Rethinking food security for the twenty-first century

Relative to earlier periods, concerns about food security have diminished. With the current worldwide scenario, agricultural economists are urged to return this concept to the G-8 agenda in light of the clear linkages between agricultural development, economic growth, food security, and national security in poor countries. Issues of hunger should not get lost in a world food economy that is now driven predominantly by animal product demand, super markets, and subsides, and that is incresingly constrained by natural resources and their (mis)management. Addressing these concerns, improved germplasm involving transgenesis, genomics, and a focus on crops produced and consumed by those who are food insecure, are now among the best food-security investments for institutions such as the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).