“We’ve always known that what gets measured, gets done,” said Carl Lukach, the president of DuPont East Asia, offering a few numbers to concentrate people’s minds.
DuPont's executives address the DuPont Asean Media Forum in Singapore.
“In 2050, the world population will reach 9 billion and among that 650 million will be in Asean. We need a common security metric to increase food security.”
DuPont recently introduced new tools for measuring food security accurately to promote better decision-making.
Growing populations and diminishing resource bases are resulting in pressure everywhere in the world, becoming a major threat to food security. No easy solution to increase food production is in sight given that most arable land resources already are exploited.
However, as a science company DuPont believes the challenge can be confronted by using science. It commissioned the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to develop the Global Food Security Index which will help measure many aspects and dimensions of food security.
“The index is a new tool that addresses the underlying factors of food security and highlights areas for improvement and reforms,” said Mr Lukach.
“It is a credible resource that will assess which countries are most and least vulnerable to food insecurity by covering factors such as affordability, accessibility, availability and food safety.”
By using the index, governments, academics, NGOs, researchers, and farmers’ organisations would all be able to share a common language and chart a comprehensive security programme, he added.
It is predicted that in about 15 years, half of the population in Asean will be living in urban areas. Excessive land exploitation and the transformation of farmlands into cities pose a great threat to food security as a result.
Lack of infrastructure, rapid population growth, and access to financing were among the challenges for countries that did not fare well in the food security index, said Pratibha Thaker, the EIU regional director for the Middle East and Africa.
Vulnerability to price shocks was another significant dimension that future studies would highlight, she said.
The initial edition of the index ranked 105 countries. Among Asean countries, Malaysia scored the best with a ranking of 33rd overall, followed by Thailand (45th), Vietnam (55th), Philippines (63rd), Indonesia (64th), Myanmar (78th) and Cambodia (89th). The survey did not include Singapore and Brunei given their small populations and lack of arable land.
In terms of the three pillars measured in the Food Security Index, Thailand is still considered to be at the forefront in Asean. The country fared well in affordability (60.9 out of 100) and food quality (57.5), but the availability score of 55.3 suggests more work is needed.
Research and development expenditure in Thailand, in food and all other areas, is far below the global average. The government should allocate more funds to farming and agricultural development in order to maximise the yields of seeds, said Somchai Laohverapanich, managing director of DuPont Thailand.
“The country needs to enhance the nutritional value of food and ensure better food safety is being delivered to the people,” Mr Somchai told Asia Focus.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), meanwhile, noted that high economic growth in many countries has not translated into alleviating hunger since there were still those who did not receive any benefits from development.
“Besides food production and distribution problems, food wastage is another significant issue that must be seriously addressed,” said Hiroyuki Konuma, the FAO’s assistant director-general and regional representative.
Wealthier, more urban, better fed, and better connected Asean populations are changing the nature of food security, panelists agreed. Economic growth that does not include agriculture does not lead to poverty reduction.
On the Web: http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/