Chapter 02: Evolution of Food Security Policy in Developing Economies: Food security policies in developing countries

This chapter focuses on food security policies in emerging countries, with consideration of the changes in food security policies from production-focused policies to holistic approaches. The policies regarding food security in the initial years after gaining their independence were concerned with improving food production by adopting Green Revolution technology. While such policies succeeded in bringing about self-sufficiency and improved food security, they had some limitations, including regional disparity, natural resource disparities, and environmental degradation. In the transitional period of food security policy development (1980s and 1990s), emphasis shifted to policies that ensured food accessibility. Measures such as food subsidies and poverty alleviation schemes were implemented to ensure that vulnerable groups had access to affordable food items. This period has seen an evolution of food security policies to include nutrition and sustainable approaches. Despite all these developments, there still exist some constraints like poor governance, bureaucratic inefficiency, political economy considerations, and inadequate information, which hamper the effectiveness of policies designed to deal with food insecurity. In conclusion of the chapter, it is made clear that sustainable food security cannot be achieved unless an integrated policy strategy is adopted.