Chapter 5


As a result of all these effects, overall food security will improve. Improvements in the
performance of the marketing system have the same effect as shown in Figure 5.2 (see
section 5 and Figure A-11, Annex 1).

The above examples show how existing food deficits can be reduced and overall food
security be improved through direct interventions in the food sub-sector, aiming at increased
food production and domestic supplies. This does, however, not mean that policies to
increase production and supplies should be confined to the food-subsector. Food security is
not necessarily a matter of self-sufficiency in food production. If a country or region has a
comparative advantage in producing other than food crops, the economic benefits may be
larger and food security could possibly better enhanced by promoting non-food crops for
export. The income earned and the foreign exchange generated through the sale of non-food
crops may buy more food than could alternatively be produced locally. In this case, through
enhancing non-food production, the food deficits will be reduced and food security improved
through increased access to food, rather than by increased food production and domestic
supplies.

Whether food or non-food production is more profitable and more effective in achieving food
security depends on various factors, such as the existing land use system (including socio-
economic differences in production), the world market situation, the rural infrastructure and
marketing system for food and export crops. All these factors need to be carefully considered
when a strategy to agricultural sector reform and food security is designed. In general it is
assumed that the removal of price and market rigidities as result of structural adjustment
measures will automatically lead to appropriate price signals for producers to decide on the
most efficient allocation of the production resources (see Annex 2A, but also take note of the
critics of the free market economy model as raised in section 5 of the same annex).

2.2 Stabilising food supplies

Supply instability is a main cause of temporary food insecurity. This may be a result of acute
production shortfalls due to unfavourable weather conditions, or may be characteristic of
inter- and intra-seasonal variations in food supply, and they may critically affect the country
as a whole, certain areas or specific population groups (e.g. people living in remote or
drought prone areas.)

Some of the measures mentioned under section 2.1 above will also have positive effects in
terms of stabilising food supplies. This is particularly true of measures aimed at improving
rural infrastructure, research, storage and food marketing such as:

* irrigation which will reduce susceptibility to rainfall variations;

* research into drought/pest resistant varieties;

* investments in storage on farm, local, regional and national levels;

* technical improvements to reduce storage losses;