Global food security is not just a matter of human security, it is central to U.S. national security, according to a new report entitled “When Hunger Strikes: How Food Security Abroad Matters for National Security at Home,” released this week by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and available here.
Food price related grievances and reduced access to food can act as a catalyst for both nonviolent protest and armed conflict, undermining confidence in a government’s ability to ensure its citizens’ basic needs are met. And, such unrest can have an immense impact on the stability of countries vital to U.S. interest, according to the report. For example, food price-related protects toppled governments in Haiti in 2007 and in Madagascar in 2011. Grievances related to food policy were also one of the major drivers of the Arab Spring, according to the report.
In addition, the report pointed out that Africa and Asia are home to more than 90 percent of the world’s food-insecure population and were the site of 28 of the 29 food riots that occurred during the 2007-08 and 2010-11 global food price spikes.
Because food insecurity can be so strongly linked to political unrest, the United States should rededicate itself to a program of research, knowledge transfer, and assistance in developing agricultural capacity abroad, the report recommended, as well as support national governments in pursuing strategies to proactively address food price stability in order to decouple foods systems from violent unrest. In addition, combating food insecurity will also require massive reinvestments in agricultural infrastructure, research, and development, as well as the expansion of technical education in the agricultural sector.
Although the consequences of food insecurity are dire for both human security and U.S. national security, U.S. policy makers can play a constructive role in making progress on a range of goals, including addressing hunger and breaking the link between food prices, food insecurity, and conflict, the report concluded.
