Summary of Presentation on
Achieving Food Security
by Avram “Buzz” Guroff
Avram “Buzz” Guroff addressed a key aspect of national security often neglected: the continuing failure of the global community to provide for the world’s food insecure. According to Guroff, there are over 840 million people in the world who are chronically undernourished, the majority living in developing countries. Often, the most impacted by poor nutrition are children– nearly half of the deaths of children under 5 are caused by poor nutrition. Surprisingly, according to Guroff, over 50 million people in the United States are “food insecure.”
The worst countries for food insecurity lie in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Most of these countries suffer from social disorder, a lack of a viable political structure, large, displaced populations, and widespread poverty.
Guroff showed the ways that hunger tends to exacerbate these issues. He was clear that food insecurity must have a higher profile within global and U.S. security discussions. He cited the low-priority given to long term commitments to food security and nutrition. He also noted the limited benefit from assisting countries that lack the political stability and will to achieve food security.
Food insecurity can often create an environment conducive to terrorism. However, Guroff stressed that terrorists are generally not poor–“Al Qaeda, Hamas, and ISIS are not rooted in poverty or hunger. However, they receive justification and support from widespread human misery and hopelessness. They thrive in failed countries.”
After establishing the extent of the problem and its grave implications, Guroff explained that the most effective policy for alleviating food insecurity was working with states willing and able to create an “enabling environment.” He cited a legal structure that respects land tenure, a better infrastructure, and the free movement and exchange of goods without any usurping by the government, as examples of an enabling environment.
With respect to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Guroff emphasized the importance of education in developing countries where governments often make decisions that are not scientifically based. For example, Guroff discussed the strong opposition in developing counties to the use of GMOs for fear of jeopardizing their European markets rather than for some scientific reason. Accordingly, if the US, perhaps USDA, could provide technical assistance for the development of GMO evaluation programs in developing countries, the use of GMOs could be one of the solutions to widespread food insecurity.
Guroff stressed being mindful of the strength of our own example—international development and hunger programs—to our long-term national security, perhaps more so than the example of our strength, namely the wielding of our military might.
The meeting closed with Guroff discussing where individual responsibility lies. The issue is that most Americans are “food secure” and remote from the problem. The way we can help ameliorate food insecurity is by volunteering at organizations that are combating local food insecurity, talking to our representatives about supporting aid projects, and discussing and educating others on the issue so that it becomes more of a priority in the international political arena.
The link to Guroff’s comprehensive PowerPoint presentation is below.