Food Security
The term food security reflects the desire to eliminate hunger and malnutrition. The World Food Summit in 1996 defined food security as, “when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet the dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” This definition implies that food security has three pillars i.e. physical availability of food, socio-economic access to food and food absorption. Provision of clean drinking water is a must for food absorption. EPF's stance is that food (in) security should be considered as one of the non-traditional issues. Right to food is one of the basic rights of citizens of Pakistan and one need to think of food security beyond production & stocks of wheat available in Pakistan.
Aims
- To understand and address food security issues; examination of the structural causes of food insecurity and different policy responses.
- Government and international responses to varied economic, policy and environmentally driven food crises at all levels; the cause and effect of rising food prices; different approaches to reducing vulnerability and strengthening resilience; the pros and cons of food aid
- The right to food under international law and in national constitutions and legislation; approaches to the effective implementation of right to food legislation; and how right to food fits with other national and international frameworks for addressing hunger (eg. World Food Summit and MDGs).
- Understanding the current food system and land use management approaches in the context of climate change
