per cent of the Africa’s population or some 215 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. Food security is highly instrumental to the economic growth and sustainability of any country. The use of simple but effective on- and off-farm storage facilities and agro-processing technology should be promoted to add value to products and increase their shelf-life. The Strategic Grain Reserve Scheme should be modernized, strengthened and upgraded to a National Food Reserve Program, which will enable it to handle all staples and essential food products. This will help in attainment of national food security goal. It is also crucial to promote and develop agro-processing in the various African countries for the evolution of virile agro-allied industries and rural micro-enterprises.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper reviewed the role of food processing and appropriate food storage technologies in ensuring food security and availability in Africa. There are insufficient data and information on adoption of new food processing and appropriate storage technologies in Africa. Although, there have been some instances where the introduction of modern techniques has resulted in products rejection by consumers.Practical implicationsThe paper helps in reviewing food situation in Africa and how to make food available for the people and Africa food secured.Social implicationsThis paper revealed strategies that could be used to improve food security and ensuring food availability in Africa.Originality/valueThis review paper is of value to policymakers, government agencies responsible for food quality control and assurance and consumers to make food available and affordable for the people.

Economic Reforms and Food Security

Who Eats, Where, What, and How? COVID-19, Food Security, and Canadian Foodscapes

At the moment, there are several definitions of food security in Russian agricultural and legal science. After analyzing their content, the authors argue that the country’s food security is an integral part of national security. It describes the degree of realization of the human right to food in the country and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. It guarantees the physical and economic availability to citizens of high-quality and safe food in the quantities necessary for a healthy diet. The advantages of this definition are to take into account international recommendations, as well as to avoid a narrow economic perception of the goals and objectives of ensuring food security in the Russian Federation or another country. Ensuring food security is a strategic socio-economic and environmental goal for any State. When solving this problem in Russia, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between “food security” and “food independence”. If the first category characterizes the degree of provision of the population with quantitative and qualitative food, its physical and economic accessibility and security. In the second category, the emphasis is on “import substitution”, that is, the percentage of products produced in the country and imported. In the Russian Federation, the main focus of public authorities is on ensuring food independence to the detriment of the goals and objectives of ensuring food security. Food security is one of the guarantees of sustainable agricultural development and is located at the intersection of three types of national security: economic, social, and environmental. Since Russia is a federal state, the Constitution of the Russian Federation provides not only for the subjects of the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation but also for the institution of joint jurisdiction of the Russian Federation and its subjects. This is a number of important issues of state-building, within which the subjects of the Russian Federation can adopt their legislative acts. One of such areas of legislative regulation in the subjects of the Russian Federation is the issue of ensuring food security. Having studied the relevant laws of the subjects of the Russian Federation, we concluded that there can be no different levels of food security in the state since the Russian Federation is a set of its subjects. It follows from this that the subject of the Russian Federation cannot set food security indicators lower than it is provided for at the federal level. However, the subject has the right to introduce additional indicators (or indicators higher than the federal ones), which are achieved by the forces and means of such a subject of the Russian Federation. In addition, during the analysis of the legislative acts of the subjects of the Russian Federation on food security, we found that there is massive duplication of the text. The text is from the Food Security Doctrine of the Russian Federation in 2020, which is hardly appropriate.

Food production, availability, agricultural systems, and food security are intricately linked components of the global food system. Ensuring food security, defined as the availability, access, and stability of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for all, is one of the most pressing challenges faced by both developed and developing countries. This comprehensive review explores the relationship between food production and availability, the role of agricultural systems in ensuring food security, and the critical factors that influence these processes, including climate change, technological advancements, policy frameworks, and socioeconomic factors. Food availability is shaped by both the efficiency of agricultural systems and the effectiveness of food distribution networks. This involves addressing post-harvest losses, improving storage and transportation infrastructure, and managing global trade dynamics. The review also delves into the impact of climate change on food systems, highlighting the need for resilient agricultural practices and adaptive policies to ensure long-term food security. The review concludes by advocating for a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to food security that integrates sustainable agricultural development, policy interventions, technological innovation, and community-level resilience to ensure equitable and sustainable food systems for future generations.

Food and nutrition security impacts of resilience capacity: Evidence from rural Ethiopia

