Food security and food sustainability: reformulating the debate†
Tim Lang
Centre for Food Policy, City University London, London, EC1V 0HB
Search for more papers by this authorDavid Barling
Centre for Food Policy, City University London, London, EC1V 0HB
Search for more papers by this authorTim Lang
Centre for Food Policy, City University London, London, EC1V 0HB
Search for more papers by this authorDavid Barling
Centre for Food Policy, City University London, London, EC1V 0HB
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
The notion of food security has an important history as a key concept for 20th-century policymakers. Two overarching perspectives on food security are identified. One centred on raising production as the core answer to under-consumption and hunger. The other is an emerging perspective, more social and ecological, accepting the need to address a complex array of problems, not just production. The first is primarily agricultural-focused; the latter a food systems approach. From its inception in post-World War 2 international reconstruction, the UN and governments have given tackling hunger a high profile, via a changing package of policy measures. Within a few decades, the production-oriented approach or paradigm was being questioned by the emerging paradigm with its more complex, multi-focused notion of the challenges ahead. When oil and agricultural commodity prices spiked in 2007–8, the complex agenda was marginalised by a renewed international focus on primary production and the needs of low-income countries. Against this background, the paper explores the diversity of perspectives on what is meant by food security, concluding that the core 21st-century task is to create a sustainable food system. This requires a more coherent policy framework than currently exists, a goal thwarted by competing solutions vying for policy attention and policy failure thus far to integrate the complex range of evidence from social as well as environmental and economic sources into an integrated policy response.
References
- Ambler-Edwards S, Bailey K, Kiff A, Lang T, Lee R, Marsden T, Simon D and Tibbs H 2009 Food futures: rethinking UK strategy Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), London
- Barling D, Lang T and Rayner G 2009 Current trends in European retailing and consumption and key choices facing society in ESF/COST ed Forward look: European food systems in a changing world European Science Foundation (ESF) and European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST), Brussels
- Barling D, Lang T and Sharpe R 2008 Food capacity: the root of the problem Royal Society of Arts Journal CLIV 22–27
- S Barrientos and C Dolan eds 2006 Ethical sourcing in the global food system: challenges and opportunities Earthscan, London
- Beveridge S W 1928 Food control Oxford University Press, Oxford
-
Borras S M 2003 Questioning market-led agrarian reform: experiences from Brazil, Colombia and South Africa Journal of Agrarian Change 3 367–394
10.1111/1471-0366.00059 Google Scholar
- Boyd Orr J 1966 As I recall: the 1880s to the 1960s MacGibbon and Kee, London
- Boyd Orr S J 1943 Food and the people. Target for tomorrow no 3 Pilot Press, London
- Brandt W 1980 North–south: a programme for survival Pan Books, London
- Brundtland G H 1987 Our common future: report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland Oxford University Press, Oxford
- D Burch and G Lawrence eds 2007 Supermarkets and agri-food supply chains Edward Elgar, Cheltenham
- Caldwell M 1977 The wealth of some nations Zed Books, London
- Carbon Trust 2008 Tesco and Carbon Trust join forces to put carbon label on 20 products (http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/News/presscentre/29_04_08_Carbon_Label_Launch.htm) Accessed 3 June 2008
-
J Clapp and D Fuchs eds 2009 Corporate power in global agrifood governance The MIT Press, Cambridge MA
10.7551/mitpress/9780262012751.001.0001 Google Scholar
- Coleman W D, Grant W and Josling T 2004 Agriculture in the new global economy Edward Elgar, Cheltenham
- Committee on World Food Security 2010 Policy roundtable: addressing food insecurity in protracted crises: issues and challenges Committee on World Food Security (FAO), Rome
- De Schutter O 2011 Reports of the UN special rapporteur on the right to food UN Economic and Social Council, Louvain/Geneva
- Dowler E, Turner S A, Dobson B and Child Poverty Action Group (Great Britain) 2001 Poverty bites: food, health and poor families Child Poverty Action Group, London
- Dumont R and Rosier B 1969 The hungry future Deutsch, London
