Interventions to reduce household food insecurity: a synthesis of current concepts and approaches for Latin America

Abstract

Food insecurity has been documented in countries throughout the range of national incomes. Most Latin American countries, including Brazil, fall in the middle of this range. Although responses to problems of food insecurity need to be developed for specific contexts, valuable lessons for successful interventions can be learned from both low- and high-income countries. This article begins by describing a continuum of country-level food security contexts. The basic elements of food security, including food availability, access, and utilization, are reviewed as are more recent developments in the field, including livelihood analysis, vulnerability, and risk management strategies. A selection of public sector food security interventions is described that focus on improving agricultural production, increasing employment and household income, developing human capital, and distributing food. Recent international experiences and insights are used to develop themes for orientation of these types of food security interventions in Latin America. These include: the importance of planning relief efforts to be synergistic with long-run development; the tailoring of interventions to the needs of specific contexts; and the related expansion of information systems to support these activities. The article also describes the need to improve food security without leading to over-consumption, a problem of increasing concern in Latin America and elsewhere. Finally, development of local capacity through community-based participatory actions is suggested as a means for improving program outcomes as well as promoting human rights.