The Health Issues and Global Food Security - Essay Example

THE ISSUE OF GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY (SOMALIA) by of the of the of the School 5 January, Introduction Food security is a crucial issue that links with health factors in any population. While some countries have more than enough to consume excessively, others have limited access to food supply, and suffer from hunger and under nutrition. Food security is recognized to be achieved when everyone has physical and economic access to acquire adequate, safe, and nutritious food all the time, so that their dietary needs and food preferences are met to achieve an active and healthy life (Bhargava, 2006, p. 149). Therefore, food insecurity threatens the availability, access, or use of food, which also entails adequate water and sanitation issues. Food insecurity is not a new issue in the global face, and its impacts are felt by individual countries and societies struggling with the insecurity. African countries have a long experience in the food insecurity crisis; numerous factors (natural and human activities) seem to contribute to their strain in eradicating the crisis. Somalia, a neighbouring country of Kenya, still remains dependent on humanitarian assistance to support its food insecure population and mitigate malnutrition, whose rate remains one of the highest in the world. According to FSNAU, there are an estimated 215,000 children less than 5 years of age who are acutely malnourished, among them approximately 45, 000 being termed as severely malnourished; the situation is said to have been improved, resulting to 1out of 7 and 1 out of 33 children being acutely and severely malnourished respectively (2013, p.1). However, intense and consistent intervention is still being required at least for the next 6 months, to stabilize the nation and improve their access to basic needs. Somalia has most of its population practising livestock farming (pastoralist), trade, and little to do with activities of crop farming. Most of its population and areas can now be categorized as stressed (IPC phase 2), where the people have minimal sufficient food consumption, hence important non food expenditures and maintenance of their families’ livelihood is difficult. There many reasons for the food insecurity and similarly, remedies have been taken to improve food security in the nation. Causes of Food Insecurity in Somalia Drought. It is one of the great contributors of the famine in the nation that has left the entire region prone to health and survival problems. The natural disaster resulted in reduced rainfall in the region, affecting the little crop production and livestock farming. As the water shortage increased, crops production and harvest decreased, while the water was little to maintain the livestock and the population itself. The drought resulted in death of large numbers of livestock that the herdsmen and their families depended on for food and financial support, thereby reducing their purchasing power to improve their situation in their the midst of the disaster; apparently, the livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, and camels) death rates accrue to 90 percent in some areas (Oxfam America, 2011). The drought is said to have driven Somalia residents to neighbouring countries in search of adequate food and water. The eastern part of the Horn of Africa had received quite heavy rainfall (La Nina) during the period of 2010, but consequently it experienced two consecutive seasons of below average rainfall delaying the crop farming, which nevertheless was a shock in production. The Hagaa and Deyr rains which are usually experienced in these areas have been minimal, leading to low vegetative growth for the livestock. Problems of crop infestation are also persistent in their crops that are planted to take short periods. Increase in food prices. The implication of drought was low food and water availability, creating a good chance for the traders to benefit as the prices of commodities increased. Somalia being heavily reliant on imported food experienced high prices of food grains, which have also been a reflection of the global prices during the economic recession periods, and the regional inflation of individual countries. Looking at the past, food prices have been increasing annually, yet the lives and economic status of the Somali people remain poor. According to Holleman and Moloney, the hike in food prices was between 100 to160 and 130 to 190 percent in 2007 and 2008 respectively (2009). The trend of increasing prices has not changed and continues to hit the people, who now have low purchasing power. Recovering their power after the destruction of their assets could take a slightly longer period than expected to maintain their livelihood. According to FAO, the trading of maize and sorghum in Mogadishu retail market, back in June 2011, had record prices of 660 and 670 US dollars per tonne respectively, implying a raise of 106% and 180 % on annual basis (FAO, 2011). The prices have affected the availability and access of food in terms of the financial abilities of the Somalis households, who have low economic power. Weak government and conflicts. Over the last two decades, Somalia government has been in constant struggle with the Al Shabaab terrorist group, which has been a threat to the country and population development, essentially hampering Somalia’s and supportive organisations’ measures to mitigate the developing famine and food insecurity. Since 1991, Somalia has been in war on and off, and as a result, the combination of the conflicts, human insecurity, lack of investment, limited development initiatives, access for humanitarian organisations , and destruction of economic and political infrastructure, have contributed to its food insecurity (Tavanti, 2012). The civil conflicts have been preventing movements and access to certain areas that would allow the people to have access to food and water, or even participate in trade to boost their livelihood. It is worth to note that most of the areas that have been under the Al Shabaab insurgency have been the worst hit by the famine. The strong governance required has been weakened by the terrorist activities, therefore weakening its abilities to address the chronic poverty and security of its vulnerable people. That is why there are many refuges from Somalia in neighbouring Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. Solution to Somalia’s Food Insecurity Addressing Somalia’s problems needs focus on various dimensions, but the crucial factor at stake is the country’s security. Expelling the terrorist group should be the pillar of peace and stability for the Somali’s citizens and government. People need to move freely to participate in their activities, and acquire food, water, and other basic needs without interference. So far, the AMISOM troop with soldiers from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, and Ethiopia have made a tremendous effort in the operation to combat the Al Shabaab, which has resulted in reduction of Somalia refugees from the neighbouring countries’ campsites (Garowe, 2012). They are slowly returning home as calm and peace is being restored in their nation. Recently, the country conducted elections, putting into place a recognized and supported government to conduct its national activities without fear. This has been a positive strategy to enforce peace and strong government in the country. It is possible for humanitarian organisations and other investors to offer their support, and steer growth when peace is available. However, Somalia needs adequate investment in development programs such as infrastructure, which would aid in food and water distribution in different parts of the country. More businesses and trading environments need to be improved, so as to generate more income for the country, individuals, and the households. The investment would steer agricultural developments and technologies that would result in enough food production in the long run (Tavanti, 2012). It is essential that more boreholes and wells are dug to increase water supply for the people, animals, and for irrigation purposes. Trying out of other short period crops would be of benefit to the Somali society. Advantages of most of these factors could be experienced in the long run, but for certain temporally and emergence periods such as the ongoing situation of Somali refugees, donors and humanitarian organisations need to always act with immediate effect, since reacting to the situation quite late after the crisis has already done intense harm. Organisations have effectively tried to support the Somali refugees along the borders of neighbouring countries, but much is still expected, in order to improve the health issues due to malnutrition. It is no doubt that Somalia has served as an example to numerous nations around the globe through the recent famine, and to avoid following similar paths that would cause food insecurity. Bibliography Bhargava, V. K., 2006. Global Issues for Global Citizens: An Introduction to Key Development Challenges. Washington DC: The World Bank. FAO. 2011. Drought‐Related Food Insecurity: A focus on the Horn of Africa. [pdf] Available at: [Accessed 5 January 2013]. FSNAU. 2013. Somalia’s Food Insecurity Eases but Acute Malnutrition Remains High. [pdf] Available at: < http://www.fsnau.org/downloads/FSNAU-Technical-Release-February-2013.pdf> [Accessed 5 January 2013]. Garowe. 2012. Somalia: Djibouti Defense Minister Visits Amisom Troops in Beledweyne. [online] Available at: [Accesses 5 January 2013]. Read More