ABSTRACT
Food has always been linked to environmental conditions with production, storage and distribution, and markets all sensitive to weather extremes and climate fluctuations. Food production and quality are also sensitive to the quality of soils and water, the presence of pests and diseases, and other biophysical influences. Over millennia people have adjusted the production and consumption of food to the spatial and temporal variation in the natural environment, and the growing size and complexity of food systems have in turn transformed the landscapes that humans inhabit. The scope and scale of interaction are changing dramatically, particularly in relation to the risks of climate change, biodiversity loss and water scarcity; in terms of linkages to energy systems; and as food systems become more global in their networks of production, consumption and governance. This has started to raise concerns about food security, not only in governments, but also for private sector and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
