Problems caused by food insecurity (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography) : Revision Note

What is food insecurity?

• The distribution of food is uneven and this affects food security

• Food security is defined as having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food

• Countries where a high percentage of the population are food insecure often have a food deficit

  • These tend to be LICs as they cannot produce or afford to import enough food to meet the population's needs

• Some countries have a food surplus, these tend to be HICs 

  • HICs and some MICs can also afford to import food when they do not produce sufficient for the demand

    • The UK imports approximately 46% of the food supply required by the population

Factors affecting food security

• There are many factors which affect food security either in terms of yields or transport into an area

Climate

• Extreme temperatures make growing crops challenging 

• Tropical storms lead to flooding which destroys crops

• Changing patterns of rainfall impact on yield and can lead to drought or floods

• Drought can lead to desertification and salinisation which affect crop growth

Technology

• LICs lack money to invest in:

  • Machinery

  • Irrigation systems

  • Transport and storage infrastructure

• This means their yields are lower than in HICs which are able to invest money in this technology

Pests and diseases

• Crops and livestock are vulnerable to pests and diseases

• HICs are able to afford pesticides and treatments to reduce the impact of these on yields

• LICs are often in tropical areas where pests such as locusts and diseases such as African Swine Flu are more prevalent

Water stress

• Water stress affects the ability to irrigate crops due to lack of water

• LICs are more likely to suffer water stress than HICs due to lack of precipitation and poor infrastructure

• Lack of irrigation in drier areas leads to low yields

Conflict

• During conflicts people abandon or are driven off their land leading to large areas of uncultivated farmland

• Conflict can destroy or block transport routes meaning that food supplies including imports cannot get to where they are needed

• Conflicts also lead to the destruction of crops and livestock

Poverty

• Poverty can mean that people are unable to afford:

  • Technology such as machines

  • Irrigation

  • Quality seeds and livestock

• Poor diets then mean that people are unable to work due to ill health

Problems caused by food insecurity in LICs and MICs

• The impact of food shortages ranges from undernutrition to wasting

  • Undernutrition: people do not consume enough calories, this is linked to 45% of all child deaths

  • Malnutrition: people's diet lacks the correct nutrients to keep them healthy

  • Wasting: when people have low weight in relation to their height: affects 45 million children under the age of 5

• There are different forms of malnutrition

• Famine can occur when a significant proportion of the population are suffering severe and prolonged hunger

  • This leads to acute malnutrition and deaths as a result of starvation.

• Rising food prices

  • When there is increased demand and reduced supply the prices increase

  • Those living in poverty often cannot afford a balanced diet this means people in LICs and NEEs are the most affected

• Underdevelopment - loss of productivity

  • If a country's workforce is suffering from food shortages, they will be less productive, and development will slow or even reverse

• Soil erosion and desertification

  • Farmers may over cultivate and overgraze the land in an attempt to increase the amount of food available

• Social unrest

  • Food shortage may lead people to riot and loot 

• Migration

  • People migrate to other countries or to urban areas where the food supply is better. This can impact those areas with the development of illegal settlements

Problems caused by food insecurity in HICs

• People in HICs are less likely to suffer food insecurity

• There are still between 8% and 20% of the populations in HICs who suffer food insecurity

• Particular groups are vulnerable to food insecurity including:

  • the elderly

  • the unemployed

  • those living in poverty

  • people with disabilities

• In the UK between 2021-22 an estimated 11.3 million people in the UK experienced food insecurity

• As in LICs and MICs this can lead to malnutrition and undernutrition

  • In extreme cases it can lead to wasting

• Other problems caused by food insecurity in HICs include:

  • Underachievement at school due to children being hungry

  • Mental health issues

  • Increase in crime

• There has also been an increase in reliance on food aid in developed countries

  • There are almost 3,000 food banks in the UK