Food Insecurity in the Global South: Food System Challenges

At least 80% of the world’s population resides in Global South (GS) countries. However, people within these nations currently experience many food insecurity and food system challenges, which is particularly worrisome as poverty levels are predicted to increase, triggering a global food scarcity scenario. This chapter looks at the challenges of the food system from the perspective of several GS countries. It reviews the food system status of the region and then delves into the specific challenges of at least 25 GS countries. It examines the factors that make food insecurity prevalent in various countries in this region, ranging from malnutrition and unemployment to the effects of migration and gender. Events like the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and climate change factors like drought have been experienced across the board. Other challenges include policy formulations without consultations with local communities, corrupt practices, land inaccessibility due to urbanisation, uncertainties in the global markets and increasing dependence on food imports. Finally, future considerations such as galvanising universities to address critical research gaps at regional and national levels, optimising wastewater treatment protocols for water-scarce countries, using water-efficient crops and sourcing alternative biofertiliser options for a more sustainable agri-food systems are highlighted. The need to strengthen research and policymaking efforts at several levels is also discussed. It is anticipated that these considerations will be acted upon urgently as available literature suggests that several countries within this region are becoming increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity parameters.