Global food security index 2017: Measuring food security and the impact of resource risks
This report (PDF) by The Economist provides a worldwide perspective on which countries are most and least vulnerable to food insecurity and how resource risks increase vulnerability. Given the growing threats to food security posed by climate change and natural resource depletion, the 2017 iteration of the index includes a new category that seeks to understand the impact that these risks will have on global food security. More specifically, the category looks at a country’s exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity to climate-related risks and the risks facing a country’s key natural assets. The category was built into the index as an adjustment factor to demonstrate how overall food security changes when climate-related and natural resource risks are taken into account. The Global Food Security Index (GFSI) has recorded a slippage in global food security over the past year, after four years of consecutive food security gains. The report shows that national nutrition monitoring provides an avenue for governments to assess and address malnutrition problems across populations. Economic recovery and double digit growth in personal incomes across lower- and middle-income countries are helping with food affordability, but more efficient and innovative food production and sustainable supply chains are needed to support shifting food preferences and growing demand. Disaster and crisis related hunger will continue to increase populations’ dependency on food safety net programs unless emphasis is placed on adaptation and building resilience.
Please find the Global Food Security Index 2016 here.