Food Security and Health: The Need for Better Inclusive Planning

This article was external pageoriginally publishedcall_made in Issue 17 of external pagePapers IEMEDcall_made, a publication of the external pageEuropean Institute of Mediterranean (IEMED)call_made in June 2015.

Within a context of increasing demand for food as a result of the major population growth and migration fluxes in the Mediterranean region, two factors arise as essential to continue to promote social inclusiveness in the future: food security and health.

The issue of food security in the Mediterranean will necessarily become a major priority in the regional agenda over the next decades due to the need to fulfil the food demand of the population. In this respect, one of the challenges is to guarantee food at affordable prices so that everyone has access to it regardless of their economic or social status. In addition, ensuring people’s right to health services should be at the core of government policies. Improving and widening health coverage is a challenge that should be addressed to ensure that vulnerable populations can receive medical treatment.

Both food security and health are complex and entangled issues that are influenced by a number of factors, including population growth, state revenues, armed conflicts and climate change, among others, which must be taken into consideration as they have a direct effect on human development. The design of new strategies and policies to deal with present and future challenges in these fields requires adjustment to a continuous changing reality.

Food Security

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO),”food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food, that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” Considering this definition, food security is a multi-dimensional concept as it involves different aspects that define its framework.

In the Mediterranean region, the limited natural resources, in particular water and arable land, cannot fulfil the food demand of the population. The reliance on food imports puts the region in a fragile situation due to food price volatility and unstable international markets. Another aspect to consider is climate change, which especially in the Mediterranean has an impact on the deterioration of ecosystems and natural resources, including water availability. If the ecosystems continue to deteriorate, along with a decrease in water resources and farming land available, it will pose a threat to local production, which is directly related to 25 million jobs in the region.

Taking into account this context, a few issues that influence food security especially in the cities of the Mediterranean region are highlighted:

Population growth

The rapid population growth and the consequent increase of food demand in the Mediterranean region are aspects that should be taken into consideration in the food security context.

The population of the Mediterranean region progressively increased from 276 million in 1970 to 466 million in 2010, and it is predicted to reach 529 million by 2025. More than half of this population lives in countries in the southern Mediterranean, and this proportion is expected to significantly grow by 2025. For instances, the total population in Turkey¹ was 28.2 million in 1960 and increased up to 77.7 million in 2014, increasing 175% over the last 50 years. A similar case is Egypt,² where the total population was 27.9 million in 1960 and increased to 82.1 million in 2013, which indicates an increase of 94% over the last 50 years.

There has also been a very rapid urban development in the Mediterranean region. Approximately 163 million people out of the 190 million that were added to the population in the region between 1970 and 2010 live in towns of more than 10,000 inhabitants. During this period the urban population increased 1.9% per year, from 152 million to 315 million, and it is estimated that about 385 million people will live in towns in the region by 2025. In addition, almost three quarters of this growth is expected to take place in the south and east of the Mediterranean. In the period 1970-2010, the urban growth in this area averaged 3.1% per year, and about 4% in Libya, Syria and Turkey.

Global forecasts point out that the availability of food in the region, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, is not sufficient to feed its entire population, leading the region to a position of high dependence on food imports. The situation does not seem to improve but to deteriorate over the next decades due to the increasing gap between local production and the food demands of a rising population.

Local food markets

Local food markets in Mediterranean cities can play a major role in promoting neighbourhood inclusiveness as they support job creation and social interaction. The remodelling, modernization and urban integration of local food markets can also contribute to the inclusive urban socioeconomic development of the cities. This process requires the commitment of all the actors involved, including employees, customers of the markets and neighbourhood representatives as well as the knowledge and commitment to adjust the infrastructure and services of the markets to the needs of customers and to a certain extent the neighbours, while ensuring that they are economically competitive.

The “remodelling model of Barcelona” may serve as an inspirational case of success for other local food markets in Mediterranean cities. This model takes into consideration several aspects, which include the restoration of the architectonic value of old buildings and its artistic elements making it more attractive for eventual tourists, a design oriented towards a commercially sustainable activity and a well-developed market logistics. By doing so with public food markets the accessibility of healthy and fresh food for all residents is better guaranteed. Moreover, this model supports an environmentally friendly recycling activity and the promotion of the markets to attract visitors and customers.

This methodology could be implemented in other Mediterranean cities by adjusting the idea of markets modernisation to the local idiosyncrasy. The main goal of this approach is to promote the modernisation and remodelling of old buildings that serve as local markets in order to facilitate trade of proximity and integrate them as food services for residents.

Health

The insufficient local production and the dependence on food imports in Mediterranean countries increases the chances of undernourishment among the population, which leads to the emergence of diseases that have their origin in a poor and unbalanced diet. For this reason, it is necessary to promote nutrition programmes that help to reduce micronutrient deficiencies, especially in mothers and children under five, among other actions that stress the importance of a healthy diet.

Preventing hunger and food deficits requires the commitment of different actors as well as the adoption of measures and policies that promote human development and the social protection of the most vulnerable. Governments should strengthen the importance of following a balanced diet to avoid nutritional imbalances and diseases. In this regard, the Mediterranean diet includes a wide variety of fresh and quality products as an integral part of the Mediterranean lifestyle and the development in the region. In a context of population growth it may be difficult to guarantee access to health services and medical treatments for the most vulnerable communities. This situation requires a comprehensive and adequate planning of health infrastructures in the Mediterranean countries with a special emphasis in urban areas, where population tends to concentrate.

On the other hand, over recent years events in North Africa and the Middle East have led to a significant increase in migration flows. This fact points to the importance of cross-national political dialogue and the need to identify best practices in the fields of migration and health. It is essential that international organisations work closely with national governments in order to ensure that the health sector is ready to cope with the demand of migrants as well as strengthening the public health resources and services to provide a more accurate response in the current migration context.

Therefore, it is a priority to work with the purpose of associating health with sustainable development. Health equity will only be achieved if all the actors involved are committed to cooperate in order to improve citizen’s well-being in a more sustainable way. The migration phenomenon poses health challenges in both the short and long-term and it is necessary that governments receive the required support in order to strengthen the capacity of their respective health systems.

Steps Forward

It should be a priority for governments to ensure access to food for everybody in order to tackle the problem of poverty and hunger as well as providing adequate health services. The right to food and health is included in the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food.” Food security and health in the Mediterranean region are key challenges to be addressed in order to move towards a future of sustainability and peace.

Below, some steps forward are suggested that may contribute to better practices:

Multilateral organisations

Multilateral organisations including the World Bank (WB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are enhancing their awareness and involvement in the region regarding food security and health issues. The WB more than tripled the funds invested in food security between 2011 and 2014, rising from $260 million to $750 million. The multilateral organisations have increased their contribution to both food security and health through the funds invested as well as through the development of inclusive and innovative approaches, such as the involvement of the private sector in their projects. It is crucial for the coming years that this tendency of increasing funds dedicated to both food security and health are reinforced and maintained in time, due to the steady increase of the challenges in these two fields in the region.

Policy-makers

Policy-makers should promote programmes to build and maintain infrastructures that ensure a safe food chain and the provision of health services. In addition, they should actively support communication and collaboration between national actors and international organisations with the purpose of promoting integrated national systems for food safety and health.

Institutions and governance

According to the FAO, progress in food security and health services requires the commitment of efficient governments and institutions, which should promote well-designed food security and health policies. Some of the necessary actions include political commitment to food security and the right to food through the promotion of an appropriate framework.

Bibliography

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Notes

1. The statistics regarding population in Turkey are reported by the Turkish Statistical Institute.

2. The statistics regarding population in Egypt are reported by CAPMAS.