CONTENTS
HIGHLIGHTSPopulation Reports is published by the Population Information Program, Center for Communication Programs, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202-4012, USA
December, 1997 |
S
teps Toward Food Security The World Food Summit in 1996 focused new attention on achieving food security (see Excerpts from the World Food Summit). What can countries and communities do to help reach food security? Achieving food security over the long term depends partly on slowing population growth (6, 97, 110). Providing family planning to all couples who want it would go far to reducing fertility rates and slowing population growth in many developing countries (79, 125). An estimated 100 million married women, and probably millions of other women, are interested in avoiding pregnancy but are not currently using contraception (79) (see Meeting Unmet Need for Family Planning in Chapter 5). At the same time, a second Green Revolution could increase yields and buy more time for world population eventually to stabilize. In this revolution practicing sustainable agriculture that is, protecting natural resources from becoming increasingly degraded and polluted will be essential. Also, developing countries can explore new ways to help meet their food needs. These include improving yields on marginal land, farming forests, expanding aquaculture, rediscovering forgotten foods, and encouraging urban agriculture. |