With more than 60% of the world’s population, some of the fastest growing economies and only 37% of the world’s arable land and 36% of the world’s water resources, Asia’s food security challenges are formidable, to say the least. The region is currently home to six of the world’s top ten most populous countries and to half of the world’s urban population. It is thus no wonder that it plays a dominant role in the demand for global food production and inevitably in global food security. However, despite remarkable success in reducing poverty over the years, a strong agricultural sector and vibrant economic growth, pushing some Asian countries to middle income status, Asia still suffers from high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), over 60% of all the undernourished in the world, 578 million out of 925 million, live in this region with an overwhelming share (86%) belonging to middle income countries. The future is similarly disconcerting. Emerging trends occurring globally and regionally are changing the food security landscape in Asia and threatening further its ability to feed itself. Asia’s food security is under significant pressure from a variety of factors that include population growth and urbanisation, increasing affluence, the transformation of the agriculture sector, natural resource constraints, climate change, unsustainable trade practices and high and volatile food and oil prices. Regrettably, the effects of these trends endanger further the hundreds of millions of poor small farms that dominate Asian farming systems and the large number of rural households that depend on them for their existence. Small-holder farmers currently contribute roughly 25% of the overall global food production. However, they also constitute about half of the 1 billion people living in chronic hunger. In order to address the twin aims of poverty reduction and food security in Asia, governments need to urgently prioritise agriculture and make pro-poor investments, particularly if they wish to maintain stability and peace within their borders. With 80% of Asia’s poor still residing in rural areas, significant investments in agriculture R&D, extension services, smallThis report provides the summary of the main findings of the International Conference on Asian Food Security which was convened and organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in Singapore on 10–12 August 2011. The meeting brought together experts from the public, private, civil society and academic sectors. The Conference programme was purposely based around the four basic dimensions of food security: food availability, physical access, economic access and utilisation with the added driver of investment. The aim was to present and examine a broader view of the range of issues involved in ensuring food security in the region, with a particular emphasis on the dependencies between rural and urban environments and to provide policy recommendations. The conference culminated with the ‘ICAFS Statement on Feeding Asia in the 21st Century’, which is summarised at the end of this report.

Rising agricultural water scarcity in China is driven by expansion of irrigated cropland in water scarce regions

The 2007-2008 food crises and the renewed surge in food prices in 2010-2011 have exposed deep structural problems in the global food system and the need to increase food production. The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing "when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life". Despite Nepal has no worse food and nutrition security situation among SAARC countries, there are some districts where food is always in shortage. The explicit constitutional recognition of the right to food and other related provisions in articles 36 and 42 of the new constitution will be instrumental for implementing food security programs in the country. Food security for poor people is based on sustainable food production. Many proven technologies and improved practices have the promise to boost agricultural production and ensure food security in developing countries like Nepal. Food and Nutrition security program (FANUSEP) is one of the flagship programs of Agriculture Development Strategy 2015-2035 (ADS), which is in the first phase of its implementation. It aims at improving the food and nutrition security of the most disadvantaged groups of the population.

Subject/topic. The article presents the results of the analysis of the country's food security, identifies problems. The purpose of the work is to analyze the system of ensuring food security in Russia and identify its main problems in the context of global challenges and threats. Methodology. The reliability of the results of the conducted research is ensured by the correctness of the construction of the logic and scheme of the study. As a methodological basis were used the scientific and applied results of research by Russian and foreign scientists in the areas of ensuring food security, problems of import substitution and building the potential of the agro-industrial complex. The information base of the study includes data from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, the World Trade Organization and regulatory legal acts; materials of state statistics bodies, etc. Conclusions/significance. As a result of the conducted scientific research, the following conclusions were made that having the world's largest natural resources, Russia consumes resources 8 times less than the United States and Europe, while not being able to meet the population's demand for food products at the expense of its own production, making up for the lack of them with large-scale imports, even those types of food that can be produced independently in sufficient quantities. It was noted that over the past 20 years, by the end of 2020, the volume of exports of food and agricultural raw materials exceeded imports, however, it is impossible to speak with full confidence about ensuring food security in Russia since there are a number of systemic problems. At the same time, the adoption of the Food Security Doctrine and other regulatory documents providing socio-economic support for the village and the intensification of agricultural production had, to a certain extent, a positive impact, but the achieved level of food security is insufficient to consider the problem of independence close to a solution. A decrease in the income of the population and an increase in the price of food lead to a lower supply of food products to the population, due to a decrease in their economic accessibility, as well as to an increase in the share of food costs in the total expenditures of the population. There is a tendency to reduce the physical availability of food due to the transformation of channels and methods of selling products. In general, the thresholds set by the Doctrine in 2020 were reached for vegetable oil (61,7 percentage points higher), grain (+11 percentage points) and meat and meat products (+9 percentage points). Below the threshold values are such categories of food products as: fruits and berries (-22,6 pp.), fish and fish products (-16,8 pp.), sugar (-8,7 pp.), vegetables and melons (-4,4 pp.), milk and dairy products (-0,7 pp.). In the Global Food Security Index, Russia is in 24th place in terms of food availability, in terms of their quality and safety – the thirtieth. Also, as follows from the rating, scientific research and development are practically not developed, agricultural infrastructure is poorly developed, and there are also political and social barriers. As for the availability of food for the population, Russia is on the 20th position in the rating (87,2 points). We believe that taking into account the production potential in the field of agricultural production, a place even in the top ten for food security would be insufficient for Russia. In this situation, it is advisable to study and implement the best practices of international experience in ensuring food security, based on three main approaches: protectionist (Japan, Norway) – protection of domestic production; intermediate (EU countries) – ensuring food security within the EU; export-oriented (USA) – subsidizing exports provided that the domestic market is saturated with products. Research in this direction is further in the framework of deepening the studied problems. Application. The obtained results of the study can be used by the authorities and management as a theoretical and practical basis for making managerial and operational decisions in the field of ensuring food security of the country.

