Food security is defined as all people having access to sufficient nutritious food at all times. There are four dimensions of food security: availability of food, economic and physical access to food, utilization of food for nutrition, and stability of the first three dimensions over time. Food security exists at national and household levels when all four dimensions are fulfilled simultaneously. There are two main types of food insecurity - chronic, which is long-term inability to meet food needs due to poverty or lack of resources, and transitory, which is short-term due to events like adverse weather.

1. FOOD SECURITY

2. WHAT IS FOOD SECURITY?
• Food security is access by all people at all times to
adequate nutritious food to lead a healthy and productive
life.
• Food security exists when all people, at all times, have
physical and economic access to sufficient safe and
nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food
preferences for an active and healthy life

3. • Note: From these definition four dimension of
food security can be identified as follows; physical
availability of food, economic and physical access
to food, food utilization and stability of the other
three dimensions over time.

4. THE FOUR DIMENSIONS OF FOOD SECURITY

5. • Physical AVAILABILITY of food; this is determine by level of food production, stock levels and
net trade
• Economic and physical ACCESS to food; adequate supply may not by itself guarantee food
security at household levels because access could be influence by incomes, expenditure, markets
and prices.
• Food UTILIZATION; this determine the nutritional status of individuals /households. Utilization is
determine by good feeding practices, food preparation, diversity of the diet and intra-
household distribution of food combined with good biological utilization of food consumed by
the body.
• STABILITY of the other three dimensions over time; Adverse weather conditions, political
instability, or economic factors (unemployment, rising food prices) may have an impact on your
food security status.
• Note: For food security objectives to be realized, all the four dimensions must be fulfilled
simultaneously.

6. • Economic and physical ACCESS to food; adequate supply may not by itself guarantee food
security at household levels because access could be influence by incomes, expenditure, markets
and prices.
• Food UTILIZATION; this determine the nutritional status of individuals /households. Utilization is
determine by good feeding practices, food preparation, diversity of the diet and intra-
household distribution of food combined with good biological utilization of food consumed by
the body.
• STABILITY of the other three dimensions over time; Adverse weather conditions, political
instability, or economic factors (unemployment, rising food prices) may have an impact on your
food security status.
• Note: For food security objectives to be realized, all the four dimensions must be fulfilled
simultaneously.

7. • Food UTILIZATION; this determine the nutritional status of individuals
/households. Utilization is determine by good feeding practices, food
preparation, diversity of the diet and intra-household distribution of food
combined with good biological utilization of food consumed by the body.

8. • STABILITY of the other three dimensions over time; Adverse weather conditions,
political instability, or economic factors (unemployment, rising food prices) may
have an impact on your food security status.
• Note: For food security objectives to be realized, all the four dimensions must
be fulfilled simultaneously.

9. CONCEPTUALLY
• National Food Security: Food is available in market
throughout the country from domestic production,
commercial imports, or food assistance; and
• Household Food Security: All household members
have affordable access at all times to the food they
need for a healthy life.

10. TYPOLOGY OF FOOD INSECURITY

11. In terms of duration there are two general types of food
insecurity;
1. CHRONIC FOOD INSECURITY
2. TRANSITORY FOOD INSECURITY
In between the two there may be what is term as
Seasonal Food Insecurity ( intermediate )

12. CHRONIC FOOD INSECURITY

13. • Chronic food insecurity occurs when people are unable to meet
their minimum food requirements over a sustained period of time. It
is long-term or persistent in nature.
• Chronic food insecurity is often the result of extended periods of
poverty, lack of assets and inadequate access to productive or
financial resources.
• Chronic food insecurity can be overcome with typical long term
development measures such as education or access to productive
resources, such as credit etc.
• But in the first instance chronically food insecure people may need
more direct access to food to enable them to raise their productive
capacity