An Analysis of Food Security

An Analysis of Food Security

Food insecurity is a global concern, and more so in developing countries. According to the brief by the UN, the main issue in the world is not the lack of food but rather the access to food. Food shortages in many developing nations are caused by food distribution controlled by the government. Governments maintain control of their populace by placing limits on food access to specific population groups. This limited and controlled access to nutritious food by the government is referred to as weaponizing of food. Diverse factors contribute to food insecurity and can vary from country to country. What remains certain is that one of the contributing factors is a growing population. As the global population increases, the available land for food production decreases, and more people face the threat of food insecurity. Additionally, the lack of government support for the farmers has contributed to food transport breakdown from the farms to the consumers. In this paper, food insecurity in Ghana will be discussed. Ghana is a developing country in Africa that relies heavily on agriculture. Most of the farming, however, is not carried out on a large-scale basis; instead, most farmers are small-scale with average-sized farms. Additionally, it is worth noting that most farmers are female, and the practices they engage in are very traditional, thus leaving no room for the adoption of new technologies. This paper will cover food insecurity as well as technologies that can be implemented to improve food security in Ghana. Further, the hindrances to the flow of food in the Ghanaian population will be discussed prior to a conclusion summarizing the key findings. The solution to food flow barriers and insecurity lies in the adoption of drone technology, online selling of value-added goods, and government commitment to improve the farming conditions of farmers.

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Background

Food insecurity is defined as the disruption of food intake or eating patterns due to a lack of resources, including money. In 2014, approximately 17 million households in the US faced food insecurity at one time in the year. Food insecurity does not always result in hunger, though hunger is a possible outcome. Food security can be temporary or long-term. Food security may be influenced by several factors, such as disability, race/ethnicity, employment, and income. There are two categories of food insecurity, and these are low food security and very low food security. Low food security refers to reports of reduced desirability, variety, and quality of diet with little or no indication of food intake. Very low food intake refers to reduced food intake and disrupted food intake.

Hunger kills more persons than TB, malaria, and AIDS altogether. A finite area of land with a limited carrying capacity cannot continue to meet the food needs of a population that is growing indefinitely. The ability of a country to feed its populace depends on three factors: population pressures, accessibility to water, and available arable land. The people living in a country, especially if they are poor in a country with limited water and land amounts, then the fewer resources for meeting basic needs. Where basic needs are not met, then an attempt to increase the amounts of food and its consumption, which are the fast growth of population undermines and so too the unequal distribution of land, migration of persons from the rural area to the urban, shrinking holdings of lands, increased poverty, and continued degradation of land. Low birth rates and also better management of water and land resources are needed to curtail chronic food shortages.

Technologies That Can Reduce Hunger and Improve Food Security

According to FFG (2014), nearly 1.2 million people in Ghana face food insecurity, with another two million more prone to food insecurity. Further, a quarter of children below the age of 5 years live with chronic malnutrition. Ghana grows plenty of plantain and corn. In years past, farmers have had to deal with armyworms attacking the corn (8). However, this can be drastically curtailed by utilizing drones to spray pesticides. Farmers need to be educated on how to use drones to spray large tracts of land in a short period. Using drones will help minimize wastage that comes with pests damaging crops and contributing to food shortages. Timely and effective spraying using drones will help farmers quickly identify and stop potential damage by pests such as armyworms and consequently deter food insecurity.

Additionally, farmers in Ghana can take advantage of online selling platforms to sell their food crops in forms acceptable for export, for example, by making culturally-themed chocolates. Cocoa is one of Ghana’s main cash crops, and farmers can detour from the norm and choose to add value to their products. When farmers group together to open platforms where they can sell their products abroad, they will increase their income, and the government will earn revenue from taxes placed on the finished value-added goods. As mentioned earlier, one of the contributors to food insecurity is poverty; however, with more money circulating in the economy because of online sales of finished, value-added products, then poverty will slowly not become a source of food insecurity to Ghanaians.

