Pdf agriculture and food security in ghana agriculture. The hunger in america 2014 study found that many households served by the feeding america network of food banks include people coping with a dietrelated chronic disease. What are the connections between food insecurity and health. Analysis and characteristics of risk areas of food and nutritional. In 1990 a total of 780 million people out of 4 billion in the developing world are living on diets that are not sufficient to maintain a healthy life, according to the food and agriculture organization of the united nations fao. Achieving global food security lies in our hands, and urgent action is overdue.
This section looks at six countries bangladesh, ghana. Army war college is accredited by the commission on higher education of the middle states. The north is an area rich in diversity with multiple ethnic groups, languages and religious groups. To this extent, climate change is not the single most important cause of food insecurity but particularly important driver of food system performance. Food security remains a worrying problem in west africa in general and ghana in particular. It refers to a households or countrys inability to provide future physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that fulfills the dietary needs and food preferences of that.
Because ghana is a food deficit country, families are. Food security has been observed to be severe in northern ghana than any other area of. What are the main causes of food insecurity in the world today. Malnutrition and food insecurity projections, 2020 ifpri. It is argued that multiple income sources including nonfarm activities are necessary to reduce food insecurity.
Varying food availability causes price fluctuations throughout the country, which in turn affect affordability. The causes of food insecurity and malnutrition in africa are diverse, multifactorial and interlinked. Pdf determinants of household food insecurity in northern. At the 1996 world food summit, 186 countries made a commitment to reduce the number of chronically undernourished people by half by 2015. In northern ghana, 90 percent of families rely on agricultural livelihoods, and severely limited food production has resulted in chronic poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition. An introduction to the basic concepts of food security. Studies show that the adoption of improved agricultural practices and technology may help stabilize production and lessen food insecurity. Causes and consequences of food insecurity hunger and health. The main focus is on analysis of the causes and impact of food insecurity coupled with the measures to achieve adequate food security. Fiftyeight percent of households reported having at least one member with high blood pressure and 33 percent had at least one member with diabetes. This research is not attempted to address the multiple underlying causes of poverty, but rather to identify the socialdemographic factors that determine the level of food insecurity in northern ghana.
As africas food security situation is getting more serious, the causes being behind it are numerous. Food insecurity is the measure of the inability to ensure access to essential nutrition. Poverty and food insecurity work hand in hand modern ghana. Pdf even though food insecurity is experienced in different degrees, and in many. Food security is a measure of the availability of food and individuals ability to access it. Food availability concerns food that is physically present in the area of concern, through all forms of domestic production, commercial import and food aid. An assessment of the extent and causes of food insecurity. African food security prospects brighter than ever. Outline and evaluate 2 or 3 possible solutions to food insecurity problems. Major cause of insecurity in west africa by colonel austin a apoganyella ghana army dr steven metz project adviser this srp is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the master of strategic studies degree. According to the 2017 global food security index duponteconomic intelligence unit, ghana is among the most food secure countries in subsaharan africa south africa and botswana are the only others to top ghana. Pdf agriculture and food security in ghana agriculture and.
Results of indepth interviews and desk studies reveal that poverty reduction is. This paper examines some important causes and challenges of the global food crisis on human and economic development. An assessment of the extent and causes of food insecurity in northern ghana using a livelihood vulnerability framework article pdf available in geojournal 671. Encouraging good agriculture practices for food security. A key for policy is to avoid the many apparently simple and attractive policy options for dealing with food security challenges that. The causes and solutions to climate change are well known, however, more energy is channeled into a flurry of world summits to the neglect of existing recommendations from previous conferences. However, global food availability does not ensure food security in any particular country because what is available in the world market may not.
Zimbabwe is a landlocked, lowincome, food deficit country in southern africa. Causes of food insecurity in africa today newspaper. C and the world food summit wfs targets of, respectively. Boon management and environmental management, free university of brussels, belgium, and university of ghana, legonaccra, ghana. Food insecurity, and some policy plans to reduce food insecurity were also highlighted. The negative effects of food insecurity include impaired physical and cognitive abilities of children. The next section addresses the causes and consequences of food insecurity. The study found that poverty in africa is caused by a number of factors including corruption and poor governance, limited employment opportunities, poor. Generally, food insecurity and hunger amounts to poor health status, making children sick more often, with higher rates of iron deficiency anemia, and also results in children being frequently hospitalized. To achieve this objective, following the introduction is theoretical perspective of food insecurity. Climate change causes erratic rainfall patterns and decreasing crop yields. Food insecurity is a situation in which the individuals of the society have neither the. About 5% of ghanas population are food insecure and about 2 million people are vulnerable to become food insecure.
