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The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Global Change

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 23977

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Raquel P. F. Guiné

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Guest Editor

CERNAS Research Centre and Department of Food Industry, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Interests: food chemistry; food engineering; nutrition; sustainable agriculture; food science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world today confronts troubling trends that impact food security. The first trend is an increase in the world’s population and the rising number of countries that are food importers. The United Nations projects that the world’s population will rise from its current 7.7 billion to 9.7 billion by 2050. The second trend is that the world’s food supply will be pressured by the twin effects of environment degradation and climate change. Environmental degradation such as sterile agricultural land, depleted water tables, and falling grain yields threatens food security for hundreds of millions of people. Climate change has direct impacts on agriculture. Climate-induced drought reduces crop production and lowers yields, while warmer temperatures lead to a higher incidence of plant, livestock, and fish diseases. Climate change is dislocating production in some regions, and this trend is expected to increase as the century progresses. The third trend in a rise in populism and nationalism which has increased trade protectionism. The fourth trend is an increase in the number of weak and at-risk states which are poorly equipped to address their food insecurity and therefore face political instability.

The purpose of this Special Issue of Foods is to examine global food security challenges. Individual papers will identify and analyze the primary food security challenge or challenges for a given country, cohort or group, strategies for mitigation of food insecurity, sources of resilience, and prospects for success. It would be useful to analyze food security/insecurity within the context of one or more of the following: food trade, climate change, environmental degradation, supply and/or distribution, and governance and food policies.

Prof. Dr. Raquel P. F. Guine
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

food security
food insecurity
food self-sufficiency
food production
food imports
food exports
food consumption
food trade
food policy

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 2892 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Food Security in Israel: Challenges and Policies

by Ayal Kimhi

Foods 2024, 13(2), 187; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods13020187 - 06 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1961

Abstract

This article analyzes Israel’s food security in comparison to other developed countries, using multiple indicators divided into four sections: food availability, food affordability, food quality and safety, and natural resources and resilience. Overall, the state of food security in Israel is better than in most countries, but the threats to food security arising from the triple risk of climate change, international conflicts, and disruptions in global supply chains, require better preparation for the future. Israel’s population growth and the slowdown in the growth rate of its agricultural production, as well as the short-term political desire to reduce prices, are leading the country to increasingly rely on food imports. Such imports expose Israel to even greater global risks, and require the formulation of a risk-management strategy that will balance local production and imports. The global triple risk to food security is currently exacerbated for Israel by the risk of shortage of labor due to the security situation, making this risk-management strategy even more necessary. This calls for the establishment of a governmental authority to oversee the formulation of a long-term food-security strategy, to break it down into feasible objectives and policy measures, and to supervise their implementation. Most importantly, in order to maintain and perhaps even enhance the productive capacity of the agricultural sector, the government must reinstall trust between farmers and the state by establishing a stable long-term policy environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Global Change)

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19 pages, 1186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Edible Insects: Perceptions of Marketing, Economic, and Social Aspects among Citizens of Different Countries

by Raquel P. F. Guiné, Sofia G. Florença, Cristina A. Costa, Paula M. R. Correia, Luísa Cruz-Lopes, Bruno Esteves, Manuela Ferreira, Anabela Fragata, Ana P. Cardoso, Sofia Campos, Ofélia Anjos, Elena Bartkiene, Ilija Djekic, Irina M. Matran, Jelena Čulin, Dace Klava, Cristina Chuck-Hernández, Malgorzata Korzeniowska, Nada M. Boustani, Maria Papageorgiou, Bernardo Prieto Gutiérrez, Maša Černelič-Bizjak, Emel Damarli and Vanessa Ferreira Show full author list Hide full author list

Foods 2023, 12(23), 4229; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods12234229 - 23 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1026

