Securing Enough to Eat

This 2005 IISD report examines food security as a fundamental human right, moving beyond simple supply metrics to include distribution and individual access. It evaluates four strategies for achieving food security: food self-sufficiency, trade liberalization, food sovereignty, and multi-functional agriculture. The report argues that while trade can stabilize supply, it can also undermine local production and increase vulnerability. It concludes that a pragmatic approach combining flexible trade rules with national policy space and sustainable agricultural practices is necessary to ensure long-term food security.

• Food security is composed of three principal elements: supply, distribution, and access. While global food production has generally met or exceeded demand, adequate supply does not guarantee food security because it does not account for whether food is physically available in needed areas or if individuals have the economic means to acquire it.
• The strategy of food self-sufficiency, which aims to meet all food needs through domestic production, is increasingly viewed as counter-productive or unrealistic. Reasons include the paradox of over-supply (as seen with the EU's Common Agricultural Policy), the comparative advantage of countries with other high-value resources, and the lack of natural resource bases in some nations.
• Trade liberalization can provide benefits such as cheaper, more varied food and a way to stabilize supplies during domestic shortfalls, as demonstrated by Bangladesh in 1998. However, it can also harm food security by increasing input prices for farmers, depressing domestic crop prices through imports, and increasing price volatility for poor households.
• The WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) impacts food security by limiting the tools governments can use for domestic agricultural policy, such as prohibiting new non-tariff border measures and new export subsidies. This makes it difficult for countries to maintain stable domestic prices that encourage necessary production increases.
• Food sovereignty, a concept introduced by La Via Campesina, advocates for the right of nation-states to determine their own food and agriculture policies without being dictated by multilateral trade rules. It emphasizes local and family-owned farms over a globalized system dominated by private multinational corporations.
• Multi-functional Agriculture (MFA) views agriculture as providing public values beyond food production, such as preserving cultural landscapes, protecting biodiversity, and maintaining rural employment. MFA challenges the idea that market forces alone can protect food security and the environment.
• Industrial agricultural practices used in OECD countries and global markets place severe strain on natural resources, leading to depleted soils, polluted water, and reduced biological diversity. The report notes that approximately 70 per cent of global water use is dedicated to agriculture, with up to half of that wasted.
• Access to food is determined by an individual's "entitlements," which include their endowment (innate abilities or assets) and the exchange value of those assets. Food insecurity often persists in wealthy nations, such as the United States, where 18 per cent of children experience hunger despite an abundant domestic food supply.

APA

Murphy, S. (2005). Securing Enough to Eat. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_securing_enough_to_eat.pdf

Chicago

Murphy, Sophia. Securing Enough to Eat. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2005. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_securing_enough_to_eat.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Murphy |first1=Sophia |title=Securing Enough to Eat |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2005 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_securing_enough_to_eat.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{murphy2005securing, author = {Murphy, Sophia}, title = {{Securing Enough to Eat}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2005}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_securing_enough_to_eat.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }