Food Security Archives - People-Planet Connection

Why Population Matters

This report focuses on how population impacts many aspects of our lives, including issues as diverse as poverty, health, education, water, and forests. Population matters even more today because historically high numbers of people are intensifying these impacts on our well-being at a time when the demographic picture of the world is becoming increasingly complex. The report includes a glossary of population terms and explains how and why population matters to a variety of issues, including Maternal Health, Infectious Diseases and HIV/AIDS, Education and Labor, Poverty Reduction, Migration and Urbanization, Security, Food Security, Climate Change, Water Resources, Forests, and Biodiversity.

Year: 2011

Source: PAI

Access the resource

Water Sanitation and Hygiene

The Interaction of Human Population, Food Production, and Biodiversity Protection

April 13, 2021/in English Journal Article Science Global Biodiversity, Food Security, Gender, Population, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights /by Sean Stewart

Research suggests that the scale of human population and the current pace of its growth contribute substantially to the loss of biological diversity. Although technological change and unequal consumption inextricably mingle with demographic impacts on the environment, the needs of all human beings—especially for food—imply that projected population growth will undermine protection of the natural world. Numerous solutions have been proposed to boost food production while protecting biodiversity, but alone these proposals are unlikely to staunch biodiversity loss. An important approach to sustaining biodiversity and human well-being is through actions that can slow and eventually reverse population growth: investing in universal access to reproductive health services and contraceptive technologies, advancing women’s education, and achieving gender equality.

Year: 2017

Source: Science

Access the resource

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Population, Health and Environment Situational Analysis in the Saandani National Park Area, Tanzania

April 9, 2021/in English Journal Article Ocean & Coastal Management Tanzania Climate Change, Coastal, Community Health, Environment, Food Security, Integration /by Sean Stewart

This study provides a snapshot of the population, health, and environment situation and practices in the villages surrounding the Saadani National Park (SANAPA) and demonstrates the utility of a transdisciplinary systems perspective to evaluate population–health–environment linkages (PHE). Analyzing survey data from eight villages, this paper shows that in the SANAPA area, livelihoods are highly dependent on natural resources, but both agriculture and fisheries are experiencing a decline in productivity and profitability. Population stressors include a high population momentum, early marriages, teenage pregnancies, and migration. Women bear a heavy workload, while having little or no say in decision-making. The public health situation is severe with health facilities few and far in-between; lack of access to clean water and safe sanitation; and many households suffering from diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia, skin diseases, and HIV/AIDS. Environmental protection arrangements are in place in all sites, however, the awareness of protected areas and their benefits is low and many feel helpless in protecting the environment. Climate change—increasing periods of drought and irregular rainfall—contribute to food insecurity and health problems. The interconnectedness between these stressors reinforces the need for an integrated approach to addressing coastal conservation and community development in the SANAPA area.

Year: 2012

Source: Ocean & Coastal Management

Access the resource

Population and Food Security: Africa’s Challenges

April 8, 2021/in English Brief Population Reference Bureau Sub-Saharan Africa Family Planning, Food Security, Nutrition, Population /by Sean Stewart

In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 240 million people lack adequate food for a healthy, active lifestyle. This policy brief examines trends in population growth, fertility, and family planning in sub-Saharan Africa and makes the case that investments in women and family planning are necessary to fulfill future food needs. Food security and nutrition advocates must add their voices to support investments in women and girls and voluntary family planning as essential complements to agriculture and food policy solutions.

Year: 2012

Source: Population Reference Bureau

Access the resource

Modeling Climate Change, Food Security, and Population: Pilot-Testing the Model in Ethiopia

April 5, 2021/in English Report MEASURE Evaluation Ethiopia Climate Change, Food Security, Population /by Sean Stewart

This document describes a computer simulation model that can clarify the dynamic relationships between climate change, food security, and population growth. It is designed to be simple enough to adapt to individual countries to introduce population issues into policy dialogues on adaptation to climate change in the context of food security. The model links a population projection, which takes account of the effects of climate change on agriculture, with a food requirements model that uses Food and Agricultural Organization formulas. Piloted in Ethiopia, the model shows that the food security gap in Ethiopia is expected to be greater with climate change than the food security gap without climate change. It also shows the potential of family planning to address this gap. The report concludes that the model can serve as a starting point for a dialogue about the importance of taking into account population factors when adapting to climate change with regard to food security.

Year: 2012

Source: MEASURE Evaluation

Access the resource

Climate Change

Food Security

Population

Integrating Family Planning and Food Security: Lessons From the Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) Community

April 2, 2021/in English Presentation, Video FHI 360 Global Family Planning, Food Security, Integration, Resilience /by Sean Stewart

On March 31, 2016, the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance III Project (FANTA) hosted a webinar to discuss why it is important to link family planning and food security, how family planning contributes to building resilience and promoting climate-compatible development, and how lessons and experiences from multisectoral population, health, and environment programs can be applied to food security programs.

Year: 2016

Source: FHI 360 | FANTA Project

Access the resource

Improving Access to Family Planning Can Promote Food Security in a Changing Climate

April 2, 2021/in English Report MEASURE Evaluation Ethiopia Climate Change, Family Planning, Food Security, Population /by Sean Stewart

A growing body of evidence indicates that climate change is decreasing the productivity of many crops around the world, thus exacerbating existing food security challenges. Ensuring sufficient food for a growing world population in the context of climate change will require innovative technologies and strategies to boost agricultural yields and improve access to nutritious foods for the world’s poorest people. This brief summarizes new research that demonstrates that slower population growth, achievable by addressing women’s existing needs for family planning, can also play a significant role in promoting future food security in a climate-altered world. The study focused on climate change impacts, food security challenges, and population growth in Ethiopia, and results suggest that meeting women’s existing needs for family planning should be considered in broader strategies for adapting to the impacts of climate change on agriculture.

Year: 2012

Source: MEASURE Evaluation

Access the resource

Healthy People, Healthy Environment Film Series

March 30, 2021/in English Video Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Ethiopia, Nepal, Tanzania Advocacy, Conservation, Food Security, Integration, Population /by Sean Stewart

The “Healthy People, Healthy Environment” film series transports viewers to Tanzania, Nepal, and Ethiopia to explore an innovative approach to international development called PHE. Each film documents the daunting challenges facing rural villages, including rapid population growth, environmental degradation, and food insecurity. But “Healthy People, Healthy Environment” inspires hope by showcasing the community-driven solutions that seek to protect both people and the ecosystems that sustain them. Includes three high-quality documentaries filmed on location:

“Healthy People, Healthy Environment: Integrated Development in Tanzania” (BALANCED project, Pangani and Bagamoyo districts, northern Tanzania)
“Scaling the Mountain: Protecting Forests for Families in Nepal” (RIMS project, Jogimara and Naubise, foothills of Nepal)
“Paving the Way: Ethiopia’s Youth on the Road to Sustainability” (GPSDO Project, Gurage Zone, Ethiopia)

Year: 2015

Source: The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Access the resource

Family Planning Integration with Food Security and Nutrition

March 24, 2021/in English Brief FHI 360 Global Family Planning, Food Security, Integration, Nutrition /by Sean Stewart

There is a need to understand how best to integrate family planning with food security and nutrition programming and a need to raise awareness about the importance of family planning for improved food security and nutrition outcomes. However, to date there has been limited peer reviewed literature and a dearth of documentation on programmatic experiences of integrating family planning with food security and nutrition. To address this evidence gap, the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance III Project (FANTA) conducted a desk review to take stock of and better understand how food security and nutrition programs are integrating family planning. As a companion to this review, the Health Policy Project conducted two literature reviews summarizing the empirical evidence on why it is important to integrate these services. This brief summarizes the findings from the FANTA desk review.

Year: 2015

Source: FHI 360 | FANTA Project

Access the resource

Exploring Cross-Sector Linkages Between Population, Health, Environment, Nutrition, and Food Security: A Review of Best Practices and Lessons Learned

March 24, 2021/in English Literature Review Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group Global Conservation, Food Security, Integration, Nutrition /by Sean Stewart

This comprehensive literature review documents best practices for integrating nutrition and food security interventions into existing Population, Health and Environment (PHE) projects and presents recommendations for incorporating cross-sector indicators. ABCG, through its thematic working group, Global Health Linkages to Biodiversity Conservation, provides methodological guidance to advance a vision that incorporates health outcomes into biodiversity conservation and sustainable development by employing PHE guidelines to identify and develop synergies between critical ecosystem services, and human health and well-being.

Year: 2017

Source: Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group

Access the resource

Archive for: Food Security