LEI and food security

One of the biggest challenges facing society today is the widespread prevalence of hunger and food insecurity. One billion people in the world suffer from hunger, another billion are chronically undernourished. Food and nutrition security has therefore become a priority for policymakers, but also for many companies and non-government organisations.

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. There are three dimensions to food security:

  1. Availability: The availability of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality, supplied through domestic production or imports (including food aid)
  2. Access: Access by individuals to adequate resources (entitlements) for acquiring appropriate foods for a nutritious diet.
  3. Utilization: Utilization of food through adequate diet, clean water, sanitation and health care to reach a state of nutritional well-being where all physiological needs are met.

LEI Wageningen UR is involved in various projects that address these three dimensions of food security around the world.

One of these projects is Food Secure in which the complexities of food security are analysed through scenarios and modelling. Food Secure will provide different policy options for European policymakers. Europe is a major player in the agricultural markets as well as in international environmental and energy policy. LEI cooperates with other European universities, IFPRI and partners in Brazil, China and Ethiopia. The project started in March 2012 and will last for five years.

Food waste is an important issue: around 30% of food is wasted in the food chain. Reducing food waste would therefore improve food security. Food Wastage has identified sources of food waste and made several policy recommendation to tackle barriers in legislation on information required on food products.

Fish is a critical source of dietary protein and micronutrients for millions of people in Africa. Aquaculture can therefore make a direct contribution to food security through the provision of high quality food, self-employment and income. LEI with Imares have identified business opportunities for aquaculture in Kenya.