Food For Thought? Food for Progress!

Food. It's what's been fueling humanity since the beginning of time. If you think about it, without food, there would be no progress. And without progress, well, what's the point really? So how come that with so much food available today there are millions of people for whom food insecurity is a fact of life? Why is it that the notion of achieving Zero Hunger by 2030 still seems an elusive goal?

For many of us living in the western hemisphere, the past year proved to be one when we rediscovered our love of food, our love for home cooking with fresh and varied ingredients, and regular meal times even. At times the pandemic forced us to reflect on what really matters. What does one actually need in life and what would one be able to live without? More often than not the answer to all of these questions is...food. Who could forget the panic buys that ensued in many parts of Europe at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic? We are lucky that Europe scores highly when it comes to food security, European farmers are doing their job even in the pandemic, and so even when shelves appeared empty they were restocked in no time.

With this part of the equation safe is it any wonder that Europe's economy continues to perform comparatively well even under difficult circumstances? Methinks not. Healthy nutrition provides our bodies with energy, essential nutrients keep us strong. Brainpower, in particular, is directly linked to one's diet. If you eat well, you can perform better. It's as simple as that. Still, food security continues to be neglected as a key to peace and prosperity by many of those in power around the world.

The Global Food Security Index (GFSI), sponsored by Corteva Agriscience is now in its ninth year. The index takes a look at the drivers of food security in 113 countries through the categories of affordability, availability, quality, and safety, and, for the first time as a core pillar of the index, natural resources and resilience. The latter's inclusion serves as yet more evidence that a country’s management of climate risk is inextricably linked to its food security.

As regards the effects of the global pandemic the index shows that the COVID-19 crisis has exposed - and exacerbated - the stark inequalities that exist in our food systems. On the positive side, new awareness and urgency may be spurring the adoption of solutions to address these structural gaps. I ask you: If not now, then when?