Candidate of History Sciences Ibragimova G.E.

L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Kazakhstan

World food problem: the search for solutions

at the national level

The food problem is a complex multidimensional phenomenon that has a global character. Its status and problems of the solution are related to the exacerbation of other global problems. The world food problem entails serious consequences: physical threat to human existence, instability in the political sphere of states, causing social and economic problems, a threat to peace and security.

The world food problem involves a few basic aspects: hunger and malnutrition; high food prices; food stocks and their deficits; unequal distribution of food; different levels of consumption and needs of the population; quality and structure of food; health of the society. In today's world there are three areas of starvation, which cover: in Asia - more than 700 million people; in Africa - more than 200 million people; in the South America - about 200 million people. In these areas there are chronically undernourished people - from 2/3 to 3/4 of the population.

The food problem is caused by the Earth disabilities to feed an ever increasing number of people (already by 2050 the planet will be home to more than 9 billion people, with almost the entire increase in the world population is in developing countries, and only 5% - in the economically developed countries) and changes in the traditional diet in some regions, which entails a huge increase in demand for certain food groups. However, some researchers link the world food problem with the uneven distribution of the produced food on the territory of the Earth. Food production is not provided where it is needed.

The considerable contribution to the worsening of the global food problem makes changing at the present stage the structure of food consumption in the world. Some countries are faced with a chronic lack of food; others are trying to improve the quality of the diet, to bring it closer to the science-based standards. Some countries have to struggle with their existing surplus of food products which is in need of marketing, and with diseases of the population, which are caused by its excessive consumption.

An important aspect of the food problem is the imbalance in the diet. This is manifested in the fact that per capita consumption of the most important types of food is lower than the recommended nutrition for health standards in many parts of the world.

As it is correctly pointed out by E.Kovalev, the world food problem has a dual nature: the social and economic - associated with the process of production and distribution of food, which determines the differentiation of their distribution and consumption, including hunger and malnutrition, and global, showing the finiteness of natural resources [1].

The food problem appears, is interpreted and solved in different states differently. The most acute problem in food is in the developing countries. The food problem in developing countries is determined by a combination of some factors, such as the colonial past, the backwardness of the economy, including the preservation of archaic agrarian relations. The demographic, climatic, cultural and ethnic factors are of equal importance. It is also important to note the fact that the developing world’s countries have an extremely disadvantageous position in the international economic relations. The main challenge for these countries is the elimination of hunger and chronic malnutrition. If we talk about the developing countries as a whole, at this stage they are not able to ensure domestic food needs at the expense of own resources of agriculture. As a result, developing countries are increasing food imports.

As noted above, the largest number of hungry people is in Asia. In this region there are unfavorable for agriculture climatic conditions. About 70% of Asia's population is concentrated in the humid areas of this part of the world. The cultivated area is only 17% of the surface; per person is, on average, only 0.15 hectares of the arable land. As a result, most developing Asian countries faced with acute food crisis. So, in the 70s of the twentieth century in the South-West Asia the self-sufficiency in cereals declined from 70 to 45%. In the mid-70s the difficult situation happened in South Asia: imports reached 10% of the domestic grain production in India, 20% - in Bangladesh, more than 100% - in Sri Lanka [2]. In connection with the crisis situation offers about significant expansion of official development assistance arose, but there were positive results only with the transformation of agriculture based on modern farming techniques, got the name of "green revolution". As a result of this program in the late 70s and early 80s wheat yields increased in Mexico, rice - in India, Indonesia and the Philippines, corn – in Argentina, Kenya, Zimbabwe, millet and corn - in the countries of Central America and the Andean Group. Finally, a number of these countries refused to import certain crops and became their exporters. Despite some progress in the development of agriculture, the food problem in developing countries has not been resolved.

According to V.I. Epifanov, the pace and the way of solving the food problem in the African context depend on the general success of the country in economic development, the elimination of social and economic backwardness and achieving sustainable development [3, c.115]. At the present stage there are functioning regional programs. They are: Business plan for the development of agriculture and food security in the framework of the Initiative of the African Union / NEPAD to achieve the MDGs in Africa and developed by NEPAD Comprehensive Agricultural Development Programme in Africa (CAADP). Developed by the African Union (AU)/ NEPAD Comprehensive Agricultural Development Programme in Africa (CAADP) aims to increase agricultural production by 6 percent per year, and to increase investment in agriculture for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The greatest success in reducing hunger South America has reached, with 10 of the 12 countries steadily moving towards achieving the target of the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals). At the same time, external assistance and real aid to the development of the international cooperation can make a significant contribution to the specific areas of agricultural reforms of the countries vulnerable in the sphere of food provision, and in general, in solving the food problem.

