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Food Security

food security

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognise that food insecurity can affect all countries through many different channels. Breaking down the silos that separate policy sectors is necessary in order to overcome inconsistencies and promote cross-sectoral synergies for achieving food security (SDG 2), while at the same time contributing to other SDGs. Ensuring food security also calls for a coherent approach among stakeholders at local, national, regional and international levels. To support governments in applying an integrated and whole-of-government approach to policy making, the OECD has developed a new conceptual framework for policy coherence for sustainable development (‘the PCSD Framework’). This module applies the PCSD Framework to food security.

See below for the Screening Checklist.

For more information, consult the complete Toolkit and the Annotations for the food security module.

1. Consider how domestic policies influence the four key dimensions of food security


Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The four pillars of food security are availability, access, utilization and stability. The nutritional dimension is integral to the concept of food security.

Does the government:

  • consider all four dimensions when designing policies?
  • take into account the interactions between the four dimensions?
  • consider how policies that target one dimension might impact on the other dimensions?
  • consider context-specific factors (e.g. some countries might need to increase availability, while others might need to improve utilisation)?

2. Identify policy interlinkages of relevance to food security (horizontal coherence)


Mapping and taking into consideration the numerous interactions and interconnections of different policies is of fundamental importance for achieving policy coherence. This can be done (1) on the level of the SDGs and (2) on the level of specific policy domains. 

Does the government:

  • consider SDG 2 ("End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture") as the overarching international framework for reducing food insecurity? 
  • consider the interactions between different goals and targets?
  • align (political) interests and priorities with specific goals and/or targets, and is there coherence between them?

Does the government:

  • have a good understanding of the many policy areas that impact on food security? 
  • promote climate-smart agriculture?
  • promote sustainable and biodiversity-friendly agriculture?
  • consider the pros and cons of different land usages (e.g. agriculture, forestry, biofuels production)?
  • promote trade liberalisation in agriculture and fisheries? Does it provide social protection in cases where trade liberalisation has short-term negative effects on poor consumers and/or producers?
  • promote sustainable fisheries?
  • facilitate the transfer of productivity enhancing technologies?
  • promote sustainable investment in rural infrastructure?

3. Reform or remove policies that create negative spill-over effects


An immediate contribution that OECD countries can make to improving global food security is to eliminate policies that create negative spill-overs. 

Does the government: 

  • undertake impact assessments (e.g. environmental) of its policies?
  • carry out cost-benefit analysis of its policies?
  • limit or remove policies that distort world markets, e.g. subsidies, tariffs and NTMs?
  • consider the implications of biofuel mandates? 

Is the government:

  • moving towards more decoupled support mechanisms in agriculture?
  • phasing out fossil fuel subsidies?
  • removing investment barriers?  

4. Ensure coherence of actions for food security at and between different levels of government (vertical coherence)


Enhancing or maintaining food security depends on coherent policy interventions across all levels of government and requires strong co-ordination and co-operation among political institutions and other stakeholders. 

Does the government:

  • promote decentralisation and flexibility?
  • consult with local stakeholders in the design and implementation of policies?
  • help local authorities to combine resources and capacities to formulate effective policy responses?

  • Is there a national commitment to policy coherence?
  • Does the Centre of Government have a good overview and ability to influence policies related to food security?
  • Is inter-ministerial collaboration encouraged and facilitated?

Does the government:

  • promote and participate in regional co-operation for food security?
  • engage in regional policy implementation with regard to shared resources?

  • Is the government involved in international initiatives for food security?

5. Consider diverse sources of finance to improve food security and ensure complementarities


Substantive increases in investment will be needed to achieve food security, to raise incomes and increase the supply of food sustainably, notably by raising productivity. Most of the investment will need to continue coming from the private sector, as is the case today, and especially from farmers themselves. 

  • To what extent does the government fund activities that promote food security?
  • Are the types of support coherent and do they support clearly established objectives?
  • Are development co-operation programmes coherent with other (sectoral) policies?
  • Do local governments have financial resources to enhance food security?

6. Consider contextual factors and create conditions for ensuring global food security


Contextual factors can be divided into enabling environments which have a positive impact on sustainable development outcomes, and systemic conditions which have a negative impact. The role of policies is to strengthen enabling environments and to remove or minimise the effect of systemic conditions.

Does the government:

  • facilitate private investment in agriculture, fisheries and/or rural development?
  • promote FDI in partner countries or are there any restrictions to FDI?
  • adhere to and enforce the MNE Guidelines?