Global Food System - Research Paper Example

Global Food System Introduction In the past three decades, the world food conference announced its aim of preventing hunger and malnutrition. However, fears about global food problems have continued un-debated by various governments in the world. In most cases, these fears have been is placed and led to misguided policies. Further, complacency on the part of governments has resulted in missed chances to solve the challenges. Reliable unbiased evidence is of use in assisting policy makers in arriving at the most appropriate decisions (Nicholson, 2009, p14). The primary concern of the international community has been food security. Food security involves a situation whereby all human beings have physical and economic access to enough, safe and nutritious food that can meet their dietary needs and food preference for an active and healthy life. Decision makers, policy makers as well as concerned members of the public have widely discussed issues on how much food the world is growing or is able to grow and whether the production of food involves sustainable management of natural resources. In addition, they have also been discussing how food is distributed at the global, regional, national, and household levels. All these concerns have been crucial in achieving concerted efforts and the international commitment of organizations concerned with world food production such as food and agricultural organization (FAO) (Nicholson, 2009, p14). Emerging acknowledgement of other food problems has placed the concerns of the food system in a much broader context. The concerns include human health closely tied to food safety and the growing cases of nutrition related illnesses such as heart diseases; the commercialization and industrialization of food and agriculture; the emergence of advanced technologies with eminent positive and negative economic and environmental impacts; the emergence of transnational organizations in international food markets; rising concentration in food production, processing, and retail and armed conflicts (McMicheal, 1994, p20). There are environmental challenges facing the global food system. These challenges include climate change, the extortion of natural resources, salinity, increased amount of pesticides, GMO concerns, and biodiversity challenged closely linked to monocropping. Each of these challenges does not cross modern borders, hence making the study of the food system itself a valuable and important experience (McMicheal, 1994, p20). The food challenges being experienced in the world now are both diverse and complex. However, much of he discussion and evidence available to decision makers fail to take into account such diversity and complexity. Much time is being spent in simpleminded discussion to sensationalize the extent of existing food problems while making bad predictions for the future. Short term fluctuations in food production and the resulting food price increases are in most cases misunderstood as long term trends (Nicholson, 2009, p15). Global food system begins with the utilization of resources such as land, water, labor and capital for the purpose of food production, and ends when food in consumed. However, the availability and efficiency of resources utilized such as labor efficiency and agent behavior are influenced by the outcomes of the food system, for example, the extent to which nutritional needs are achieved. It is therefore clear that the food system begins and ends with what is referred to as outcomes, especially human health and nutrition (Nicholson, 2009, p15). Stakeholder groups in the global food system include resource owners, farmers and farm laborers, traders, processors, consumers, investors, policymakers and analysts, the government and the civil society. These stakeholders respond to incentives such as opportunities, challenges and risks as well as environmental constraints. The food system is a dynamic, behavioral system that can be influenced by public policy through incentives, regulations, and knowledge generation. It is important to view global food system as an economic, physical and social system (McMicheal, 1994, p26). A food system involves production, distribution and consumption. This process starts with natural and planned production. Farmers normally organize inputs such as soil, fertilizer, water, and livestock to produce food commodities. These products may be consumed by the producing household, stored for later use, or sold to other households or to traders and processors. Further, food processors combine and alter food commodities to reduce the time households spend in such activities. Food supplies often reach consumers by multiple distribution channels. It is during distribution stage hat consumer demand meets producer supply thereby producing price signs that balance both forces. Food prices in the global market are normally influenced by action taken by the public and private sectors. The channel of distributing food is relatively short. Food may pass through many links as it is traded, transported, and processed in several different facilities. Food is further transported to wholesale distribution centers, and sold at retail to households or to institutions that prepare food for final; consumption. Some of the places where food products are distributed include hotels, restaurants, government facilities, hospitals, vending machines and many more (Andersen, Watson and Soren, 2011, p3). The process of food consumption includes not only acquiring and preparing food. It also involves its distribution among household members, ingestion, digestion and metabolism as well. The last decades has witnessed a trend toward increasing capital concentration in the retail food sector. The dominance in the market power of few dominant retail chains is associated with a similar increase in their political power (McMicheal, 1994, p25). Market dominance, in collaboration with an expansion in the development of private governance institutions, specifically private food standards; reflect the growth in the structural power of retailers. These developments, especially the nature and consequences of private governance developed by food retailers and their organizations, have critical implications for sustainability. While promising improved safety, private standards have in two minds effects on the social and environmental sustainability of the world food system. Certain progress in nutritional, environmental, and safety characteristics of food products may be expected from globally set food standards. However, these advancements will likely not proceed as retailers suggest and as consumers want them to proceed (Andersen, Watson and Soren, 2011, p5). Detrimental effects may rise from the increasing retail effect on the social sustainability of the world food system. The effects arise from the neglect of farmers from the developing nations in global markets that are directed by private food standards. These food producers are often required to comply with private standards some of which demand the creation of expensive and sophisticated systems of control and implementation. There should be stringent political regulations of retail power in the food sector. This will be a good way of reestablishing some power balance between civil society and business interests in the global food governance. Global food sustainability involves the sustainability of the world’s institutions that are dedicated to meeting the needs of rising demands for food in the face of changes in the natural environment. Sustainable development involves the ability to sustain the course of global development in relation to the need to protect the environment, ecosystems, and the world’s population (McMicheal, 1994, p20). On genetically modified foods, an analytical approach has to be considered because it will help consider what genetically modified crops mean for the current and future of the global food system. Beyond doubt, the future of foods need attention. The global food system is encountering a strain that is however widely hidden from rich consumers residing in wealthy nations. The industrial methods of food provisioning that have risen in number over the past two decades. This has flourished and deepened since the Second World War ended. It has also truly led to remarkable levels of food production. Further, the globalization of food cultures, together with the changes in tastes and the development of extensive food distribution chains, means that in wealthy regions of the world, at any time, any food can be accessed.Consequently, rich people are presented, with a wide variety of food and processed food products on shop floors (Clapp and Fuchs, 2009, p29). The benefits of the huge rise in food production ought not to be understated. The world boom that started during the industrial revolution and peaked following the Second World War created a growing concern on food security. It is areal possibility that population growth would affect the ability of the planet to feed us. Conclusion In the context of food security, the reformed committee on world food security currently has adopted a structure that gives room for all stakeholders to contribute at the national, regional and global levels. Recent periods of astronomical prices and higher price volatility are significantly impactin on food insecure populations. These events show the need for answers by all stakeholders. For the most part, solutions addressing these issues are not new, but add greater priority for appropriate policy responses. These include greater productivity growth and improving resilience to shocks, implementing appropriate policies to address food challenges and to mitigate its consequences. Finally, the international community needs responsible forums in which enhanced policy development and international coordination can work to address policy challenges to food production of securing the sustainable growth the global food system which will be needed to feed the world in the near years to come (McMicheal, 1994, p26). Works Cited Andersen Per, Watson Demil and Frandsen Soren. Food Policy fir Developing countries: the role of government in global, national and local food systems, London, Cornell University Press. 2011. Clapp Jenifer and Fuchs Doris. Corporate power in global agrifood governance. New York, MIT Press. 2009. Print. McMichael Phillip. The global restructuring of agro-food systems. London, Cornell University Press, 1994. Print. Nicholson Simon. Governing the gene: the politics of transgenetic agriculture and the future of food, New York, ProQuest. 2009. Print. Read More