Food Security and the 2015-2030 Sustainable Development Goals: From Human to Planetary Health: Perspectives and Opinions

Abstract

Food security exists when "all people, at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life" (http://www.fao.org/wfs/index_en.htm). Close to 800 million individuals do not have access to enough food, >2 billion individuals experience key micronutrient deficiencies, and ∼60% of individuals in low-income countries are food insecure. Food insecurity negatively affects human physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development throughout the life course and is a major social and environmental disruptor with serious repercussions for planetary health (i.e., the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems on which it depends). Food security is related to all of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Improved food security governance based on sound, equitable, and sustainable food systems that benefit from modern information and sustainable and equitable agricultural technologies is essential for countries to meet the SDGs.

Keywords: food security; governance; human development; planetary health; sustainable development goals.

FIGURE 1

Conceptual framework of FI and the SDGs: from human to planetary health. FI, food insecurity; SDGs; UN Sustainable Development Goals. Data from references , , , , , –.

FIGURE 2

Prevalence of food-insecure and severely food-insecure individuals across 20 LICs, 35 LMICs, 36 UMICs, and 43 HICs. Food insecurity was measured with FAO's Food Insecurity Experience Scale. HIC, high-income countries; LIC, low-income countries; LMIC, lower- and middle-income countries; UMIC, upper- and middle-income countries. Data from reference .