Food and Health

Question 1

define Food security

Answer 1

all people have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs for an active and healthy life

Question 2

who collects the data on food security

Answer 2

part of the UN
- the WHO
- the FAO (food and agricultural organisation)

Question 3

how is food security calculated

Answer 3

• affordability
• availability
• quality and safety
• sustainability and adaptability

Question 4

what are subsidies

Answer 4

payment to farmers for growing food that meets the governments needs

Question 5

what is the food pattern in sub saharan africa

Answer 5

it has the worst food security rates in the world

Question 6

Nigeria (food security case study): why does it experience food security

Answer 6

• scores 107th in the world
• the north of Nigeria is a desert - lack of food availability
• the north has the Islamic group (Boko Harum) - that kidnapped many school girls - conflict
• Ukraine and Russia send 14% of all Nigeria’s grain - limiting availability and increasing food costs
• corruption -> huge inequalities of wealth (has lots of oil)

Question 7

what is the food pattern in the MENA?

Answer 7

Better food security relative to sub saharan africa

Question 8

Morocco (food security case study): why does it experience food security

Answer 8

• medium food security
• vibrant tourism
• proximity to EU for trade

Question 9

Syria (food security case study): why does it experience food security

Answer 9

• low food security
• conflict
• lack of availability

Question 10

UAE (food security case study): why does it experience food security

Answer 10

• high food security

Question 11

why is Bangladesh’s sustainability and adaptability poor

Answer 11

due to climate change, the Himalayas melt and flood Bangladesh, therefore their crops are not adapted to this

Question 12

how is the global hunger index calculated? what components? + one strength of each

Answer 12

• undernourishment -> deficiency of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals (EPVM) (refers to an entire population, both adults and children)
• child wasting -> low weight for height (looks at calorie intake, diet quality and utilisation)
• child stunting -> low height for age (is sensitive to the uneven distribution of food within a household)
• child mortality -> the mortality rate of children under 5, per 1000 of the population

Question 13

what is a criticism of “ child mortality under 5”

Answer 13

• children can die from many extraneous variables (disease, war)

Question 14

what is a bad score for the global hunger index

Answer 14

50+

Question 15

how is the global hunger index split up

Answer 15

• 1/3 -> undernourishment
• 1/6 -> child stunting and wasting
• 1/3 -> child mortality

Question 15

patters of the global hunger index: China

Answer 15

• East Asia -> China has seen rapid progress

Question 16

patterns of the global hunger index:
North Korea

Answer 16

poor hunger index -> isolation from global economy

Question 17

patterns of the global hunger index:
Sub-Saharan Africa

Answer 17

• especially central landlocked countries -> lack of access to the sea for maritime trade

Question 18

patterns of the global hunger index:
Middle East

Answer 18

• UAE -> extreme wealth and no food issues
• Yemen/ Somalia -> terrorist activities -> extreme food insecurity and hunger

Question 19

food security index: strengths

Answer 19

• holistic and multidimensional approach
• Predictive
• Global comparability
• food system focus (10/10)
• ID countries in need

Question 20

food security index: weaknesses

Answer 20

• emergency detection (collected overtime)
• internal variation (Nigeria - North is a desert region, and has political conflict (Boko Haram). Whereas, the south has fertile and rich land) -> it doesnt show variation between food security -> it shows the country as one colour

Question 21

global hunger index: strengths

Answer 21

• holistic and multidimensional approach
• emergency detection -ID countries in need
• Global comparability (not HIC) -> it is more targeted on countries in need
• Health outcome focus (10/10)
• Food system focus (5/10) -> not as good at the food security index (doesn’t look at the availability and cost of food -> only looks at the outcomes)
• influences policy for reducing hunger

Question 22

global hunger index: weaknesses

Answer 22

• emergency detection (collected overtime)
• predictive
• Internal variation (Nigeria)
• measures child mortality that may have another cause -> i.e. malaria or conflict