Abstract

Because edible insects (EI) have been, in recent years, recommended as a nutritious animal protein food with enormous environmental advantages over other sources of animal protein for human consumption, studies aimed at investigating the consumer perspective have become more prominent. Hence, this study intended to examine the perceptions of participants from different countries about the commercialization and economic and social impacts of edible insects. The study was made using a questionnaire survey, and data were collected in Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey. The final number of received answers was 7222 participants. For the treatment of the results, different statistical techniques were used: factor analysis, internal reliability by Cronbach’s alpha, cluster analysis, ANOVA to test differences between groups, and Chi-square tests. The results obtained confirmed the validity of the scale, constituted by 12 out of the 14 items initially considered, distributed by 4 factors: the first related to the economic impact of EIs, the second related to the motivation for consumption of EIs, the third related to the places of purchase of EIs, and the fourth corresponding to a question presented to the participants as a false statement. A cluster analysis allowed identifying three clusters, with significant differences between them according to all the sociodemographic variables tested. Also, it was found that the participants expressed an exceptionally high level of agreement with aspects such as the difficulty in finding EIs on sale, knowledge acting as a strong motivator for EI consumption, and the role of personalities and influencers in increasing the will to consume EIs. Finally, practically all sociodemographic variables were found to be significantly associated with perceptions (country, sex, education, living environment, and income), but not age. In conclusion, the perceptions about EI commercialization were investigated and revealed differences among samples originating from different countries. Moreover, the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were found to be strongly associated with their perceptions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Global Change)

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16 pages, 3058 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Impact of the Russian–Ukrainian Conflict on Global Food Crops

by Muh Amat Nasir, Agus Dwi Nugroho and Zoltan Lakner

Foods 2022, 11(19), 2979; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11192979 - 23 Sep 2022

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 8125

Abstract

The Russian–Ukrainian conflict has been proven to cause significant losses of life and goods on both sides. This may have potentially impacted the agricultural sector. This study examines the impact of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on the global food situation. We performed a descriptive analysis and literature review to answer this objective. Russia and Ukraine play essential roles in world food production and trade. However, the war has disrupted food production in Ukraine. Estimated Ukrainian wheat, soybean, and maize production in 2022–2023 fell precipitously. On the other hand, Russian production of these three food products shows positive growth during the same period. Furthermore, the global supply chain and food trade are hampered, causing an increase in the world’s food prices. From March to May 2022, the average global price of wheat, soybeans, and maize increased dramatically compared to during and before the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, this poses a danger to global food security, particularly for low-income countries that depend heavily on food imports from both countries. Therefore, all countries must be prepared for the possibility that the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Global Change)

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20 pages, 3430 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Differences, Dynamic Evolution and Trend of the Coupled Coordination Relationship between Urbanization and Food Security in China

by Shan Liu and Mengyang Hou

Foods 2022, 11(16), 2526; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11162526 - 21 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1785

Abstract

Scientific assessment of the coupled coordination degree between urbanization and food security (CDUFS) revealed regional differences and sources. Dynamic evolution and trends are important references for achieving a coordinated interaction between high-quality urbanization and ensuring food security. Specifically, the CDUFS was measured using prefectural panel data in China from 2000 to 2019 and the coupling coordination degree model, which revealed its spatial correlation and differentiation. On this basis, in order to examine the spatiotemporal differences and evolution of the CDUFS, the Dagum–Gini coefficient and Kernel density estimation were innovatively used to analyze its regional differences and evolution distribution. The spatial Markov chain was further employed to examine the evolution trend of the CDUFS. The study found that the CDUFS showed a downward trend in fluctuation within the low coordination interval. There was a positive spatial correlation, with a more stable distribution pattern of high–high and low–low clusters. The regional differences in the CDUFS were obvious and the overall difference has expanded. The main source of regional differences among different food functional areas was inter-regional differences, followed by intra-regional differences. The regional difference between food main producing areas and food main marketing areas was the highest. The CDUFS shows a single-peak distribution; the imbalance between regions was still prominent with a left trailing phenomenon and no convergence. The CDUFS has the stability of maintaining the original state, and the probability of leapfrogging evolution is low in the short term. Finally, the geospatial effect plays an important role in the dynamic evolution of the CDUFS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Global Change)

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Review

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21 pages, 359 KiB

Open AccessReview

Measuring Food Insecurity: The Problem with Semantics

by Rachel M. Sumsion, Haylie M. June and Michael R. Cope

Foods 2023, 12(9), 1816; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods12091816 - 27 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2786

