Sivakumar Thiyagarajan on food security

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan believes that an important milestone in a nation’s growth is providing food security to its people. Food Security means that all people at all times have physical and economic access to adequate amounts of nutritious, safe, and culturally appropriate foods, which are produced in an environmentally sustainable and socially just manner, and that people are able to make informed decisions about their food choices.

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan considers that food security also means that the people who produce our food are able to earn a decent, living wage growing, catching, producing, processing, transporting, retailing, and serving food.

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan considers that at the core of food security is access to healthy food and optimal nutrition for all. Food access is closely linked to food supply, so food security is dependent on a healthy and sustainable food system.

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan thinks that strategizing for food security strategy should be done with immediate, medium and long term needs in mind. Sivakumar Thiyagarajan observes that Emergency and Short-Term Relief Strategies is the first stage focused on supporting those who are most food insecure and in need of food immediately.

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan then considers Capacity Building Strategies that focus on building individual and community skills that will help communities become more food secure. This can include education and capacity building around gardening, wild food harvesting, cooking, preserving foods, and also social support network building.

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan sees the third set of strategies for Systems Change consisting of initiatives that are focused on making long term policy or programming change to improve community food security conditions.