Discover Sustainability (Jan 2025)
Food security and self-sufficiency as a factor of country’s sustainable development: assessment methods and solutions
Abstract
Abstract Objective A serious challenge of our time, threatening the whole of humanity, is the lack of food. The aggravation of this problem in many countries is caused by climate change, natural and man-made disasters, deterioration of the epidemiological and geopolitical situation. Therefore, food security is of great importance for achieving global Sustainable Development Goals. The purpose of the article is to study the problem of food security and self-sufficiency as a factor of the country’s sustainable development, develop an author's methodology and assess the level of food self-sufficiency in Kazakhstan, substantiate ways to improve it. Hypothesis Proof/refutation of the need to increase food self-sufficiency in order to achieve country’s sustainable development. Methods The author's methodology for assessing food self-sufficiency by individual product groups. Information A comparative analysis of existing methods, official statistical data, FAO data, a list of socially significant food products, physiological norms of food consumption in Kazakhstan. Results Calculations showed an increase in the level of Kazakhstan’s self-sufficiency for most types of socially significant food products in 2010–2022. However, there are big differences across the Kazakhstan’s regions. The level of self-sufficiency was very high in 5 regions, and in 2 western regions there was a very low level of self-sufficiency in most types of products, except meat. Conclusions To improve food security and ensure sustainable development of Kazakhstan, it is recommended to strengthen the state’s regulatory role in the development of the agro-industrial complex, cooperation between agricultural producers and processing enterprises, the development of international food trade.
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