More food or better distribution? Reviewing food policy options in developing countries

ABSTRACT

As most of the undernourished people in the world live in developing countries, achieving food security plays a major role on the daily agenda of policy makers. For achieving food security, there exist various strategies such as supply management, demand management, or better food distribution. This article aims to analyze different scenarios in a developing country context and seeks to provide an overview that could be the most suitable approach to achieve food security. In this context, not only producing more food is considered but also the environmental and social implications that come along with a higher production. Some of the existing options for achieving food security seem not to be appropriate anymore; for instance, cultivation expansion, as this can only be achieved at high social and environmental costs. Other options, such as sustainable intensification or waste management, seem to be more appropriate. The article concludes that there exists no stand-alone solution to the food security problem. Instead, an integrated approach that combines different options might rather be the key to sustainable food security.

KEYWORDS:

• Food distribution
• food justice
• food security
• sustainable intensification
• undernourishment