LETTER | Tackling poverty and food insecurity in one go

LETTER | The importance of addressing food insecurity has been recognised through the second goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aspires to end hunger, guarantee food security, improve nutrition, and advance sustainable agriculture by 2030.

Malaysia is not an exception to the growing danger of escalating food insecurity. Malaysia scored moderately for hunger on the 2022 Global Hunger Index, with a minor increase in the hunger index from 10.9 in 2014 to 12.5 in 2022, most likely reflecting an increase in food insecurity due to the pandemic.

Alongside the pandemic, there is a relationship between food insecurity and poverty. The minimum wage in Malaysia is set at RM1,500, despite the fact that the Department of Statistics reports that the country's poverty line income is RM2,208.

Low-income families with single working parents and those earning the minimum wage of RM1,500 may find that their low monthly household earnings are insufficient to sustain a stable life as prices of food and other necessities keep increasing (inflation).

In fact, food security is one of the primary issues addressed in the revised Budget 2023. The necessity for agrifood sector reform was emphasised by Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with a focus on ensuring the sustainability of regional food production.

Genetic engineering

Compared to other economic sectors, agriculture has a significant positive influence on poverty reduction and food security. Agriculture has a crucial role in the national economy since it greatly boosts national income, export revenues, and employment creation.

To guarantee that the nation always has a sufficient food supply, even during emergencies like the Covid-19 pandemic, domestic food production is crucial in this circumstance.

The government acknowledges that current biotechnology practices like genetic engineering have the potential to increase agricultural productivity and output. These will guarantee that the food security's accessibility and availability aspects are taken care of.

According to Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang, Malaysian farms may soon be staffed by robots, drones, and remote-controlled sensors to monitor, irrigate, and fertilise crops as the nation works to increase food security.

Prioritising climate-friendly agriculture on the existing agricultural lands, transferring new high-yielding technologies to these croplands, managing integrated water resources, improving product efficiency, and managing agricultural waste are some examples of the strategies to improve the agriculture sector's performance and efficiency to ensure sustainable food security.

Social protection

In addition to approaches related to agricultural development and crop production, increased funding for research and related infrastructure may considerably promote food security in developing nations, such as Malaysia.

Examples of this include enhancing the means of subsistence and sources of income for the poor, raising the productivity of the natural resources available to smallholder farmers, fisheries, and forest operators, as well as enhancing social protection, human capacity, and income security.

Community-based organisations (CBOs) play an important role in risk management, particularly during times of disaster, and are closely related to the entire process of ensuring food security.

CBOs may assist low-income and impoverished families in Malaysia with managing and reducing risks through co-sponsoring regional plans for infrastructure development, which can be done by relying on social capital.

Small companies

In keeping with the core goals of the SDGs, urban agriculture is viewed as a beneficial programme that promotes sustainable urban development by supplying fresh food, particularly for low-income families.

Because urban agriculture may encourage small companies to sell veggies and compost, social empowerment through urban agriculture can help reduce poverty and satisfy urban food demands.

Due to the technologies employed, such as rooftops, aquaponics, hydropower, and horticulture, urban agriculture does not need a sizeable amount of land and can be recreated without one. As a result, it can be the main source of food for the family and is crucial in lowering food insecurity.

To guarantee that Malaysians' real incomes are adequately sustained and to enable low-income people to choose better and healthier food choices, income growth as a consequence of improved skills and education is required.

The proverbial ‘to kill two birds with one stone’ probably is true after all, when it comes to tackling poverty and addressing food insecurity.

SUHAIZA HANIM MOHAMAD ZAILANI is the director of the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies, Universiti Malaya.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.