Specific Factors in Chosen Developing Country

According to Darfour and Rosentrater (3), Ghana can be viewed as a country dependent on agriculture, although mechanized agriculture is rare and far between. More recently, modern agriculture technologies’ adoption has been hindered by cultural practices such as irrigation, the use of resistant crop varieties, and good times to plant and harvest. Financial constraints that farmers face also hinder the adoption of technologies as the country has the majority of small-scale farmers who have access to support, though this support is very limited.

Moreover, Bellon et al. (2) add that insurance companies’ private partners are unprepared to support farmers in adapting and implementing the said technologies. The challenges are not restricted to cultivation, but serious concerns also arise when crops are harvested, and marketing and storage are required and more so, of perishable foods, which results in high postharvest losses of approximately 20-30 percent tubers, roots, vegetables, and fruits and also for legumes and cereals (3). Additionally, women make up the largest percentage of farmers and have been utilizing the traditional technological processes, which are strenuous, give low yields, and poor product quality.

The main cause of food shortage in Ghana can be traced back to postharvest losses (6). The rate of poverty has declined from 52 to 28 percent; nonetheless, the progress made in agriculture has not reduced the import amounts. Ghana imports 70 percent of rice and 15 percent of corn that is consumed. The increase in urban growth and the rise in income are expected to increase both crops’ demand (7).

Additionally, there are aggregated factors that hinder the growth of agriculture, and these work at discouraging farmers from making investments in their crops. Some of these factors are limited access to technological changes and the presence of poor infrastructure. These challenges have been compounded by Ghana’s agroecology diversity. Further, despite the current aging farmer population, youth are unwilling to engage in agriculture. Those who are educated are also unwilling to engage in farming as it is viewed as a poor man’s occupation. This causes information dissemination, policies, regulations, and recent methods to be all the more important to practice. Natural resources sustainability is threatened by a number of practices such as improper modern technologies use and burning bushes. Also, in Ghana, it is reported that 69 percent of the land is threatened by erosion, and this makes for 2 percent of the GDP (3).

Moving agricultural products is a challenge because the transport and road infrastructure is poor and inadequate. This particular constraint has hindered the growth and development of agriculture in some areas that have high potential (5). Most feeder roads connecting villages to farms are in poor condition, which compels farmers to manually carry their produce on their heads to the markets from their farms. The poor infrastructure also impacts other inputs, such as fertilizers. Also, most markets lack suitable and limited infrastructure for storage, a good hygienic environment, a toilet facility, limited space, and accessibility by truck or car (5).

Lastly, the present public irrigation systems operate at a third of their capacity (1). This has resulted in low cropping intensity and low yields because of a lack of proper irrigation system maintenance (1). The formal irrigation development is majorly driven by supply, and the over-reliance on the same has limited the areas under irrigation.

Conclusion

Ghana can be viewed as a country dependent on agriculture, yet the country still faces food insecurity. The main contributing factors to these insecurities are financial constraints, poor adaptation of technology, poverty, lack of proper infrastructure and roads, and a younger, educated populace that is not interested in farming. However, this can be drastically curtailed by utilizing drones to spray pesticides and taking advantage of online selling platforms by farmers to sell their food crops. Lastly, better postharvest storage should be adopted to minimize wastage.

Source List

Akrofi, N. A., Sarpong, D. B., Somuah, H. A. S., & Osei-Owusu, Y. (2019). Paying for privately installed irrigation services in Northern Ghana: The case of the smallholder Bhungroo Irrigation Technology. Agricultural water management, 216, 284-293.

Bellon, M. R., Kotu, B. H., Azzarri, C., & Caracciolo, F. (2020). To diversify or not to diversify is the question. Pursuing agricultural development for smallholder farmers in marginal areas of Ghana. World Development, 125, 104682.

Darfour, B., & Rosentrater, K. A. (2016). Agriculture and food security in Ghana. In 2016 ASABE Annual International Meeting(p. 1). American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

(2014). Feed the Future Ghana. Country Statistics 2014.

