Food security
The right to food is a human right
Food sustains life, and a balanced diet helps control health. Food security, the ready availability of nutritious food and the health that it promotes, are often taken for granted in Europe, with little thought given to the processes and practicalities of modern food production - farming.
The definition of food security has been refined in the recent years. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (as defined during the World Food Summit 1996), food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
Four key parameters form the definition of food security:
- Food availability: sufficient quantities of food.
- Food quality: safe and nutritious food.
- Food affordability: quantities of food affordable for all.
- Food predictability: quantities of food available at all times.
The latest FAO statistics estimate that hundreds of millions of people live in hunger or lack a suitable supply of food. Moreover, the global population is set to increase to 9 billion people by 2050. In order to meet the demand and reduce global hunger (as targeted by the UN Millennium Development Goals) all efforts must be targeted to increase food production by sustainable means. Pesticides can help achieve this.
Pesticides, a tool for food security
By keeping crops free of pests and diseases, pesticides help to ensure a reliable and predictable food supply. Crop losses due to pests and diseases are between 30 and 50% depending on the crop grown. For example, the losses of wheat yields could reach 50% if no pesticides were used; for potatoes, the losses can reach up to 75%.
Pesticides limit food losses and make significant contribution to food security.
