A Food System

1
A Food System

• is a set of dynamic interactions between and
  within the human and biogeophysical environments
  which result in the production, processing,
  distribution, preparation and consumption of
  food.
• (definition based on FAO viewpoint)
• should involve interactions designed to provide
  food security.
• operate through connections between related
  determinants operating in one or more major
  components.
• fail to deliver food security when determinants,
  and/or the links between them, are disrupted by
  GEC or other stresses.
• Includes social AND environmental components

2
Generally food systems comprise a number of human
activities involved in..

• Producing food
• Processing packaging food
• Distribution retailing food
• Consuming food

3
Food Security

• is the principal objective of food systems
• exists when all people, at all times, have
  physical and economic access to sufficient, safe,
  and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs
  and food preferences for an active and healthy
  life.
• (definition from the World Food Summit)
• emphasizes access for individuals, households,
  communities to food.
• is an integrated concept.

4
Components of Food Security Key Elements
FOOD UTILISATION
FOOD ACCESS

• Affordability
• Allocation
• Preference

• Nutritional Value
• Social Value
• Food Safety

FOOD AVAILABILITY

• Production
• Distribution
• Exchange

5
Food System OUTCOMES Contributing to

• Other societal goals
• Income
• Employment
• Wealth
• Social political capital
• Human capital
• Infrastructure
• Peace
• Insurance

• Environmental Security / Natural Capital
• Ecosystems stocks, flows
• Ecosystem services
• Access to NC assured

Food Security
FOOD UTILISATION
FOOD ACCESS

• Affordability
• Allocation
• Preference

• Nutritional Value
• Social Value
• Food Safety

FOOD AVAILABILITY

• Production
• Distribution
• Exchange

• Food System ACTIVITIES
• Producing food resource inputs, farmers, raw
  materials
• Processing packaging food
• Distribution retailing food marketing,
  advertising, trade
• Consuming food acquisition, preparation,
  consumption

6
Food security determinants
Food Access Food Access Determinant Bangladesh Sensitive to GEC?
  Affordability household incomes Generally low Floods, droughts
  proportion of food purchased 60 self-sufficient in rice Increases if own production fails
  Policy support? Conducive govt. policy but inadequate institutional support No but should be
         
  Allocation      
  Control over own production sharecroppers get small share no
  Degree of market influence market-driven ??
  Government intervention re markets Inadequate ??
    Market efficiency (storage capacity, integration) low or poor No or gets worse
  Preference Preferred carbohydrate Rice dominates culturally Have secondary foods in disasters
    preferred protein Fish but expensive Price up or down
    Consumption patterns changing towards more commercially processed food No ??
         
7
Vulnerability

• Vulnerability implies HARM or a negative
  consequence from which is difficult to recover
• Function of exposure to hazards AND social
  dimensions of coping capacity (internal and
  external)
• Coping capacity includes access to assets,
  diversity of options, institutional, policy and
  market structures
• Vulnerability is dynamic and differential
  (related to equity)

8
GECAFS perspective MULTIPLE stressors produce
vulnerabilities that are multi-dimensional
Currency Fluctuations
Economic Recession
Water Pollution
FOOD UTILISATION
FOOD ACCESS
Floods, Droughts
Political Unrest
FOOD AVAILABILITY
HIV-AIDS
War
Climate Change
Change in Trading Agreements
9
Drivers, Activities and Outcomes relevant to
Developing Scenarios for analysing interactions
between GEC and Food Systems

• Societal Interests
• that relate to Food Systems
• Food Security
• Environmental Security
• Other Securities

Socioeconomic DRIVERS Changes in Demography Econo
mics Socio-political context Cultural
context Science Technology
Food System OUTCOMES contributing to
Interactions among DRIVERS
Naturally- induced drivers e.g. Volcanoes Solar
cycles
Food Security
Other societal interests
Environmental Security / Natural Capital
GEC DRIVERS Changes in Land cover
soils Atmospheric composition Climate
variability means Water availability quality
Nutrient availability cycling Biodiversity Sea
currents salinity Sea level
Food System ACTIVITIES
10
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE (GEC) Change in type,
frequency magnitude of environmental threats
Capacity to cope with /or recover from GEC
FOOD SYSTEM SECURITY / VULNERABILITY
Exposure to GEC
SOCIETAL CHANGE Change in institutions, resource
accessibility, economic conditions, etc.
11
Geographical And Socio-economic Characteristics
of SIDS Which Increases Vulnerability To Climate
Change

• Narrow economic base
• Traditional exports and tourism
• Low productivity and production
• Plantation and small rain-fed agriculture
• Economic dependence on larger countries for
  markets and investments
• Imports loss of trade preferences/
  competitiveness changes in trade policies
  declining prices
• Increased pressure on natural resource base
• Increased incidence of pockets of poverty
• Fragile coastal systems
• Growing non-healthy food choices

12
Adaptation

• ADAPTIVE CAPACITY
• Considered as opposite of vulnerability
• Emphasis on flexibility and learning
• ADAPTATION STRATEGIES
• Policy and institutional
• To better cope and recover
• Proactive or reactive

13
Increasing adaptive capacity can reduce
vulnerability to stressors
Stressor Vulnerability Adaptive strategy
Water quantity stress Few drought tolerant crops with market value Increase groundwater? Open markets for new crops?
Low human capital as result of HIV/AIDS Barrier to institutional reform and learning Educate youth? Make drug treatment cheaper?
Low political integration Barrier to regional trade and economic growth SADC and NEPAD?