Food Security

Food security, for example has been defined in more than three hundred ways according to an ODI scholar who compiled all the definitions. Based on the following definition of the terms I will describe the relations.

Nutrition is the science that interprets the interaction of nutrients and other substances in food in relation to maintenance, growth, reproduction, health and disease of an organism. It includes food intake, absorption, assimilation, biosynthesis, catabolism and excretion. But we are referring to it in our work more as the nutritional outcome. It is the final manifestation of the immediate causes, underlying conditions and the basic causes such as the political and ideological factors, the economic structure and the type of resource

The definition of economic development given by Professor Michael Todaro is an improvement in living conditions, in the citizens self-esteem, and in their experience of freedom and justice. The level of economic development strongly determines the food security status, especially of the less well off groups and their nutritional status. This is often measured by the prevalence of stunting and wasting in children under five years of age.

The 1996 World Food Summit states that food security "exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life". The four pillars of food security are availability, access, utilization and stability. All four have to be tackled to ensure food security and sustainable economic

In order to create a truly developed country the human rights of each individual should be respected. A rights approach to development will empower the poor and needy and hasten the improvement of their living conditions and thus of their health and nutritional status; in turn this will drive further economic growth through their enhanced productivity. Well fed citizens that enjoy human freedoms are also less likely to oppose the authorities. Peace and stability are essential pre-requites for a free, food secure and a healthy economy and society.

An important lesson learned over decades of development is the importance of gender equity to improved nutrition of children, to the improvement of food security of households and to overall economic growth of a nation. Empowered women ensure better nutritional status of children and contribute additionally to economic activities and growth.

Thus the relationship between Food Security, Nutrition and Economic Development is a complex, highly interdependent and circuitous one. Nutritional outcomes depend on such factors as physical and economic access to food; the kind of attention and care children and women receive; the health services and the sanitary conditions; and most importantly on the institutional, political and ideological parameters defining a particular