Household Food Insecurity, Coping Strategies and Policy Options

In the world of today, food insecurity is a widespread phenomenon despite the fact that food security is considered as a basic human right. As Walter rightly put it, human rights begin with breakfast. Food insecurity is seen as an evil experienced at an individual level. It is becoming the most critical issue in the developing world and most critical issue of the development agenda.Food insecurity is a major constraint to the development of many African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. It is estimated that more than one-third of the population does not have access to proper or sufficient food for an active and healthy life. Chronic food insecurity is due to the unavailability of food or lack, of resources to acquire it. Transitory food insecurity is a temporary decline in a household’s food supply due to instability in food production, prices or market availability, or household incomes. Food security is sometimes equated with food self-sufficiency, either at household or national levels.Food security can be achieved through breaking the ring of poverty /food insecurity such as unaccess to input, information, technology, credit, markets, basic services and income generation