Global Food Insecurity: Colonial Legacies, Economic Disparities, and Conflict Impacts

Posted on Sep 21, 2025 in Geography

Colonialism’s Impact on Undernutrition and Property

Colonialism profoundly shaped patterns of undernutrition, property relations, and the enduring legacy of the plantation system. Its diverse impacts vary significantly by ethnicity, class, gender, and region, influencing access to land, agricultural and industrial policies, urban development, and often conflict-ridden ethnic circumstances. Regions with unequal land ownership frequently experience the most vocal global resistance movements.

21st Century Plantations and Their Global Effects

  • European Union (EU): Policies can disempower women in the Global South.
  • Papua New Guinea: Oil palm plantations are primarily promoted to feed the European market with palm oil, used in cosmetics, soap, vegetable oil, and foodstuffs.
  • Nigeria: Rubber plantations supply raw material for tire manufacturing.
  • Brazil: Eucalyptus plantations, often involving companies like Stora Enso (Swedish-Finnish), Aracruz Celulose, and Votorantim (Brazilian), produce pulp for export to Europe for paper production.

These modern plantation systems contribute to:

  • Loss of food sovereignty: Communities lose control over their food systems.
  • Volatile commodity prices: Prices for agricultural commodities are highly unstable.
  • Insecure entitlements: Peasant producers often have precarious rights to land and resources.
  • Increased land disputes: Competition for land intensifies between food production and plantation agriculture.

(References: Pages 153-178, Box 5.4, Pages 172-173)

Globalization’s Influence on Global Diets

Hawkes identifies several factors explaining how globalization influences diets worldwide. Four key factors include:

  1. Food trade and global sourcing
  2. Foreign direct investment
  3. Global food advertising and promotions
  4. Retail restructuring, notably the construction of supermarkets

(Reference: Pages 194-195)

Subnational Factors Affecting Entitlement

Within all countries, entitlement is affected by subnational factors, leading to disparities among regions, classes, ethnic groups, and households. Two examples include:

  • Minority groups are more likely to suffer malnutrition than majority ethnic groups.
  • Certain household types, such as single-parent households, may be more prone to hunger.

(References: Pages 256, 261, 265)

Gender as a Category of Analysis for Food Security

Young selects gender as a critical category of analysis for several reasons:

  1. Women are the principal food producers across the Global South (farmers, laborers), yet their importance is often denied or ignored.
  2. Women and children are over-represented in all statistics concerning malnutrition.
  3. Women play a crucial role in determining the nutritional well-being of children.

Women’s Vital Role in Rural Food Security

Women in rural areas are vital for worldwide food security. Their elevated status within families and communities often leads to improved household well-being, as women are more likely to spend money on food and basic household needs.

(References: Pages 272, 277, Box 7.7)

Intra-Household Entitlements and Common Assumptions

Key factors regarding intra-household entitlements include understanding the distribution of resources and responsibilities within a household. Two common assumptions that may be incorrect are:

  • Men are always the head of the household and primary decision-makers.
  • Caring tasks are exclusively female responsibilities.

Urban and peri-urban horticulture offers numerous benefits, potentially helping to combat the obesity pandemic through initiatives like community and school gardens.

(References: Pages 258-261, 294)

Historical and Geopolitical Factors in Conflict

Historical factors and geopolitical circumstances are crucial to understanding contemporary conflict situations. Many poorer states remain dependent on the export of primary products (mineral or agricultural) to industrial centers. Colonial efforts, driven by the search for profits, established a capitalist model that became the primary method of extraction, leaving a lasting legacy that contributes to current conflicts.

(References: Pages 312-322)

Direct and Indirect Impacts of Conflict on Hunger

Conflict has profound direct and indirect impacts on hunger:

Direct Impacts of Conflict on Hunger

  • Use of hunger as a weapon: This includes seizing food and livestock, cutting off food supplies, or diverting food to armed forces.
  • Landmines: Rural areas are often contaminated with landmines, preventing agricultural activity and safe movement.

Indirect Impacts of Conflict on Hunger

  • Resource diversion: Governments and communities divert resources from development and social services to military expansion.
  • Relief efforts: Significant resources are devoted to addressing conflict-induced problems, often at the expense of long-term development.
  • Labor diversion: Conflict disrupts traditional labor patterns, often forcing older people to care for younger ones, impacting productivity and household income.