ABSTRACT
In the fight against hunger and poverty, general and sectoral policies can be
powerful and constructive instruments that affect all dimensions of food secu-
rity. For example, monetary, fiscal, and trade policies have a direct influence
not only on the price of food, but also the stability of the economic system and
the overall investment and employment climate. In addition, favorable social
and gender-specific policies can influence the extent to which the poor and
the vulnerable, especially mothers and children, have access to food. But poli-
cies poorly formulated or implemented at any level of government can directly
impede progress and create conditions that keep the poor trapped in hunger. A
favorable policy framework is thus needed to maximize the impact of increased
political action and implementing the local interventions described in the next
chapters.