The Feeding of Nations：Re-Defining Food Security for the 21st Century

In the last decade, the world has grown richer and produced more food than ever before. Yet in that same period, hunger has increased and 925 million remain underfed and malnourished. Exploring this troubling paradox, The Feeding of Nations: Re-Defining Food Security for the 21st Century offers a glimpse into how the simple aspiration of global food security has evolved and unfolded—with sometimes contradictory and counterproductive policies, agendas, and ideologies.

Providing a holistic analysis of the issues surrounding food security, this volume engages in a cross-disciplinary approach that makes the subject accessible to readers and academically rigorous in delivery. Topics discussed include:



A brief overview of our current understanding of the prevalence of hunger and malnutrition
Historical perspectives on the feeding of nations, to understand how we arrived at this point
Contemporary motivations that led to the creation of the modern concept of food security
The many different sectors related to food security, including agriculture, environment, and policy
The goals that society has set regarding food security, the means by which these are to be achieved, and current thoughts on solutions


The book contains a broad set of appendices that enable focused study on critical topics presented in the text. Uniquely amalgamating all the disparate elements of food security into one volume, it sets the record straight about the origins and evolution of the phenomenon while dispelling myths along the way.

Mark Gibson has always taken an interest in the way food has been approached, not just locally but also in the global context. There has been an elemental desire to understand more of the social, political and economic tectonics of food culture, particularly in relation to issues of food security. After training in the culinary arts, Mark remained in the industry for two decades before finally stepping into the academic world. He now lectures on many aspects related to food culture from governance to sustainability issues as well as keeping his hand in the kitchen. After completing his PhD on food security, Mark undertook to share his knowledge in the present book.

Food Security: What Is It, How and Who Does It Affect?Food Security: What Is It?Good Nutrition: A Basic IntroductionBad ‘Mal’-nutrition: The Physiology of HungerFood Security: The Global PictureHistory: A Fledgling ConstructSociocultural EvolutionGovernance, Philosophy, Politics and EconomicsScience, Technology and PhilosophyHistory: Twentieth CenturyTwentieth Century: The Feeding of Nations—A New Global EnthusiasmThe Inter-War Years 1919–1939World War Two: 1939–1945The Post-War YearsThe Development Decade: 1960sFamine, Oil and the Food Crisis: 1970sThe Lost Development Decade: 1980sThe Era of the Conference: 1990sThe Twenty-First Century: Ideological Convergence?A Sectoral Analysis: Food Security and…Agriculture, Forestry and FisheriesScience and TechnologySocio-CulturalHealth and NutritionEnvironment and Natural ResourcesGovernance, Politics and EconomicsThe Final Analysis—Food SecurityOrigins: Aetiology and Etymology—Dispelling the MythsCausality and Future ResearchRedefining Food SecurityFood for Thought: Discussion and ConsiderationsClosing RemarksAppendicesAppendix A: Country ClassificationsAppendix B: Mortality CategoriesAppendix C: The Gibson Framework of Food SecurityAppendix D: MetabolismAppendix E: MicronutrientsAppendix F: Malnutrition—Its Assessment and MeasurementAppendix G: Biological SystematicsAppendix H: Millennium Development GoalsAppendix I: Global Warming—The BasicsAppendix J: Energy SourcesAppendix K: StakeholdersAppendix L: Conversion RatesAppendix M: Glossary