Food Security Components

The CfSC carries out research on Food Security Components in different parts of Malawi.

This year 2008 the CfSC will start a Rural Basic Needs Basket in Malawi. This is meant to show the gap that exists between the cost of basic needs of rural people and their yearly incomes. Since the majority of people in the rural parts of Malawi are smallholder farmers, the major source of their income comes from agricultural activities. The surveys will, therefore, also assess the household food security of the sampled households in the selected areas. The Rural Basic Needs Basket will run concurrently with the Urban Basic Needs Basket, under the Social Conditions Research Programme of the Centre.

The Centre is involved with Cordaid of Nederlands in an African network for small producers called GRASP (Global and Regional Advocacy on Small Producers). The National Smallholders Farmers' Association of Malawi (NASFAM) and Training Support for Partners (TSP) are in the same network. For that the CfSC Economic Justice Programme Officer is following up the international agri-trade issues especially the SADC, the COMESA, the EPAs and the WTO.

The occasional research documents of the CfSC Social Conditions Research Programme Officer touch food security from different angles (Food insecurity, Effectiveness of ADMARC, Poor People's Coping Mechanisms, Impact of Bumper Maize Yield on Poor People's Coping Mechanisms). A study about access to medical care is under way. If one is sick very often he/she can't cultivate the land or assimilate the food correctly. The Economic Justice and the Social Conditions Research Programmes of the CfSC are monitoring the implementation of the social protection policy, from expenditure point of view and its impact on the poor, respectively. All these issues are linked with food security. These documents can be accessed on our website.

Beyond food security there is the concept of food sovereignty which was presented for the first time in 1996 by Via Campesina to a World Food Summit. This movement has an office in Maputo but not yet in Lilongwe. CfSC is in close relationship with the food sovereignty networks for instance with the SEDELAN in Burkina Faso. Since 1996 a vast amount of litterature has been published about it on internet and other media. It is not a perfect concept but it has the advantage of giving new impetus for political changes towards greater justice around food issues. As a summary of the debates about food sovereignty we can write the following: The food sovereignty approach is more holistic and bottom-up than the one of food security, it is more human and citizen centred since it takes the point of view of small producers.

It is acknowledged that it is positive on the following points:

It brings trade policies in line with domestic policies (poverty-reducing and nutritional objectives)
It fosters awareness on distortions in global agricultural trade, e.g. dumping, food aid.
It links between agricultural trade, trade rules and natural resources

The most common objections against it are:

It promotes the "right to production" but ignores migration to off farm opportunities
answer: the two are complementary not opposite: one can risk non agricultural projects only if he/she is food secure

It has a mercantilistic perspective on trade ("less imports are better") while in fact the costs of self-reliance are too heavy a burden for many importing countries
answer: imports would be allowed if the cost of production is assumed in the food price meaning that there is no subsidies for export or dumping

It lacks voice on consumer interests - primarily access to low-priced food and nutrition, including many deficit farmers
answer: most people must produce first to be able to consume. For poor consumers unable to produce, a system can be organized to help them for instance with food coupons.

Trade policies are prone to interest articulation from many parties not just corporations - at least corporations contribute to the economy
answer: trade should integrate social, environmental and cultural respect.

Removing agriculture from WTO negotiation table is best way to ensure that rich country policies will remain unchanged
answer: the FAO or the UNCTAD could replace the WTO for food trade because they have a greater expertise in agriculture and food issues

The high number of objections shows that the actual global economic system is at odds with many social, environmental and cultural issues. It does not invalidate the concept but shows the magnitude of the reform necessary in the minds and the structures to avoid an implosion of our societies.

For further information about the Food Security Components at CFSC please contact Christophe Boyer.