Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 4.4
Agricultural trade in percent of production
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000-02
Export/production ratio
Latin America and Caribbean
23.6
24.7
24.5
26.7
31.4
Sub-Saharan Africa (excl. South Africa)
28.5
23.0
17.2
15.3
13.2
Asia developing
5.4
5.7
6.4
6.4
6.4
Import/production ratio
Latin America and Caribbean
6.7
8.6
11.2
14.0
15.7
Sub-Saharan Africa (excl. South Africa)
8.1
9.4
12.6
12.3
13.5
Asia developing
7.1
8.0
9.2
8.9
8.8
Source
: von Braun and Diaz-Bonilla, 2008.
Although Von Braun and Diaz-Bonilla (2008) describe the increase in globalization of the
food system, the process has not been homogeneous. Sub-Saharan Africa has become increas-
ingly dependent on imports while reducing the amount of food it contributes to the inter-
national markets by half. These indicators, however, may not capture the difference between
regions, increased local and regional trade, and production for urban markets that are not
captured by national statistics. As mentioned earlier, the statistical expertise and infrastructure
required to integrate public and private information on food use and trade requires a sophis-
tication and development rarely seen in developing countries that experience food security
crises (Mwila
et al
., 2004). Relying on quantity indicators for information on the source of
local food is problematic.
The FAO 2012 report notes the difficulty of using a national food balance approach to
estimate the impact of high prices, since many adaptations to high prices occur at the house-
hold, community and regional level. Higher food prices will increase incomes for farmers and
spur investment by those with resources. Higher prices also have negative impacts, including
short-term hunger, reduction in diversity and quality of food, drastic reductions in other
aspects of the household budgets, disinvestment in productive resources, which cannot be
measured at the national scale. Globalization and other market integration effects can only
really be measured using food prices, comparing local prices to global prices for similar items.
In the next chapter, we will explore food markets and their role in providing access to food
for households and communities.
Summary
Climate variability is just one of several factors that affect food security and food production
globally. This chapter explored the structural causes of food insecurity, including population
expansion, changes in land under cultivation and a lack of investment in agricultural inputs
such as fertilizer and improved seeds. Observed trends in production, cropped area and yield
were explored, and their potential impacts on food security at the national level was discussed.
The impact of climate variability on yields was discussed, and the threat of reducing rainfall
combined with increasing population. These structural food security problems could be amel-
iorated with investment in agricultural capacity that could increase production across the
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