ABSTRACT
Food production and access to food are decisively influenced by regional, national and social conditions. Economic growth may continue and sufficient food supplies may be available, food security or malnutrition among the poorest groups of the population may persist, or even grow, if the market economy system—combined with a decline in social transfers—leads to deterioration in living conditions among the groups. When discussing policies aimed at securing food supplies and their instruments, J. Jutting and K. Kirschke take as their basis the World Bank definition regarding the term 'secure food supplies'. The problem of food security is linked to numerous ecological, social and economic factors as well as microeconomic and macroeconomic aspects that go far beyond agriculture and food economics and also relate to the entire economic and social order, especially fairness in distribution. In addition to the economic factors, there may be social, cultural and political organisational patterns that make access to food difficult.
