Building global food security rests on four key pillars, says Strategy&
Food security is a critical and complex policy priority for governments worldwide, involving deep-rooted and systemic challenges across global and national food systems. Population growth, geopolitical risks, trade fragility, technology, and climate change are intensifying these issues, according to a report from Strategy&.
The global population is expected to reach nine billion to ten billion by 2050. This growth will drive higher food demand in a world where around 10% of the global population is currently undernourished. In addition to that, global disruptions such as armed conflict, the Covid-19 pandemic, trade barriers, and worsening climate change have all underscored the urgent need for governments to prioritize food security and resilience.
The report indicates that food security rests on four essential pillars. The first pillar is availability, which ensures that sufficient quantities of essential food products are consistently accessible to meet dietary needs. The second pillar is affordability, making food economically accessible so people can obtain it without financial strain.
Third comes safety and quality, guaranteeing that food is free from harmful contaminants while providing recommended nutrients. The final pillar is sustainability, maintaining food systems that are environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially responsible to provide for future generations.
How isolated initiatives can fail
Strategy&’s authors note that each pillar of food security may be attainable in isolation, but because the pillars are often interdependent, progress in one area can inadvertently undermine progress in another. For example, intensifying agricultural production to boost availability can compromise sustainability through soil degradation, water depletion, or climate impact. Enforcing strict food safety standards can increase production costs and waste, making food less affordable.
Real-world examples illustrate these risks clearly. Take Sri Lanka’s 2021 ban of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, for example. It aimed to reduce spending and encourage sustainable practices, but ultimately led to a 20% drop in rice production and an 18% drop in tea production. The government was forced to import $450 million worth of rice and subsidize farmers for lost income before lifting the ban.
Similarly, Egypt imports approximately 12.5 million tons of wheat each year to feed a population of roughly 110 million. After the onset of the 2022 war between Russia and Ukraine, which supplied 82% of Egypt’s wheat, the country faced severe supply chain exposure that forced it to alter procurement strategies and increased subsidy spending by 42%.
Five core tools for policymakers
To achieve a balance across all four pillars, Strategy& offers an ‘action toolkit’ with five primary tools that governments can use.
- Technology and AI-driven innovation, which supports the deployment of technology and AI to enhance efficiency and productivity across the food ecosystem.
- Funding and incentives, which provide financing and other incentives to shift behaviors among producers and consumers.
- Education and partnerships, like for example, launching training and awareness campaigns to spur the adoption of desired capabilities.
- Strategy and planning, which centers on developing and steering national and regional policies to ensure alignment for various stakeholders.
- Policymaking and regulation, which entails setting overall guidelines for food security along with enforcement mechanisms to ensure proper execution.
Tailoring solutions across different country archetypes
Countries vary widely in their strengths and needs, falling into four broad archetypes defined by their current situation and past successes. One archetype relies on ‘buying in’ to resilience, as is the case with GCC countries Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, all high-income nations with limited natural resources that rely on top-down strategy, capital deployment, and agricultural technology.
For example, Saudi Arabia allocated $533 million through its Agricultural Development Fund to support greenhouse farming and critical crops. These nations should focus on diversifying trade routes and scaling up investments in AI-enabled agriculture, which has been shown to reduce water consumption by as much as 50%.
Another archetype features affordability-first access builders like Egypt, Pakistan, and Thailand, which focus primarily on subsidies and safety nets. These nations should expand their focus to improve food quality and health metrics through nutrition education, revamped subsidy policies, and stricter food labeling.
Then there are what the report calls ‘premium sustainability champions’, like Austria, Denmark, and Poland, which lead in sustainability and organic farming. Denmark boasts the world’s highest organic market share, with more than 12% of its food and beverage sales deriving from organic products. These mainly European countries must focus on making healthy food more affordable through targeted subsidies, adjusted tax policies, and aggregate public procurement.
The final archetype includes high-quality exporters with domestic gaps, such as Argentina, China, and the United States. Argentina represents the world’s third-largest food exporter, with roughly 60% of all exports coming from agriculture and food products. Despite their robust international exports, these countries face growing domestic affordability gaps due to inflation and stagnant purchasing power. They could gain from more public-private partnerships and greater local food supply.
The main takeaway from the research is that governments worldwide must work harder to balance the four pillars of food security – availability, affordability, safety, and sustainability – amid growing global challenges.
