Food Security and Insecurity

This lesson examines what food security means, the four pillars that underpin it, the causes and consequences of food insecurity, and where hunger persists in the 21st century. You will analyse global patterns, theoretical frameworks, and case studies relevant to AQA A-Level Geography Paper 2.

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Defining Food Security

Key Definition (FAO, 1996): Food security exists when "all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life."

This definition, established at the 1996 World Food Summit, emphasises that food security is not simply about producing enough food — it encompasses access, nutrition quality, and stability over time.

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The Four Pillars of Food Security

graph TD
    FS["Food Security"] --> A["Availability"]
    FS --> B["Access"]
    FS --> C["Utilisation"]
    FS --> D["Stability"]
    A --> A1["Sufficient food<br/>produced or imported"]
    B --> B1["Economic and physical<br/>ability to obtain food"]
    C --> C1["Nutritional quality,<br/>food safety, dietary diversity"]
    D --> D1["Consistent access<br/>over time, resilience<br/>to shocks"]