Food security and agricultural development in times of high commodity prices
Efforts to promote food security must distinguish between short-term and medium-term measures, but also between countries with agricultural potential and without such potential, argues this paper. Furthermore, while high international food prices provide appropriate incentives for agricultural development, it would be misguided to expect that they will automatically result in an increase of agricultural output. Globally, food security is both a demand-side and the supply-side challenge. High food prices make it more difficult to address food security on the demand-side, as more and more low-income households become unable to afford sufficient food, but at the same time, higher food prices can provide impetus to address food security on the supply-side, as more and more farmers may find it lucrative to increase agricultural production. However, not all countries can address both challenges simultaneously. In principle, a higher rate of food self-sufficiency can help to increase the food security of the local population. But efforts to boost food production are viable only in countries that have agricultural potential; in others such efforts bear great opportunity cost. Viable approaches to promote food security must recognize, this paper argues, that food security is not per se dependent on a country
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