Can Food Security Improve the Quality of Life?

Zhansaya Ali

December 12, 2021

One issue which will never lose its relevance is food security. UN statistics show that approximately 1.2 billion people are lacking food while their daily food expenses do not exceed $1. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has set Food Security as the primary objective to be achieved. Due to the continued growth of the world population, an increase in food production is needed in order to provide everyone with the quality and quantity of food needed to live a healthy lifestyle. But how, exactly, does food security affect the lives of people?

There are millions of people who are deprived of food – a basic human right. As of 2016, the number of individuals suffering from starvation was 850 million, which was about 11-12% of the then population. The situation in 2019, before Covid-19, was also, not comforting, with a rate of 9%, which was 700 million people. The main cause of famine and malnutrition is the inability to afford the sufficient amount of food needed due to difficult financial conditions. It is worth noting that food security directly impacts many aspects of life and is therefore related to many SDGs besides zero hunger, such as No Poverty, Good Health and Well-Being and Reduced Inequalities to name a few.

The World Food Program stated that nourishment safety will always be one of the biggest concerns of mankind as it plays an enormous role in human existence. Thus, tackling the problem of food insecurity is a prior mission for every individual. Likewise, the Food and Agriculture Organization calls on world leaders to enhance social protection programs and deal with the problems of vulnerable communities. Additionally, it is important to support the work of local farmers, which will increase food production, provide workplaces and develop global food trade.

The condition of the human organism is connected to products that were obtained. People get all the necessary energy and nutrients from the i food they consume. If the body lacks any elements or substances, the immune system will be disrupted and numerous problems with health will appear. These will have a great impact on the quality of life. A low level of energy leads to a reduction in productivity and irritability. This may affect the ability to integrate into society. Furthermore, hormonal imbalance and insomnia are the reasons for several deadly diseases. All of these aforementioned factors are essential for human functioning and in having a quality life.

Reference list

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  3. Ludmila, K. , Irina, K. , Oksana, S.&  Nadezhda, S. 2013. Food Security in the System of Relations of the Standard and Quality of Life. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289628736_Food_security_in_the_system_of_relations_of_the_standard_and_quality_of_life