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The Long and Short of it: Ensuring Food Security Through Times of Crisis

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ver the past year in Haiti, the price of rice, beans and fruits increased by 50%; rice prices in Nepal have seen a similar hike; in Egypt, bread prices have risen by more than half. It is little wonder then that immediate responses of panic and anger by consumers have led to people dying in food riots and bread queues. The long term consequences of the current global food crisis are even more daunting to contemplate. However, a panel discussion on food security held as part of The Fletcher School’s second annual Doctoral Conference entitled, “Critical Perspectives: Contemporary Issues in International Relation” on October 17th endeavored to do just that.

Dr. Jennifer Coates, Associate Professor of Nutrition at the Friedman School, pointed out that those already struggling to survive on a meal a day will be forced to adopt long term measures for coping with higher prices of food. These strategies could include producing more food at home, drawing down on savings and taking loans, and reducing other expenditures. She was quick to note however, that these adaptations are unavailable to a large number of the world’s poor. Many of those living on less than $2 a day—such as a full 80% of Haiti’s population—own no land for subsistence crops, have no credit lines or savings to access, and are already scrimping on essentials.

Thus, the toll that higher food prices will take on people already at risk is devastating. The FAO estimates that 75 million people over the world are undernourished as a direct result of the recent increases in food prices. Economists warn that this crisis could seriously undercut any poverty reduction seen in the past two decades. Coates elaborated on some long term consequences, as severe micronutrient deficiencies are transmitted across generations, and impaired cognitive and physical development leads to low productivity. To avoid this, she suggested several nutrition protection responses: expansion of existing nutrition, health and education programs; increased humanitarian aid; and guarantees of social protection for the most vulnerable groups through informed cash- and food-based transfers.

Before figuring out long-term macroeconomic responses to the food crisis, it is important to understand its causes. Dr. Steven Block, Professor of Development Economics at The Fletcher School, explained the five main drivers of the crisis as outlined in a recent Asian Development Bank report. Firstly, rising standards of living in India and China has resulted in an ever-increasing demand for commodities such as vegetable oils and animal products. Secondly, the depreciation of the dollar has driven up the price of commodities as quoted in world food markets. Thirdly, mandates for corn-based ethanol in the US have diverted food stock to bio-fuel production. Fourthly, massive speculation on projected higher food prices is thought to have resulted in actual high prices. Lastly, underlying all of this has been the high price of fossil fuels.

Fletcher doctoral candidate Benjamin Mazzotta highlighted some national and international policies directed at combating the crisis. Several national responses that have already brought some measure of success include consumer and producer subsidies, tariff reductions, and price and export controls. International responses by the World Bank, FAO, and WFP have emphasized the need for social safety nets. For instance, the allocation of $200 million in emergency aid by the Bush administration this April to alleviate global food shortages was a welcome short term response.

However, it is clear that long term responses addressing the underlying causes of the crisis are essential. It is time to recognize that corporate agriculture is often inefficient, and instead support small farmers in Nepal, Egypt and elsewhere by providing capital for seeds, fertilizer and infrastructure. Ending the corn ethanol subsidy is another step that the US administration has to consider. Mazzotta stressed how types of risk management are also important, as traditional assets don’t necessarily protect against adverse weather or market conditions. Ending dependence on fossil fuels has been touted by both US presidential candidates as a way of ensuring national security. That it is imperative for human security the world over seems even more evident.