Considering the actions of states in terms of attempts to solve global food problem, the establishment of economic and technological prerequisites for curbing price growth should be noted. We are talking about a complex of measures (at the level of individual states, as well as on a planetary level) aimed at improving the efficiency of agriculture. These measures include: increasing investments in the agricultural sector (for example, state subsidies account for a significant proportion of the income of the agricultural sector in countries such as the US - 30%, Canada - 45, Sweden - 59, Japan - 66, Finland – 71, and Norway - 77% [4, p. 145]), the development of knowledge of the agricultural sector, increasing the productivity of the agricultural sector, increasing the productivity of peasant labor, fight against the soils depletion. In this vein it is expected that in Europe new lands will be involved in the production turnover. The entrepreneurs are oriented by the European Union authorizing the food production on unused land reserves.

The governments of individual countries also take provisional measures, such as the establishment of export quotas, the reduction of import duties on foodstuffs, the abolition of taxes. These measures are aimed at reducing domestic prices by improving supply of the local market. For example, Kazakhstan in February, 2008 announced the introduction of export duties on wheat to limit its export abroad and increase the supply of the domestic market. The countries such as Egypt, Brazil and India, the main rice exporters, banned its export abroad. The countries, importing food, reduce taxes or increase import quotas in order to encourage food imports directed to the domestic market. For instance, Morocco in December, 2007, lowered tariffs on imports of wheat from 130 to 2.5% [5, p.31]. Thus, in modern terms foreign trade becomes a tool for solving the global food problem.

Monitoring of internal and external supply, as well as existing stockpiles of food, strategic food reserves in case of natural disasters, war or other extraordinary circumstances are the important task for each state. In the USA and Switzerland, for example, there is a stockpile of grain and food for at least five years.

In developed countries, the volume of financing domestic food aid to low-income segments of the population is constantly increasing. For example, in the US in 2003 for this purpose 41.2 billion. USD was spent, which is 23% higher than in 1999. For the countries with problems in the food sector it is important to develop appropriate legal and economic mechanisms to ensure guaranteed access of vulnerable groups to food. It is important to optimize the diet at the expense of ensuring its balance in accordance with medical standards.

In modern conditions to ensure food security of the country, the development of food self-sufficiency and reduction of its imports are required. This policy is shared by many countries: for example, a high level of food self-sufficiency is characteristic of the United States and France - over 100%, Germany - 93%, Italy - 78%. For fertile soils poor Japan it is 50% [6, p. 125-126]. Orientation to food self-sufficiency, even in conditions unfavorable for agriculture, is characteristic not only for developed but also for a number of developing countries.

The problem of food security is by far one of the key, both for Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. In order to solve the food problem in the countries of Central Asia, governments in the region have adopted the state program for the development of agricultural production and food self-sufficiency, subsidy programs designed to facilitate the importation of basic foodstuffs. To ensure food security of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the country plans to legislative consolidation issues of formation, storage and use of public resources of grain and other agricultural products. The country has adopted a number of laws that guarantee a minimum level of income and social protection for the poor. Despite the fact that Kazakhstan provides domestic demand for grain and it has become the largest supplier of grain in other Central Asian countries, yet the volume of food imports in Kazakhstan varies between 40 and 60% depending on the type of food. Kazakhstan is essential to improve the competitiveness of agriculture, to reduce food imports, that is, to provide the country with food essentials. Analysis of the problem of food security in Central Asia suggests that modern management tools to ensure food the population in some countries in the region are not sufficiently effective, that confirms the presence of hungry and malnourished people. The Central Asian countries, such as Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, should make greater efforts to remove the root causes of hunger and malnutrition. These two states in the region are included in the list of countries with the lowest level of food security. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 30% of Tajiks and 27% of Kyrgyz people experience difficulties with food. In 2009, the United Nations announced that more than two million Tajiks and one million Kyrgyz experience serious problems with the food, and over 800,000 Tajiks have an imminent threat of hunger [7, p.2].

From the above, it is clear that food security is one of the main objectives of state economic policy. The system of economic, social and political, scientific and technical, organizational actions and mechanisms to address the food problem at the national level is in the state of continuous development. However, its decision cannot be reached by the isolated efforts of individual countries. Countries are required to cooperate closely to ensure food security. Thus, the problem of food is of international importance.

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