Policy Options to Achieve Food Security in South Asia pulls together all South Asian countries and identifies major issues of food security in the individual country. The chapters highlight issues such as initiatives and policies taken up in these countries to achieve the goal of food security and also critically evaluate the effectiveness of these policies. It suggests measures to overcome the identified constraints and make the policies more effective. It also talks about the SAARC food bank to ensure food security in the region. The question of food security has a number of dimensions that go beyond production, availability and demand for food. Food availability does not ensure food security, thus distribution and access of population to food is equally important for food security. Food availability through better distribution mechanisms and alternatively through imports can ensure food security.

The presented study examines the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the macro- and microeconomic environment of the Russian Federation and the state of the country’s food and economic security. Aim. The study aims to assess the impact of the pandemic and the associated socio-economic environmental factors on the deterioration of the country’s food and economic security. Tasks. The authors examine the key factors that have a destabilizing effect on the economy in the context of the modern COVID-19 pandemic; analyze the issue of ensuring food security under modern conditions; substantiate the correlation between food security deterioration, the growth of unemployment, and increasing share of financially disadvantaged citizens in the context of falling effective demand. Methods. This study is based on an interdisciplinary approach, analysis of scientific works of the Market Economy Institute of the RAS in the field of the country’s food and economic security, and information from public sources. The authors use analytical, statistical, and econometric research methods to examine the specific features of ensuring the country’s food and economic security. Results. The pandemic is shown to have a destabilizing effect on the economy due to a number of direct and indirect factors. Among the obvious factors are the decline in trade and industrial production, closure of service enterprises, and dismissal of employees, which leads to an increase in unemployment. Direct factors include a decline in personal income and effective demand and direct costs of measures to combat the pandemic. Indirect factors include the growth of welfare payments, financial support for enterprises, a decline in tax and other budget revenues due to the falling oil price. It is substantiated that increased unemployment and falling effective demand of the share of financially disadvantaged citizens have a direct negative effect on the food and economic security of the population. The problem of growing and selling products of private farms is shown to be crucial for ensuring food security. Conclusions. The consequences of the pandemic have a devastating impact on the economy and negatively affect food security. Therefore, it might take many moths or even years for the economy to return to its normal state.

The work is devoted to the problem of ensuring food and social security in the Republic of Crimea, which is due to the fact that food security is a factor that has a major impact on the welfare and standard of living of the population. The criteria for ensuring food security are determined, a system of indicators characterizing the criteria for an integral indicator of the food security of the region is presented. The assessment of the state of food and social security of the Republic of Crimea for the period 2014-2018, which is due to the most difficult transition period of Crimea's entry into Russia, has been carried out. The work assesses the state of food and social security of the Republic of Crimea for 2014-2018, identifies threats to ensuring food security. As a result of the study, a decrease in the production of livestock and crop production was found. The reasons for the decrease in the growth rate of agricultural production in the Crimea have been determined. The direct impact of food security on social security has been established, threats to the social development of the labor force of the Republic of Crimea have been analyzed and identified. An assessment of the population of the Republic of Crimea with monetary incomes below the subsistence level was carried out, which showed that 20-23% of the region's population live below the poverty line. Analysis of the demographic situation in the Republic of Crimea revealed the threat of rapid aging of the population, i.e. there is an increase in the number of citizens of retirement age in the general structure of the region's population. Population shrinking is a threat to social security. The conducted research and the conclusions made made it possible to develop proposals and recommendations for ensuring food and social security, solving social problems and increasing the standard of living of the population.

The food crisis of 2007-2008 and the renewed surge in food prices in 2010-2011 have exposed deep structural problems in the global food system and the need to increase food production. The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing "when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life". Despite Nepal has no worse food and nutrition security situation among SAARC countries, there are some districts where food is always in shortage. Also some ethnic groups who are bit away from this type of food security system gaining. Some activities are also done by some organizations to them but in few needed term only. The explicit constitutional recognition of the right to food and other related provisions in articles 36 and 42 of the new constitution will be instrumental for implementing food security programs in the country. The food security for the poor people is based on sustainable food production. Many proven technologies and improved practices have promise to boost agricultural production and ensure food security in developing countries like Nepal. Food and Nutrition security program (FANUSEP) is one of the flagship programs of Agriculture Development Strategy 2015-2035 (ADS), which is at the first phase of its implementation. It aims at improving food and nutrition security of the most vulnerable groups of the population