Factors such as the increase in human population, new pests and pathogens and armed conflict, can result in food scarcity. Improved farming techniques and sustainable fisheries can help increase supply.
Food security is a measure of the availability of food required to support people of a household, region, country or any specified area. It is a measure of how much food there is, if it is of suitable quality and whether people can access it.
Having fully stocked supermarket shelves is something that perhaps some of us might take for granted. However, this high level of food security is not experienced by all people. In some parts of the world there is a shortage of food, which can result in starvation and death. The United Nations estimates that around nine million people die of hunger each year.
Food security is reduced by:
Finding sustainable ways to feed people is an important problem for scientists.