THE Roman philosopher Seneca said: "A hungry people listens not to reason nor cares for justice, nor is bent by any prayers." Food security is national security.

In November 1996, leaders of 186 countries at the World Food Summit in Rome committed to step up the goal of food for all.

The Rome Declaration on World Food Security states: "Food that is available at all times, to which all persons have means of access, that is nutritionally adequate in terms of quantity, quality and variety, and is acceptable within the given culture."

Progress has been slow on this commitment. As a result, we see food insecurity in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Food insecurity is a concept adopted at the Food and Agriculture Organisation's World Food Conference in 1974.

There are two kinds of food insecurity: "transitory", which results from instability in food prices, food production and household incomes, and "chronic", which means continuously living on an inadequate diet due to poverty.
At an Asian Development Bank annual meeting recently, it was emphasised that the global food crisis would condemn millions to hunger and misery in Asia.

For many countries, including Malaysia, agriculture has been long neglected.

Policymakers must take responsibility for the current state of food insecurity. Blaming the food crisis on high fuel prices, lower yields and increasing food consumption is not taking responsibility for the crisis. We need to find short-term and long-term solutions to food insecurity.

- A permanent Food Security Trust Fund

Government, philanthropists and citizens to contribute to this fund, to be used during periods of transitory food insecurity, as at present.

The funds to be used to address both transitory and chronic food insecurity situations, including natural disasters, and to help small farmers during hard times. Contributions to this fund should be tax-exempt and on-going, not just during times of crisis.

- Mapping of vulnerable groups

When inflation increases, real incomes fall and in the absence of social safety nets, identifying vulnerable groups and communities becomes imperative.

To ensure that food aid and programmes reach those who need them, the government should undertake a mapping of those groups who are likely to go hungry and suffer malnutrition when prices of essential foods soar.

Measures and indexes to identify the vulnerable must be agreed upon by government agencies, trade unions and other interest groups.

As children make up 30 per cent of the population, their food security is a critical concern. School feeding programmes require mapping too, so that the children who need them most will not be missed.

- Build a database of traditional foods

Our culinary and consumption habits have changed over time. We eat less indigenous food and more fast food, bread, cheese, imported fruits and vegetables. A wide variety of our edible plants such as varieties of ulam and vegetables like murungai, which have provided nutrition and food security locally are vanishing.

The flowers, fruit and the leaves of the murungai are nutritious. Its root is made into a condiment. Large-scale cultivation of traditional vegetables and fruits is another approach to local and national food security.

- Invest in sustainable agricultural practices

High-tech, agrochemical-dependent, corporate-style mono-cropping farming systems have failed to feed the hungry. Consumers remain wary of genetically modified (GM) foods. The land available for agriculture is limited: FAO states only 11 per cent of the world's land is useful for agriculture.

Opening up large-scale plantations for rice are risky remedies for food insecurity.

The key is to invest in sustainable practices that are pro-farmer, preserve soils and protect the environment and water stores.

- Reform food distribution systems

Increasing food production without improving food distribution systems will not alleviate food insecurity.

The food supply chain includes landlords, farmers, loaders, middlemen, wholesalers to retailers, and is rooted in social and economic structures that are not easy to dismantle. But governments have a moral obligation and a political interest in reforming food distribution systems for national food security.

Transport, storage, information systems, access to credit, virtual monopolies and distribution agencies are all elements that need to be transparent and accountable.

- A national policy on sustainable consumption

Consumers have a key role in ensuring food security. The culture of consumption has led to wasteful lifestyles and environmental destruction.

Lifestyle changes are, therefore, necessary to reduce the negative impact of over-consumption. A comprehensive national policy on sustainable consumption is needed, so that Malaysians internalise the concept of sustainability.

With the political will and resources, no one in this country need suffer the pangs of hunger.

---

The writer is a Senior Asian Public Intellectual Fellow of the Nippon Foundation and director of Philanthropy Asia