The concept of Food Security is used at both macro and micro levels. At the level of macro, it is considered as food self-sufficiency of the nation. However, it does not pay adequate attention to disparities in food distribution amongst households in an economy. Household food security is a more important concept at the micro level. A household is considered food secure if it can acquire nutritive food needed by its members even in bad times (Pinstrup-Anderson, 2009). In 2022, Sri Lanka faced a massive economic crisis with high inflation and unfavourable harvests (due to the organic farming catastrophe in the previous regime) and depleted foreign reserves, leading to a significant impact on food security. As a result, 28 per cent of the population was estimated to be food insecure in Sri Lanka (WFP-FAO Joint Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM – May 2022)). According to the 2023 Household Security Overview, 51 per cent, 26 per cent, and 15% of households were food insecure respectively in the estate, rural and urban sectors in Sri Lanka. Compared to March 2023 larger portion of the households, continually face high seasonal volatility in their food security situation, driven by fragile macro and micro-economic conditions, raised by the economic crisis. Further, households remained food insecure because of several structural challenges, including lower education attainment, poor living conditions, and irregular sources of income. As an example, 33 per cent of households that remained food-insecure both in March and Aug-Sep were engaged in non-agricultural unskilled wage labour activities compared to only 11 % that remained food-secure during both survey rounds. On the other hand, the Sex of the household head that remained food insecure in between the two periods was female-headed. According to the above details, the country needs to address food security issues, which can have a major effect on the national security of the country.
Food security and its dimensions
In 1996, the World Food Summit introduced the definition of food security. “Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” Shortly it can be defined as “Food preferences for an active and healthy life.” So, to achieve food security a country needs to understand its dimensions (availability, accessibility, utilisation, and stability) and address the issues prevailing in that context (Simon, 2012). Food security in Sri Lanka is a critical issue that various factors, including economic challenges, climate change, political instability, and the impact of global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, have influenced. Sri Lanka’s food security situation involves the availability, accessibility, utilisation, and stability of food, all of which are affected by a complex web of social, economic, and environmental factors. The first dimension is “Availability” (Mc Carthya et al., 2018). It can be defined as “The amount of food in a country or area through all forms of domestic production, imports, food stocks and food aid,” (WFP, 2009, p.170). The second dimension of food security is “Access.” In the WFS definition, it refers to “Having physical, economic and social access.” This concept was first presented by Amartya Sen in 1980. The WFP (2009) defines it as “A household’s ability to acquire an adequate amount of food regularly through a combination of purchases, barter, borrowings, food assistance or gifts.” The third dimension of food security is “Utilisation.” In the WFS definition, it refers to “Safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs.” The fourth dimension of food security is “Stability.” In the WFS definition, it refers to “At all times.” According to the stability concern, it can be divided into chronic food insecurity and transitory food security. In the Sri Lankan context, the economy faces significant difficulties, including high inflation and unemployment. These economic issues affect the accessibility of food for many citizens.
In Sri Lanka, a large portion of the population in rural areas is involved in the agriculture sector and the country has long relied on rice as its staple food. However, challenges like outdated farming practices, limited access to technology, and inconsistent monsoon rains have reduced productivity and resilience in the agricultural sector. In 2021, Sri Lanka attempted to shift from chemical fertiliser to organic farming due to a misconception by policy makers (Sunday Times, 2021). This decision contributed to a drop in domestic food production, exacerbating food insecurity (Census and Statistics Department, 2021) in the country.
On the other hand, a tropical country like Sri Lanka is highly affected with climate changes and natural disasters including risks of droughts, floods, and erratic weather patterns. These changes affect agricultural productivity, water availability, and food distribution. Droughts, in particular, have devastated crops like rice and coconut, which are important staples in the Sri Lankan diet. These dimensions and factors significantly affect the food security in Sri Lanka.
Relationship between Food Security and National Security
According to Falcon and Navlor (2005) poverty and hunger may simply be a proxy for bad Government. Most new literatures reject the hypothesis that poor people take to arms because they think they are poor relative to their neighbours. So there seem to be systematic correlations between measures of income inequality and the timing of civil wars (Collier and Hoeffler, 2004). Civil conflict sometimes creates weak States and safe havens for terrorists (Bannon and Collier, 2003). Several empirical studies show that slow income growth and low per capita income create civil conflict in society (Collier and Hoeffler, 2004). On the other
hand, food security can influence a country’s foreign policy and international relations. When countries have food surpluses, they may use food aid as a diplomatic tool or strategic influence, while those facing food insecurity may become more dependent on international aid or vulnerable to external pressures. Finally, chronic food insecurity can result in malnutrition, which can weaken the resilience and health of a people. This can be detrimental to reduced productivity, which undermines the workforce and creates long-term challenges to a nation’s growth and stability.
Conclusion
Concluding the above fact, food security is a foundation of national security. If a nation cannot provide food security for its people, it can lead to challenges that go beyond economics, affecting social stability, public health, military readiness, and international relations. Ensuring food security is not only for the well-being of the population but also for maintaining the integrity and stability of the nation as a whole. Global challenges like climate change, economic inequality, and geopolitical tensions directly link to food security and national security.
H.W. Thisuri Jayathma is an Intern (Research)at the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), the premier think tank on National Security established and functioning under the Ministry of Defence. The opinion expressed are her own and not necessarily reflective of the institute or the Ministry of Defence.