FOOD SECURITY

MEANING OF FOOD SECURITY
Ø Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and preferences for an active and healthy life (fao, 1996)
Ø Adequate Production Of Diverse Food Items In A Sustainable Manner In Response To Rising Demand, Resulting From Population And Income Growth, No Trade Barriers Across The World, Appropriate Infrastructure And Institutions For Effective Food delivery and distribution and adequate purchasing power in the hands of all, are the key elements of food security

NATURE AND SOURCES OF THE PRESENT FOOD CRISIS
Ø Wheat Production in 2007-08 increased Marginally over the previous year. But it was still lower than 2005 level. Production in Europe, Canada, Pakistan, North Africa, Especially Morocco And Australia came down. prices are abnormally high, above us$ 400 per tonne.
Ø Rice Production In 2007-08 Was At Last Year’s Level. There Was Increase In Production. In India, Indonesia, China, And Bangladesh. But It Declined In Japan, Philippine, Viet Nam, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Mali, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Australia, And European Union. International Market Prices Are All Time High, At Above US$ 1000 Per Tonne. During jan-april, the rice prices rose by about 68 percent. There are restrictions on exports by india, china, viet nam and egypt.
Ø Production Of Course Grains, Particularly Corn And Sorghum Increased In 2007-08. But Prices Remain Abnormally High Due To Increased Demand Of Animal Feed As Well As Bio-fuel. The Maize Prices Peaked To 10 Year High In 2007. The Average Prices Of Course Grains Increased By 165 To 28 Percent Over A Year, While Average Food Prices Jumped By 25 To 70 Percent.
Ø The cost of cereal imports to low income food deficit countries increased from us$ 14.03 billions in 2002-03 to us$ 33.11 billion in 2007-08.
Ø International market prices of dairy products are twice their level of one year ago. Also prices of all the three major groups of meat, i.E. Bovine, pig and poultry meat are up by 4 percent. Fish prices however remain sub-dued.
Ø Due to high prices, volumes of import and availability of food have declined in many countries.

FUTURE OUTLOOK
Ø It has been estimated that by 2020, about 400 million tones of grain will be burnt for bio-fuel. This is almost equal to the entire world’s rice production.
Ø As a result of climate change, global food production may decline by 2 to 6 percent by 2030 and by 5 to 11 percent by 2050. In several tropical countries, the effect of temperature rise may be disastrous.
Ø World’s ability to maintain food supplies against rising demand, changing climate and appropriate institutional and policy responses are the key challenges on the food front.
Ø While Improvement In Technology And Infrastructure For Higher Food Production In A Cost Effective And Sustainable Manager Would Be Important, Appropriate Institutional And Policy Responses In Terms Of International And Regional Co-operation In enhancing food production and food supplies without any trade restrictions would be necessary.
Ø Large Number Of People In The Developing Countries Of Asia And Africa Are Poor. Malnourished And Do Not Have Adequate Purchasing Power. So The Issue Of Regional And Household Level Food Security Are As Important As The Macro Level Food Security.

WHAT CO-OPERATIVES CAN DO TO IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY?
At The Micro Level, Co-operation Among Small Farmers In Any Location, Can Help Ensure Efficient And Sustainable Use Of Land, Water And Other Natural Resources For Increased Food Production For The Present And Future. Both Farming and marketing co-operatives can be helpful in this regard.

Marketing Co-operatives Can Help Stabilise Prices Of Food Artices Through Vertically Integrated Chain That Seeks To Encompass All Operations Which Intermediate Between The Primary Producer And Final Consumer And Making Food Available to poor consumers at reasonable prices. The price spread between what the producers receive and what the consumers pay gets minimized. This helps improve food production and ensure food supplies to consumers at reasonable prices.

Consumer co-operatives can help ensure distributing food items to people at reasonable rates.
Credit co-operatives and self-help groups can provide loan to poor households at zero or low service charges and help improve their effective purchasing power to buy more food and other articles.

Ø There Are Several Success Stories Of Co-operatives In India And Other Countries Of The World Which Should Be Closely Studied For Wider Replication.
Ø Besides international co-operation between surplus and deficit regions in terms of technology transfer, marketing without much barrier and food aid would be of great value.
Ø May almighty god give us a sense of co-operation at various levels to work together for food security and consequent peace and prosperity of mankind every where for all times to come.