However, if they live on the flood plain, but they have the. Food insecurity, poor conditions of health and sanitation, and inappropriate social and care environment are the major causes of poor nutritional status. But reducing poverty is not sufficient, because of the many risks to the food security of the nearpoor from a wide range of shocks. Ghana, agriculture, food production, food security, postharvest. The article describes the food insecurity situation in three villages in northern ghana. About 5% of ghanas population are food insecure and about 2. Thirty four percent 34% of the population are in upper west region, followed by upper east with 15% and northern region with. The peasant households are grouped according to level of food insecurity. Attempt was made to give an overview of the fundamental. Greentumble climate change, environmental issues november 17, 2015. Causes of food insecurity and malnutrition in africa. Instead, understanding climate changes full impact will require knowledge of its potential effects on both the proximate causes of food insecurity e. Upper east region of ghana with respect to both irrigated and nonirrigated smallholder farmers with focus on food sources and causes of food insecurity and food insecurity coping strategies.
Food security is a complex phenomenon resulting from multiple causes which are food availability, food accessibility, food utilization and food stability. Causes and effects of food insecurity environmental. The objective of this thesis, therefore, was to investigate and assess the prevailing causes of food insecurity in southern africa. The geography and causes of food insecurity in developing. There is evidence of food security being a concern many thousands of years ago, with central authorities in ancient china and ancient egypt being known to release food from storage in times of famine.
Household adoption of soilimproving practices and food. Food insecurity in africa in terms of causes, effects and solutions. A who multicountry study on improving household food and. Discussing the causes of food insecurity in nigeria is a very difficult task. An introduction to the basic concepts of food security food security information for action practical g uides 3 low unless their crops are in the valley. Food security situation in northern ghana, coping strategies and. Outline and evaluate 2 or 3 possible solutions to food insecurity problems currently, millions of people across the globe suffer from undernutrition and hunger. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to. The major cause of food insecurity in ghana is attributable to the greater. 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. What are the main causes of food insecurity in the world. Agriculture and food security in ghana iowa state university. Pdf an assessment of the extent and causes of food.
A case study of nigeria conference paper pdf available september 2015 with 47,152 reads how we measure reads. Main causes of food insecurity 1680 words bartleby. The research revealed that transitory and chronic food insecurity malnutrition in the sadc region exists due to the problems experienced with both the supply and demand sides of the food security equation. Agricultural growth is the major driver of poverty reduction, especially in northern ghana, an area characterized by high poverty and malnutrition and one historically left out of the rest of the countrys growth and development plans. Conceptual framework of malnutrition food security and. The persistent problem of poor agricultural practices and technology use leads to food insecurity for some farmers in ghana. Introduction world food summit defines food security as. Introduction over the last decade, a new global consensus has emerged that food insecurity in africa is primarily a rural problem. Hence, an identification of the root causes for transitory food insecurity at household level and its indepth understanding deserve. In order to formulate effective policies for reaching this goal, a thorough understanding of the location and causes of food insecurity is needed.
This study addresses the link between food insecurity and the adoption of soilimproving practices. Food insecurity is an enduring, critical challenge in ethiopia which is africas second populous country after nigeria. For most people in northern ghana, by avoiding the risk of food insecurity in their homes, they spend about 75% of their total income in achieving that. At the 1974 world food conference the term food security was. The paper then discusses the causes and drivers of food insecurity at length. A livelihood approach is used emphasising the vulnerability of the peasants adaptation to a marginal and remote area. Determinants of household food insecurity in northern. The second largest continent on earth, africa is an enormous landmass that is. Poverty and food shortage are the main catalysts of food insecurity in the world. The essence of this paper is to examine the causes and the consequences of food insecurity in nigeria and suggest ways of address this problems and challenges. About 5% of ghana s population are food insecure and about 2 million people are vulnerable to become food insecure. Food insecurity in northern ghana is largely attributed to two broad causes.
It is difficult to know how many households or even individuals are food and. This implies food insecurity for every fifth person in the developing world. Northern ghana, ordered probit, productivity, rural, credit, food. The global food security strategy gfss ghana country. Thirty four percent 34% of the population are in upper west region, followed by upper east with 15% and northern region with 10%, amounting to approximately 453,000 people.
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