There are many complex reasons an individual becomes food insecure. Poverty is unmistakably the driving factor in the lack of resources to purchase or otherwise procure food, but the root causes of poverty are multifaceted. Poverty, combined with other socioeconomic and political problems, creates the bulk of food insecurity around the globe. Some of the auxiliary causes of food insecurity are outlined below:

Food Distribution

Although it is commonly thought that world population will outstrip food production capacity, current production of food exceeds global population requirements. Historically, famines and widespread hunger have been caused by problems of food distribution (political or logistical) rather than by insufficient food production. Although the global population is expected to rise in the next several decades, global hunger is predicted to decline.

Reverend Thomas Malthus, writing in the late 18th Century, warned that global population would exceed the Earth’s capacity to grow food. Malthus suggested that population grows exponentially, while food production grows only arithmetically. Despite having been largely debunked, this theory has remained prominent in the discourse regarding hunger, the world’s population carrying capacity, and the need for increased agricultural technology (e.g., genetically modified organisms). It is also worth noting that in an historical context, Malthus’s argument was a warning about population increase amongst the poor.  Malthus and his cohort described the poor as breeding too rapidly, thus depriving the rest of the population of food; famine was seen as a “natural” defense against overpopulation.  Several well-known famines in history, such as the Irish Potato Famine and several Indian famines in the late 19th century, were caused not by lack of food, but by lack of political will to distribute the food to the starving poor. During these famines, Ireland and parts of India were actually exporting food to various other English colonies.  Malthusian theories were used to support political choices to avoid helping the starving.  Food distribution, rather than total food production, continues to be a global problem in solving food insecurity.

Political-Agricultural Practices

Various political-agricultural practices contribute to food insecurity worldwide. These include substituting commodity crops for food crops (e.g., growing corn instead of vegetables) and heavy exportation of food crops at the expense of food security of the exporting country.  In addition, the recent demand for biofuels, currently produced primarily from corn and soy, has further decreased the amount of viable arable land being used for food production.

Environmental Factors

Globally, natural disasters, such as drought, have been frequently implicated in food insecurity; however, natural disaster-related food insecurity and famines are exacerbated by food distribution problems  and lack of food surpluses due to exportation or other political factors.  It is predicted that climate change may negatively affect food supply and food access due to loss of farmland, fluctuating food prices, increases in foodborne illnesses, and other food utilization issues.  Other environmental factors, such as soil degradation (including salinization due to heavy irrigation, desertification, erosion, and soil pollution related to industrial agricultural practices) may negatively affect global food security as well.

Other Economic and Political Reasons

The global rise in food prices in the last several years has been precipitated by a number of factors, including natural disasters such as drought; increased demand for biofuels; the local currency decline; and an increase in the middle and upper class in countries like China (this has created increased demand for meat and dairy, and thus increased demand for grain).  Increases in food costs generally mean increases in the food insecure. Other factors contributing to food insecurity include loss of farmland or pastureland due to development; conflict and war; water access issues; and disease