Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter objectives
This chapter will look forward, providing recommendations and policy suggestions for
decision makers tasked with improving global food security. The chapter begins with
discussion of the challenges for the global community in achieving food security for all and
how economic modeling and information can improve the three most commonly used
government policy responses to food price volatility: trade policies, cereal storage pro-
grams and social safety nets. The chapter continues with specific suggestions of how
models that integrate climate variability and price information can improve policy imple-
mentation. The chapter concludes with a description of technological solutions, develop-
ment initiatives and market, price and environmental information products that may
reduce the food security impacts of high and variable food prices and extreme weather
events.
Distribution, governance and institutions
The hypothesis of this topic is that high food prices and unpredictable price changes have a
significant and detrimental effect on food security outcomes, and changes in prices are an
outcome of climate variability and its impact on local food production. Over the past ten
years, the international price of rice, wheat and maize have nearly doubled. Food price spikes
can have large and potentially irreversible impact on social welfare, including spending on
health, nutrition, schooling of boys and girls, child labor, and savings (Grosh
et al
., 2008).
Maintaining adequate consumption and defending critical livelihoods in the face of rapid
increases in the price of food can be enormously challenging for all except the most well off,
particularly for countries whose populations already spend over half their income on food.
Trade and food marketing are central to both supplying adequate food to all and providing
income for the farmers who grow it. Trade allows for food to be imported when local pro-
duction is insufficient, enabling stability of supply. To make trade function, government and
its civil institutions must provide essential public services such as peace, the rule of law, public
Search WWH ::
Custom Search