Food security: tackling hunger in developing countries

Global hunger and malnutrition have increased in recent years. This has caused widespread suffering and loss of life, as well as affecting human development, social and political stability and progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The recent economic crisis caused by the financial crisis, combined with the food price rises of 2007-2008 has contributed to the acute hunger faced by some developing countries.

The Commission defines food security as food availability, access to food and quality of food. The policy frameworks aim to promote the vision of an environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural model, adapted to the reality of developing countries and markets, and able to make food available, accessible and of adequate nutritional quality. The focus is on enhancing the productivity of smallholder farmers and the resilience of rural communities, supporting governance improvements for food security, and strengthening assistance mechanisms for extremely vulnerable population groups.

Andris Piebalgs, the European Commissioner for Development, said: "Enhancing food security remains an issue of primary importance for the EU. We have positioned food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development at the heart of our policy towards developing partners. It is unacceptable that, in 2010, one billion people are still suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Therefore today I am setting out our vision of how the EU can more structurally help developing countries tackle the twin evils of hunger and poverty, so that we can meet the Millennium Development Goals".

The humanitarian food assistance framework, complimenting the framework on food security, sets out the objectives, principles and approaches underpinning the EU’s efforts to tackle acute food insecurity and malnutrition in crises. The focus is on reaching the people that are most nutritionally vulnerable in disasters, particularly women and children, and on protecting livelihoods, maintaining the capacity of crisis-hit communities to feed themselves in both the short and longer-term.

Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, is quoted as saying: "Even in a crisis, there can be more effective ways of helping people other than through simple food hand-outs. For example, we can provide seeds and tools to help disaster-affected farmers get back on their feet. We can offer emergency cash grants so that people can buy the food they need - helping local producers in the process. Our aim is to tailor our response to specific needs through a broader range of tools for dealing with hunger in emergencies."

The new EU policy aims to help developing countries strengthen the four pillars of food security in both development and emergency settings:

(i) increasing availability of food,

(ii) improving access to food,

(iii) improving quality and ensuring intake of suitably nutritious food, and

(iv) boosting the effectiveness of crisis prevention and management.

The EU also aims to improve the effectiveness of the global organisation on food security. The Commission therefore proposes:

 A focus on support for ecologically efficient agricultural intensification for smallholder farmers, and in particular women;
 A substantial increase in support to demand-led agricultural research, extension and innovation, aiming to reach 50% by 2015;
 A joint initiative with the African Union to accelerate the implementation of the African Land Policy Guidelines;
 Support for the establishment or expansion of targeted and flexible social safety nets adapted to local contexts;
 Promoting better integration of nutrition in development policies, including in education and health and related capacity building;
 Support for the reform of the Committee on World Food Security to become the pivotal global institution on food security.
 For emergency response, the EU will also seek to strengthen the capacity of the international humanitarian system to deliver effective and appropriate responses in a timely and efficient way.

Next steps

The European Commission will contribute almost €3 billion in 2010-2012 within the initiative on global food security agreed at the G8 summit of world leaders in 2009.

The policy frameworks will be discussed by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.

More information

 EU policy framework to assist developing countries in addressing food security challenges:
 European Commission information on humanitarian food assistance
 Humanitarian food assistance Communication
 Humanitarian food assistance Staff working document

Relevant EPHA links

 Food 21: Implications for public health?
 Measures taken to counter price hike in food
 Making healthy food a factor in CAP reform