Agriculture, Food, and Food Security - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 141

include larger operational holdings, reduced reliance on
non-traded inputs, and increased specialization of farm-
ing systems. Larger-scale production cannot function ef-
fectively on insufficient non-traded inputs such as locally
gleaned seeds or animal fertilizer. Acquisition of com-
mercial seeds and chemicals has become essential. Farm
decisions are becoming increasingly responsive to mar-
ket signals both domestic and international.
Diversified cropping actually increases work oppor-
tunities. Relative to rice production, labor requirements
for vegetables and other high-value crops are substan-
tially higher. Construction of irrigation systems, land
preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting, and process-
ing are all labor-intensive activities.
Diversification out of rice or wheat is constrained by
market availability and size, land suitability , irrigation
and other infrastructure, labor supply , and property
rights. The opening of markets leads farmers away from
protected domestic markets and government price sup-
ports and exposes them to increased risk due to the
greater volatility of global prices.
Risk aversion is a significant impediment to diversifi-
cation. Behavior, in the face of risk, is affected by atti-
tudes of the farmer and the nature of technology .
However, the fundamental problem is the failure of local
credit and other institutions to provide alternative means
for farmers to transfer their risk to other parties. If risk
remains only an internal household strategy , it is less
likely to be taken. Households will concentrate on grow-
ing a familiar crop with known technology and yields
and guaranteed prices rather than risking their liveli-
hood on unpredictable new crops with untested price
patterns.

Food lacking in vitamins and minerals to maintain
health
Not being able to work or study as required
Children not at the appropriate height for their age
Mental deficiencies and weakened immune systems
More prone to disease and infection
Constant fear of not having enough food
The Food Policy Research Institute has developed a
measure of hunger based on three criteria: percentage of
children undernourished; percentage of children under
five years of age undernourished; and mortality rate of
children under five. These combined indicators are
called the Global Hunger Index (GHI). Scores are based
on 0 being the best and 100 being the worst. In other
words, the closer you are to 100, the worse off you are
(Figure 5-12). While the numbers appear small, they
nevertheless indicate various serious situations for
several countries.
< to 4.9 = low hunger
5 to 9.9 = moderate hunger
10 to 19.9 = serious hunger
20 to 29.9 = alarming hunger
•3

= extremely alarming hunger
Some of the more developed countries such as
Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore have a “low
hunger” rate. Seven out of ten Southeast Asian nations
have a “serious hunger” problem. Six countries, mostly
in South Asia, fall into the “alarming” category . While
China exhibits only “moderate hunger,” it is important
to consider the fact that its index of 5 includes more than
6 million children that are underweight for their age!
The GHIs on the map imply that hunger levels are
equal across the country . But, of course, this is rarely the
case. Figure 5-13 shows incidence of extreme poverty
and food related insecurity for various regions of
Bangladesh. Higher incidence of poverty and hunger is
found in areas that are subject to cyclonic storms and
flooding, and tribal regions, hill regions, and other areas
with poor soils, and places with poor infrastructure that
are remote from markets and sources of assistance.
Bangladesh is divided into small areas called upazilas .
Because the upazilas are very small, we have grouped
them into larger areas by level of food insecurity to make
the map more readable.
According to the World Ban k ,more than 400 million
people in South Asia are chronically hungry . The worst
affected areas are Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
This recent sharp rise in hunger and poverty derives
from several factors. Given the current economic crisis,

0

Food Insecurity

According to the UNFAO, the percentage of global
hunger has decreased since 1990. However, the absolute
numbers of hungry have increased significantly . T Today, ,
1.2 billion people are without adequate nutrition. More
than 24,000 persons die of hunger every day around the
world, and 75 percent of these are children under five
years of age. About 6.5 million of hungry people live in
Asia and the Pacific. At least 40 percent of children in
India, Bangladesh, and Timor-Leste are undernourished.
What does food insecurity mean?
Not enough food for energy needed to lead active
lives
Food availability is only seasonal