Houssou, N., Johnson, M., Kolavalli, S., & Asante-Addo, C. (2018). Changes in Ghanaian farming systems: stagnation or a quiet transformation? Agriculture and human values, 35(1), 41-66.

Kumar, D., & Kalita, P. (2017). Reducing postharvest losses during storage of grain crops to strengthen food security in developing countries. Foods, 6(1), 8.

Kuuire, V., Mkandawire, P., Arku, G., & Luginaah, I. (2013). ‘Abandoning ’ farms in search of food: food remittance and household food security in Ghana. African Geographical Review, 32(2), 125-139.

Tsekpo, K., Afram, A., & Torvikey, G. D. Dynamics of Poverty And Inequality Among Crop Farmers In Ghana.

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An Analysis of Food Security

The members of the United Nations found great value in the analysis you provided on the effects of global warming that result from population growth. They are now asking you to write an additional analysis to include further issues related to population growth. Here is the issue they have asked you to consider:

The member states of the United Nations seek to build food systems that can provide global food security, which will feed everyone, everywhere, every day, by improving food quality through the promotion of effective and nutritional agricultural practices. The crucial issue is not the lack of food in the world but the access to that food. In many developing countries, food shortages are due to governmental control over food distribution. These governments maintain control of the population and their power by limiting access to nutritious food to certain groups. In this practice, they thereby “weaponize” food.

Your second project as a consultant for the United Nations is to develop an analysis that addresses three issues related to global food insecurity caused by global population growth and poverty and to explore these issues in a developing country of your choosing.

Instructions

The U.N. has given you the following guidelines:

Content

The U.N. has asked that your paper contain three sections. Each section should be one page (or approximately 300 words) in length and answer specific questions identified in the outline below. It also asks that you use examples from your developing country when answering the questions.

Introduction

Provide an introduction of half a page minimum that addresses points 1–5 below:

1. Explain the problem the U.N. has asked you to address in your own words.
2. Identify the three sections your paper will cover.
3. Identify the developing country you will consider.
4. Tell the U.N. the causes of food insecurity.
5. Provide a one-sentence statement of your solutions at the end of your introduction paragraph.

Section I. Background

1. What is food insecurity?
2. What role does population growth play in food security?

Section II. Technologies That Can Reduce Hunger and Improve Food Security

1. What forms of technology can be used to reduce hunger and improve food security?
2. How would these technological solutions work?
3. What causes of food insecurity do these technologies address?

Section III. Specific Factors in Chosen Developing Country

1. Considering the causes of food insecurity, what factors interrupt the flow of food from the source to the people in the developing country you selected?

Conclusion

1. Provide a conclusion of half a page minimum that includes a summary of your findings that the United Nations can use to inform future policy decisions.

Success Tips

• In answering each question, use examples from your developing country to illustrate your points.
• The U.N. needs facts and objective analysis on which to base future policy decisions. Avoid personal opinions and make sure your answers are based on information you find through research.

Formatting Requirements

• Make sure your paper consists of 4–6 pages of content (or 1,200 words minimum, not including the cover or reference pages).
• Create headings for each section of your paper as follows:
  • Section I. Background.
  • Section II. Technologies That Can Reduce Hunger and Improve Food Security.
  • Section III. Specific Factors in Chosen Developing Country.
• Use and cite at least five credible sources in your research. A list of potential resources is available below.
• This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

Potential Resources

1. Peter Timmer. May/June 2015. Food Security and Scarcity: Why Ending Hunger Is So Hard. Foreign Affairs. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/capsule-review/food-security-and-scarcity-why-ending-hunger-so-hard
2. The United Nations Population Division. 2017. World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision. https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/world-population-prospects-the-2017-revision.html
3. Will Martin. November 5, 2010. Food Security and Poverty: A Precarious Balance. Let’s Talk Development blog by The World Bank. http://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/food-security-and-poverty-a-precarious-balance