South Asia Sectors:

Cross-Cutting Services:
 
South Asia - Food security and integrated rural development

 

Achieving food security in South Asia has become a major challenge. In 2000, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation stated that about 300 million people in the South Asia region were suffering from food insecurity (about 40% of the food insecure people in the developing world).

Food insecurity in South Asia is mainly due to a high level of poverty and low purchasing power of the majority of the population, who live below the poverty line. High poverty rates limit poor people’s access to food, and consequently cause malnutrition and mortality, especially among children and youth.  Climate change is expected to exacerbate this problem, with millions of people affected in Bangladesh alone.

Food security can be addressed through increased investment in agriculture and use of innovative technologies that improve productivity of crops and livestock and minimise drought-related effects.

Although AFAP does not currently run any food security programs in South Asia, we always look closely at the impacts that our programs and projects can have on the environment and, in particular, on food security.

Food security in the South Asia region (photo courtesy of IFAD www.ifad.org)


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