Nutrition fragility in isolation: Food insecurity in Small Island Developing States

IF 5.6 1区农林科学 Q1 FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Food Security Pub Date : 2024-03-06 DOI:10.1007/s12571-024-01438-z

Delia Atzori, Ben G. J. S. Sonneveld, A. Alfarra, Max D. Merbis

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Abstract

High reliance on food imports, unbalanced diets, limited cultivable land, scarce fresh water resources and remoteness are typical food security constraints for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Calls for evidence-based food policy interventions are, therefore, justified. Yet, SIDS studies on food security are often outdated, focus on one country and use exclusive data and dedicated methodologies that cannot be applied elsewhere. This study standardized its methodology to assess availability of food groups and micronutrients at a SIDS-wide level. We use the latest release from FAO’s harmonized Food Balance Sheets and improve actual intake by correcting for food waste and lower micronutrient thresholds for under-fives. We make results interpretable with geo-visualization techniques and infographics that map food group and micronutrient availability per country against required needs. A great share of countries (94%) fails to meet food group requirements; 43% does not meet the requirement of five or more of the eight food groups. None of the SIDS meet the required doses for micronutrients and only 14% meets requirements of 13 or 14 of the 15 micronutrients, yet, 31% of the SIDS misses 6 to 8 micronutrients. Overweight prevalence is closely correlated to food group availability while stunting can be largely explained by income level. The findings prioritize policy actions by identifying absence of dietary diversity. The approach is adequate and cost-efficient based on existing databases that are regularly updated. Timeliness and country coverage of SIDS in some international databases need serious improvement.

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孤立的营养脆弱性：小岛屿发展中国家的粮食不安全问题

高度依赖粮食进口、膳食不均衡、可耕地有限、淡水资源匮乏和地处偏远是小岛屿发展中国家（SIDS）典型的粮食安全制约因素。因此，呼吁采取以证据为基础的粮食政策干预措施是有道理的。然而，小岛屿发展中国家关于粮食安全的研究往往已经过时，只关注一个国家，并使用无法应用于其他地方的独家数据和专用方法。本研究将其方法标准化，以评估整个小岛屿发展中国家的食物种类和微量营养素的可获得性。我们使用粮农组织最新发布的统一食物平衡表，并通过纠正食物浪费和降低五岁以下儿童的微量营养素阈值来提高实际摄入量。我们利用地理可视化技术和信息图表，将每个国家的食物类别和微量营养素供应情况与所需需求进行对比，从而使结果易于解读。大部分国家（94%）未达到食物类别要求；43%的国家未达到八个食物类别中五个或更多类别的要求。没有一个小岛屿发展中国家达到了微量营养素的要求剂量，只有 14%的国家达到了 15 种微量营养素中 13 或 14 种的要求，然而，31%的小岛屿发展中国家缺少 6 至 8 种微量营养素。超重率与食物种类的可获得性密切相关，而发育迟缓在很大程度上可以用收入水平来解释。研究结果通过确定膳食多样性的缺失，确定了政策行动的优先次序。这种方法以定期更新的现有数据库为基础，既充分又具有成本效益。一些国际数据库对小岛屿发展中国家的及时性和国家覆盖范围需要认真改进。

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来源期刊

Food Security FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY-

CiteScore

14.00

自引率

6.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Food Security is a wide audience, interdisciplinary, international journal dedicated to the procurement, access (economic and physical), and quality of food, in all its dimensions. Scales range from the individual to communities, and to the world food system. We strive to publish high-quality scientific articles, where quality includes, but is not limited to, the quality and clarity of text, and the validity of methods and approaches. Food Security is the initiative of a distinguished international group of scientists from different disciplines who hold a deep concern for the challenge of global food security, together with a vision of the power of shared knowledge as a means of meeting that challenge. To address the challenge of global food security, the journal seeks to address the constraints - physical, biological and socio-economic - which not only limit food production but also the ability of people to access a healthy diet. From this perspective, the journal covers the following areas: Global food needs: the mismatch between population and the ability to provide adequate nutrition Global food potential and global food production Natural constraints to satisfying global food needs: § Climate, climate variability, and climate change § Desertification and flooding § Natural disasters § Soils, soil quality and threats to soils, edaphic and other abiotic constraints to production § Biotic constraints to production, pathogens, pests, and weeds in their effects on sustainable production The sociological contexts of food production, access, quality, and consumption. Nutrition, food quality and food safety. Socio-political factors that impinge on the ability to satisfy global food needs: § Land, agricultural and food policy § International relations and trade § Access to food § Financial policy § Wars and ethnic unrest Research policies and priorities to ensure food security in its various dimensions.