World Food Policy Volume 2, Number 1, Spring 2015 | Page 109

World Food Policy

plank to food security is taking place in
a region where the population continues
to grow, placing ever-greater strain on
environmental resources (Butler 2009a).
The International Rice Research Institute
estimates that “To keep rice prices stable
and affordable at around $US300 a ton, an
additional 8–10 million tons of rice needs
to be produced every year. The challenge,
above anything else, is to produce
this additional rice with less land, less
water, and less labor, in more efficient,
environmentally-friendly
production
systems that are more resilient to climate
change, among other factors” http://irri.
org/index.php?option=com_

Three billion people rely on fish
for 20 percent of their protein intake, and
continued fish depletion will negatively
impact on many lower-income countries
and regions that depend on fish as a major
source of dietary protein (FAO 2012a).
Research suggests tropical fish catches
could decrease by as much as 50 percent
as a result of climate change, with South
East Asia and the Pacific being the most
adversely affected (FAO 2011a; 2012a).
A comparative study investigated the
vulnerability of 132 national economies to
the impact of climate change on their fish
capture. Findings from this study indicate
that the majority of the most vulnerable
countries are also the poorest and most of
their inhabitants are twice as dependent
upon fish for food as those in more affluent
nations (Allison et al. 2009). The food
security challenge here derives from the
impacts of climate on the food supply and
from the human security issues posed by
erratic weather events, heat, and drought
(see Climate Insecurities, Human Security
and Social Resilience Report 2009). These
conditions can result in areas becoming

uninhabitable with subsequent wide scale
people movements.

A lack of international agreement
on climate change mitigation approaches
has significant repercussions for food
security. Most modes of food production
are fossil fuel dependent, and even where
they are not (e.g., bio-dynamic cattle
and sheep production systems) other
food system features can contribute
toward global warming, such as methane
emissions generated by the enteric
fermentation in beef cattle and sheep.
2.5 - The “cheap food” conundrum

Among the important new
strands of thinking and commentary is
the extent to which industrial/corporate
food systems can be health promoting
given their current focus on calorific
security through cheap processed foods
rather than the delivery of affordable
dietary diversity and nutritional security
(WHO-FAO 2003; Monteiro and Cannon
2012). “Cheap food” is a relative notion,
which varies across and within countries
and refers to the proportion of household
income spent on various foods as well as
cost per kg or cost per kJ. In middle- and
high-income countries, energy-dense
and nutrient poor foods, high in salt,
saturated fat and/or added sugar can be
cheaper than healthier alternatives. As
supermarkets displace fresh markets,
consumers become exposed to larger
amounts of cheaper processed foods and
more expensive fresh foods (Hawkes
2008; Hawkes et al. 2010; Banwell et
al. 2012). This disparity can result in
households with low-income meeting
(and often exceeding) their energy
requirements using a lower proportion

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