Time Ripe for Food Security to Move Up Policy Agenda

The common agricultural policy in the European Union was a direct result of a decision regarding food security following the Second World War. The goal was never to let Europeans go hungry again, and the policy was successfully implemented. The latest developments with regard to the energy crisis, and the exceptional growth in highly populated countries, necessitate the urgent attention of political policy makers.
Food security has two legs to it: availability and affordability. Availability is a job for the free market. Free markets and capitalism will ensure that there are always food products on the table. The free market, however, distributes products and services according the ability to pay, which is where the affordability issue comes into play. The availability of food is the responsibility of business driven by the free market, while affordability is the responsibility of governments, which aim to alleviate poverty through job creation and economic growth.

Governments all over the world have reacted differently to this new challenge of food security. To increase food security by increasing production will take time as the agricultural sector is directly linked to the cycles of nature.

New agricultural policies will have to be developed through consultation and within the current framework of the World Trade Organisation rules. This process, coupled with the delays of nature, will cause a time lag that could be very critical to food security in the immediate future. The change in climate conditions will prevent the agricultural sector from doing business as usual.

AllAfrica