Abstract

Rising rates of hunger and food insecurity have sparked a major re-evaluation of all aspects of food systems. Because of the multifaceted nature of food insecurity, however, determining what actions should be taken is challenging, especially since reevaluation efforts are led by experts from several disciplines and there is no consensus about which indicators should be used and how they should be measured. Confusion surrounding the meaning of the terms ‘food security’ and ‘food insecurity’ has contributed to this lack of consensus. As indicators inform action, such confusion has slowed those committed to alleviating hunger in identifying the most pressing targets. This review highlights (1) the importance of clearly defining food security and food insecurity and (2) how such definitions affect measures of food insecurity in the United States. While some might say that definitions are an issue of the past or a trivial matter of semantics, we believe that the world’s present rates of hunger and malnutrition are attributable, at least in part, to the lack of consensus on these definitions and their accompanying measurements and indicators. Although the present review can be helpful to academics and policy makers, the primary purpose is to be a resource to those involved in the day-to-day production of food, such as ranchers and farmers by providing an overview of definitions, indicators, and measurements used when discussing food security. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Global Change)

15 pages, 3620 KiB

Open AccessReview

Food Security Review Based on Bibliometrics from 1991 to 2021

by Junfang Li and Wei Song

Foods 2022, 11(23), 3915; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11233915 - 04 Dec 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3151

Abstract

Food security is related to human wellbeing and sustainable development and an important guarantee for world peace. In the context of global climate change, increased food demand, resource depletion, conflicts, and frequent public health emergencies, food security is widely seen as one of the top challenges. Food security research has obvious interdisciplinary characteristics, involving a wide range of fields. We analyzed the literature on food security in the Web of Science core collection from 1991 to 2021, using bibliometric methods with the aid of the Biblioshiny software package. By collecting, screening, analyzing, and visually expressing the literature data, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) In the past 30 years, the annual number of publications on food security increased. The period can be divided into three stages: 1991–2003 as the budding period, 2004–2012 as the development period, and 2013–2020 as the high-yield and active period. The top three journals discussing food security issues are Food Security, Sustainability, and Food Policy, and these journals focus on the publication of comprehensive views from interdisciplinary perspectives. (2) Studies on food security cover 138 countries or regions. The top three countries in terms of the number of published articles are the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. Among the top 20 countries in terms of the number of published articles, European countries are highlighted. (3) Climate change, food security, agriculture, policy, and management are the other high-frequency keywords in the field of food security; climate change occurred 321 times. The word sub-Saharan Africa also occurred more frequently, indicating that food security in sub-Saharan Africa has attracted wide attention. (4) The food security theme mapping clearly showed the research status and future development trends of various topics in the field. Currently, food production, climate change, and sustainable development are the most popular themes. Research on food sovereignty, ecological agriculture, child obesity, and other aspects is an emerging field. (5) We predict that in the future, the field of food security may focus on the expansion and improvement of the food security evaluation system, the balance between sustainable development and food security goals, the improvement of agricultural production and management efficiency, and the research on government policies and strategies. Our results provide a reference for grasping the current situation, key research direction, and development trend in the field of food security. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Global Change)

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12 pages, 1708 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Alternative Crops in an Upcoming Global Food Crisis: A Concise Review

by Antonios Mavroeidis, Ioannis Roussis and Ioanna Kakabouki

Foods 2022, 11(22), 3584; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11223584 - 11 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3509

Abstract

Achieving Food Security (FS) is perhaps our most challenging aspiration. Despite our best efforts, millions of people around the globe are malnourished or live with hunger. The state of the geo-political scene, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, have recently brought forth fears of a Global Food Crisis (GFC). Here, we present the factors that threaten FS and could trigger a GFC, examine the potential of alternative crops (ACs) as a measure against an upcoming GFC, and highlight the key aspects of the ACs introduction process in new regions. ACs could enhance FS, yet their success is premised on the adoption of sustainable practices and the implementation of food strategies that aim to promote healthy consumer behaviours. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Global Change)

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