In a world where the population increases every day, food security is an issue that needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, many individuals still have trouble accessing constant amounts of healthy food, especially in developing countries like Malawi. Nevertheless, part of the problem lies with the governments of such developing nations because they weaponize food. By regulating the amount of food that the population of a country gets, governments maintain control. Subsequently, global non-governmental organizations like the UN have mandated themselves with the task of addressing these issues surrounding food insecurity caused by population growth. The paper will cover this in three sections, namely the background, technologies to curb, and specific factors of food insecurity in Malawi. Some of the causes of food insecurity in Malawi include poor social, economic characteristics of households, unfavorable agricultural policies as well as local weather conditions. Solutions in the form of increased productivity of agricultural land, improved infrastructure, education of small-scale farmers, irrigation infrastructure, and social safety net programs could reduce Malawi's household food insecurity.
Section 1: Background
Food insecurity is the inability to access quality, sufficient, affordable, and nutritious food. Such a state can be caused by several factors, some of which are uncontrollable such as weather conditions. Malawi, alongside other African nations in that area, have in the past experienced weather hazards that have affected the availability of adequate food. Prolonged dry spell, erratic rainfall, and late-onset of rains have significantly reduced crop production among Malawians. Considering the primary source of food, income, and livelihood come from agriculture, the uncontrollable weather conditions' results are disastrous. However, the primary cause of food insecurity is an increase in population. Food security is divided into three parts, namely, availability, access, and utilization (Porter et al., 2014). It is a deficit of any of the three in a country's population that classifies it as food insecure. Increased population results in an increase in the demand for food. Although technological advancements in food production have allowed most developed nations to produce food that exceeds the population, developing countries are still lagging in technology (Timmer, 2015). This is the case for Malawi. Agriculture in the country takes place in rural areas, without any technologically advanced equipment. Considering the population grew by 2.9% in 2019, food insecurity will still be a rampant problem since the Malawian government depends heavily on foreign aid (World Population Review, 2019). The population also affects food supply and access. With increased population, land fragmentation becomes tricky since the available land cannot accommodate the large population. Subsequently, land that was previously used for agriculture and crop production is turned into settlement schemes. The result of this is destructive practices such as cultivating marginal land, which significantly reduces the production of food.
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Section 2: Technologies That Can Reduce Hunger and Improve Food Security
Several technological advances can help improve food security. First and foremost, there is the vulnerability map that debuted in Paris at a UN climate change conference that monitors climate change (World Food Program USA, 2016). The app can be used to make examinations on how the current climate would increase hunger. Additionally, it monitors whether and how the nations that are leading in technology worldwide can take corrective measures. Second, there is the ‘share a meal’ app. The application helps individuals around the world to show support to the relief efforts already in motion on their phones. Doing so will help countries whose population faces hunger and starvation, considering the ratio of smartphone users to hungry individuals around the globe is 20:1 (World Food Program USA, 2016). The E-card for shopping in the local markets is the third technological advancement for wiping out hunger. The card is redeemable using a phone and is set to replace traditional foods like corn and rice with more healthier options like fruits, vegetables, and other grains. E-card technology also improves transparency and accountability by tracking and recording all transactions. The fourth advancement is Plumpy'Sup, which is a type of Ready-to-Use-Food. Its main uses are in emergencies and treatment of malnutrition, particularly of kids below the age of five years (World Food Program USA, 2016). The food is mostly used in areas that have experienced long bouts of famine and drought. The last technological advancement involves digital education that is culturally competent. Through an organization called Digital Green, local farmers are connected and taught how to modernize their activities via video training (World Food Program USA, 2016). The topics that are taught include crop rotation, water management, use of modernized tools, and financial training. The programs are translated into local languages for a better understanding of the farmers. The method, however, is only applicable in areas that are not facing adequate shortages of food.
Section 3: Specific Factors in Chosen Developing Country
Just like many countries of the Southern Africa region, Malawi's food insecurity comes from weather-related conditions that were brought about by the El Nino rains. The Malawian areas that were hit hardest were the Mzimba and Karonga districts (Fisher & Lewin, 2013). Combined with small farm sizes, the unpredictable weather conditions reduced maize production, the main crop grown in Malawi. Statistics show that although 90% of the population are maize farmers, most could still raise the minimum requirement of production (Fisher & Lewin, 2013). Lack of modern equipment, as well as poor infrastructure hindering market access, also contributed to a reduction in the produce. Malawi is also a landlocked country, which means that its high import rates and prices hindered the local people from buying maize due to inflated prices, thus increasing household food insecurity (Fisher & Lewin, 2013). One of the factors that would reduce food insecurity if implemented well is increasing land productivity. The current subdivision of land is 2.3 people per hectare (Fisher & Lewin, 2013). Expansion, therefore, is unlikely and so the government should urge the people to maximize the land through the use of modern farm equipment. Moreover, improving market infrastructure would ease the mobility of the materials and maize. Alternatively, the government should improve the irrigation infrastructure. Most farmers in Malawi depend on rainfall and as unreliable as the rain is, another alternative which is irrigation should be put in place. Doing so will also curb the effects of extreme weather conditions such as drought and famine. Finally, education and training of farmers should extend to school. The curriculum should include farming as a subject as this will nurture expert farmers from a young age who will know the best ways to practice agriculture, maximize crop production, and curb the menace of food insecurity.
Conclusion
In retrospect, food insecurity is a rampant problem, especially in developing countries. More often than not, the governments of such nations weaponize food by limiting access by the people. Similar to natural causes, population increase fuels food insecurity. This is because it leads to a rise in demand for food, land fragmentation, and settlement schemes. Malawi is one of the countries that face that problem due to limited land, primitive farming methods, and unpredictable weather conditions. The government can implement some measures like increasing land productivity, including farming as a subject taught in schools and improving market and irrigation infrastructure. Globally, technological measures to improve food security include the vulnerability app that monitors climate change, digital education, and share the meal app for donations. In addition to that, Plumpy'Sup for fighting nutrition and e-card for shopping in local markets are also necessary measures that the UN has put in place to reduce hunger.
References
Fisher, M., & Lewin, P. A. (2013). Household, Community, And Policy Determinants of Food Insecurity in Rural Malawi. Development Southern Africa , 30 (4-5), 451-467.
Porter, J. R., Dyball, R., Dumaresq, D., Deutsch, L., & Matsuda, H. (2014). Feeding Capitals: Urban Food Security and Self-Provisioning in Canberra, Copenhagen And Tokyo. Global Food Security , 3 (1), 1-7.
Timmer, P. (2015). Food security and scarcity: Why ending hunger is so hard. Foreign Affairs . Retrieved from https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/capsule-review/food-security- and-scarcity-why-ending-hunger-so-hard
World Food Program USA. (2016, June 22). 7 Tech innovations changing the global hunger conversation. Retrieved From Https://Medium.Com/@WFPUSA/7-Tech-Innovations- Changing-The-Global-Hunger-Conversation-720660b3c73c
World Population Review. (2019). Malawi Population 2019. Retrieved from http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/malawi-population/