- Duncan J and Barling D 2012 Renewal through participation in global food security governance: implementing the international food security and nutrition civil society mechanism to the Committee on World Food Security International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food 19 143–161
- Ericksen P, Stewart B, Dixon J, Barling D, Loring P, Anderson M and Ingram J 2010 The value of a food system approach in J Ingram, P Ericksen and D Liverman eds Food security and global environmental change Earthscan, London 25–45
- Evans A 2008 Rising food prices: drivers and implications for development Written evidence to House of Commons International Development Committee Inquiry into Food Security Center on International Co-operation (New York University) and Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House), New York and London
- FAO 1974 Report of the World Food Conference , Rome, 5–16 November 1974 Food and Agriculture Organization/United Nations Publication Sales No. E.75.II.A.3, Rome
- FAO 2004 Voluntary guidelines to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security Adopted by the 127th Session of the FAO Council November 2004 Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
- FAO 2006 Livestock's long shadow – environmental issues and options Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
- FAO 2008a Declaration of the High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the challenges of climate change and bioenergy 3–5 June 2008 Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
- FAO 2008b Expert consultation on nutrition indicators for biodiversity: 1 food composition Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
- FAO 2008c High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the challenges of climate change and bioenergy Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
- FAO 2008d State of food and agriculture 2008 – biofuels: prospects, risks and opportunities Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
- FAO 2009 State of food insecurity 2009 Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
- FAO 2010a Biodiversity and nutrition: a common path Food and Agriculture Organization Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division, Rome
- FAO 2010b State of world food insecurity 2010 Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
- FAO 2012 Hunger statistics Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
- Foresight 2011 The future of food and farming: challenges and choices for global sustainability . Final report Government Office for Science, London
- Freibauer A, Mathijs E, Brunori G, Damianova Z, Faroult E, Girona i Gomis J, O'Brien L and Treyer S 2011 Sustainable food consumption and production in a resource-constrained world: the 3rd SCAR Foresight Exercise European Commission Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR), Brussels
- George S 1976 How the other half dies: the real reasons for world hunger Penguin, Harmondsworth
- Gereffi G, Humphrey J and Sturgeon T 2005 The governance of global value chains Review of International Political Economy 12 78–104
- Godfray H C J, Crute I R, Haddad L, Lawrence D, Muir J F, Nisbett N, Pretty J, Robinson S, Toulmin C and Whiteley R 2011 The future of the global food system Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society – B – Biological Sciences 365 2769–2777
- Health Council of the Netherlands 2011 Guidelines for a healthy diet: the ecological perspective Health Council of the Netherlands, The Hague
- High Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis 2010 Updated comprehensive framework for action Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
- HM Government 2010 The 2007/8 agricultural price spikes: causes & policy implications Her Majesty's Government, London
- Hot Springs Conference 1943 Final act of the Hot Springs Conference, 18 May–3 June 1943 (http://www.worldfooddayusa.org/?id=16367) Accessed 12 February 2011
- IAASTD 2008a Agriculture at the crossroads: Sub-Saharan Africa B D McIntyre, H R Herren, J Wakhungu and R T Watson eds International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology Development Knowledge, London
- IAASTD 2008b Global report and synthesis report International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology Development Knowledge, London
- J Ingram, P Ericksen and D Liverman eds 2010 Food security and global environmental change Earthscan, London
- Institute of Food Sciences (Sweden) 2005 A Taste of Food21: FOOD 21 – sustainable food production Institute of Food Sciences and MISTRA (Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research), Uppsala
