Food Insecurity in the Philippines

We have had difficulty getting enough food to live an active and healthy life. Hundreds of millions of people throughout the world are food insecure, unsure whether they will be able to eat themselves the next day or at the end of the day.

The Philippines, which is positioned amid the Pacific, has faced various food security risks in recent years. A series of natural disasters have wreaked havoc on the food supply, rendering farmer harvests useless, while problems created by a lack of suitable infrastructure have provided an unnecessary and formidable task to farmers.

Food insecurity is a risky concept since it does not exist in a vacuum. Low-income families may face multiple overlapping challenges, such as social isolation, acute and chronic health problems, a lack of suitable housing, low salaries, and high medical bills. These problems could lead to food insecurity, and vice versa, complicating and risking life.

They're all social determinants of health. Addressing successful remedies to food insecurity requires addressing these overlapping concerns as well. A detailed examination of the causes, effects and solutions to food insecurity may be found here.

Food access and usage have been limited by a widening income disparity between the high and lower classes, particularly for those in lower-income groups. So, what variables in the Philippines contribute to food insecurity? Here are some examples of causes in each dimension

Getting rid of hunger and malnutrition, as well as creating greater global food security, are two of humanity's most difficult challenges. While many previously impoverished countries are now rapidly improving, the world is unlikely to fulfill the first Millennium Development Goal of halving the share of the world's population suffering from hunger between 1990 and 2015. Though the global proportion of undernourished individuals has decreased, the rate of decline has slowed, and the absolute numbers of undernourished people remain stubbornly high.

Increased food prices haven't helped, but they aren't the root of the problem. The poorest consumers, including many subsistence farmers whose production is insufficient to meet their consumption demands, are undeniably harmed by high pricing. Global hunger, the most visible symptom of food insecurity, is, however, a long-standing issue that precedes the current period of increased food prices. Indeed, in the early 2000s, when international food costs were at an all-time low, there were as many hungry people as there are today. Similarly, increased food costs have had no impact on the general decline in the share of undernourished persons.

Getting rid of hunger and malnutrition, as well as creating greater global food security, are two of humanity's most difficult challenges. While many previously impoverished countries are now rapidly improving, the world is unlikely to fulfill the first Millennium Development Goal of halving the share of the world's population suffering from hunger between 1990 and 2015. Though the global proportion of undernourished individuals has decreased, the rate of decline has slowed, and the absolute numbers of undernourished people remain stubbornly high.

Malnutrition affects both physical and mental abilities in children up to a certain age, resulting in stunted growth, delayed brain development, and other comparable disorders.

Food insecurity is one of the causes of malnutrition in the Philippines. This indicates that, due to a lack of resources or inaccessibility, Filipinos do not have enough food to feed themselves daily. Filipinos still have a long way to go until they have physical and economic access to enough, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs for an active and healthy lifestyle, despite the country's vow to abolish hunger and poverty as part of its sustainable development target.

Poor households can benefit from a variety of initiatives, both within and outside of agriculture. Income growth can be boosted by improvements in education and basic healthcare. They directly increase nutrition in addition to providing clean water. Peace and stability, solid macroeconomic management, good governance, developed institutions, unambiguous property rights, and enough physical infrastructure are significant components in the overall investment climate. These policies are beneficial to farmers, but they do not prevent them from exploring non-farm possibilities as they arise.