- International Labour Organization nd Facts on agriculture (http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/download/wssd/pdf/agriculture.pdf) Accessed 14 August 2011
- Kiernan B 2008 The Pol Pot regime: race, power, and genocide in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, 1975–79 Yale University Press, New Haven CT
- Lang T 2009 Food security and sustainability: the perfect fit Sustainable Development Commission, London
-
Lang T 2010a Crisis? What crisis? The normality of the current food crisis Journal of Agrarian Change 10 92–102
10.1111/j.1471-0366.2009.00250.x Google Scholar
- Lang T 2010b From ‘value-for-money’ to ‘values-for-money'? Ethical food and policy in Europe Environment and Planning A 42 1814–1832
- Lang T and Heasman M 2004 Food wars: the global battle for mouths, minds and markets Earthscan, London
-
Lang T, Barling D and Caraher M 2009 Food policy: integrating health, environment and society Oxford University Press, Oxford
10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198567882.001.0001 Google Scholar
- Lang T, Dibb S and Reddy S 2011 Looking back, looking forward: sustainability and UK food policy 2000–2011 . Final report Sustainable Development Commission, London
- G Lawrence, K Lyons and T Wallington eds 2009 Food security, nutrition and sustainability Earthscan, London
- MacDonald M 1977 Food, stamps, and income maintenance Academic Press, New York
- Malthus T R 1798 An essay on the principle of population, as it affects the future improvement of society with remarks on the speculations of Mr. Godwin, M. Condorcet and other writers Printed for J. Johnson, London
- Malthus T R 1815 The grounds of an opinion on the policy of restricting the importation of foreign corn: intended as an appendix to ‘Observations on the Corn Law’ John Murray and J. Johnson and Co., London
-
Maxwell S and Slater R 2003 Food policy old and new Development Policy Review 21 531–553
10.1111/j.1467-8659.2003.00222.x Google Scholar
- McMichael P and Schneider M 2011 Food security politics and the millennium development goals Third World Quarterly 32 119–139
- Meadows D H and Club of Rome 1972 The limits to growth: a report for the Club of Rome's project on the predicament of mankind Universe Books, New York
- Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (Program) 2005 Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis Island Press, Washington DC
- Monbiot G 2000 Captive state: the corporate takeover of Britain Macmillan, Basingstoke
- National Food Administration (of Sweden) 2008 Environmentally effective food choices Proposal notified to the EU National Food Administration, Stockholm
- S Paillard, S Treyer and B Dorin eds 2011 Agrimonde: scenarios and challenges for feeding the world in 2050 Editions Quae, Paris
- Peck H 2006 Resilience in the food chain: a study of business continuity management in the food and drink industry Final report to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs July 2006 Defra/The Resilience Centre, Department of Defence Management & Security Analysis, Cranfield University Shrivenham/London
- PMSEIC (Australia) 2010 Australia and food security in a changing world Science, Engineering and Innovation Council of Australia, Canberra
- Popkin B M 2001 An overview on the nutrition transition and its health implication: the Bellagio Meeting Public Health Nutrition 5 93–103
- Popkin B M 2009a The world is fat: the fads, trends, policies and products that are fattening the human race Avery/Penguin, New York
- Popkin B M 2009b Reducing meat consumption has multiple benefits for the World's health Archives of International Medicine 169 543–545
- Popkin B M and Nielsen S J 2003 The sweetening of the world's diet Obesity Research 11 1–8
- Poppendieck J 1999 Sweet charity? Emergency food and the end of entitlement Penguin Putnam Book, New York
- Porritt J 2005 Capitalism as if the world matters Earthscan, London
- R Rabbinge and A Linnemann eds 2009 Forward look: European food systems in a changing world European Science Foundation (ESF) and European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST), Brussels
-
Riches G 1997 First world hunger: food security and welfare politics Macmillan, London
10.1007/978-1-349-25187-2 Google Scholar
- Riches G 2002 Food banks and food security: welfare reform, human rights and social policy Social Policy and Administration 36 648–663
- Rocha C 2008 Brazil–Canada partnership: building capacity in food security Center for Studies in Food Security, Ryerson University, Toronto
- Rosset P 2005 Global small-scale farmers' movement developing new trade regimes Food First News & Views 28 2
- Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution 2004 Turning the tide: addressing the impact of fishing on the marine environment 25th report Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, London
- SAI 2008 Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, Brussels
- Schwartz B 2004 The paradox of choice: why more is less HarperCollins, New York
- Sen A 1982 Poverty and famines: an essay on entitlement and deprivation Oxford University Press, Oxford
- Shaw D J 2007 World food security: a history since 1945 Palgrave Macmillan, London
- Smith M, Pointing J and Maxwell S 1993 Household food security, concepts and definitions: an annotated bibliography Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton
- Steinfeld H, Gerber P, Wassenaar T, Castel V, Rosales M and de Haan C 2006 Livestock's long shadow: environmental issues and options Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome
- Stern N 2006 The Stern Review of the economics of climate change Final Report H M Treasury, London
- Sustainable Development Commission 2009a Food security and sustainability: the perfect fit SDC position on food security Sustainable Development Commission, London
- Sustainable Development Commission 2009b Setting the table: advice to government on priority elements of sustainable diets Sustainable Development Commission, London
- G Tansey and T Rajotte eds 2008 The future control of food: a guide to international negotiations and rules on intellectual property, biodiversity and food security Earthscan and IDRC, London and Ottawa
- Tansey G and Worsley T 1995 The food system: a guide Earthscan, London
- Tukker A, Huppes G, Guinée J, Heijungs R, de Koning A, van Oers L, Suh S, Geerken T, Van Holderbeke M, Jansen B and Nielsen P 2006 Environmental Impact of Products (EIPRO): analysis of the life cycle environmental impacts related to the final consumption of the EU-25 EUR 22284 EN European Commission Joint Research Centre, Brussels
- UN 2011 High level meeting on non communicable diseases 19–20 September 2011 United Nations, New York
- UN Habitat 2010 State of the world's cities 2010/2011 – cities for all: bridging the urban divide Earthscan, London
- UNEP, Nellemann C, MacDevette M, Manders T, Eickhout B, Svihus B, Prins A G and Kaltenborn B P 2009 The environmental food crisis: the environment's role in averting future food crises A UNEP rapid response assessment United Nations Environment Programme/GRID-Arendal Arendal, Norway
- United Nations Development Programme 2000 Millennium development goals United Nations, New York
-
Vernon J 2007 Hunger: a modern history Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA
10.4159/9780674044678 Google Scholar
- von Braun J and Torero M 2008 Physical and virtual global food reserves to protect the poor and prevent market failure International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC
- Vorley B 2004 Food Inc.: corporate concentration from farm to consumer UK Food Group, London
- WHO 2003 World health report 2003: shaping the future World Health Organization, Geneva
- WHO 2011 Global environment monitoring system – food contamination monitoring and assessment programme (GEMS/Food) World Health Organization, Geneva
- WHO/FAO 2003 Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases Report of the joint WHO/FAO expert consultation WHO TRS 916 World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization, Geneva
- Wilks R 2001 Food and nationalism: the origins of Belizean food in W Bellasco and P Scranton eds Food nations: selling taste in consumer societies Routledge, New York 68–89
- Williamson J 2004 A short history of the Washington Consensus . From the Washington Consensus towards a new global governance [hosted by Fundación CIDOB] Institute for International Economics, Barcelona
-
Windfuhr M and Jonsén J 2005 Food sovereignty: towards democracy in localized food systems ITDG Publishing, Bourton on Dunsmore
10.3362/9781780441160 Google Scholar
- World Bank and World Health Organization 2003 Food policy options – preventing and controlling nutrition related non-communicable diseases Report of a World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank Consultation 20–21 November 2002 International Bank for Reconstruction & Development/World Bank Health, Nutrition and Population Division, Washington DC
- World Bank/International Finance Corporation 2006 The International Finance Corporation's policy and performance standards on social & environmental sustainability World Bank, Washington DC
- World Economic Forum and McKinsey and Co. 2010 Realizing a new vision for agriculture: a roadmap for stakeholders World Economic Forum, Davos