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The development of agriculture and economic growth are imperatives for food security. Increased agricultural production would contribute towards increasing food supplies to feed the increasing population, reduce food imports, increase export earnings and improve food security and livelihoods of a significant proportion of the population. Economic growth and a strong trade balance are also needed to ensure food security.

Global demand
Feeding the growing global population, as well as Sri Lanka’s increasing population, are serious challenges in the near future. The world population that is around 8 billion today is expected to increase to 10 billion by 2050. This implies a significant increase in world food production, not only due to the increase in population by 2 billion, but also owing to increasing demand for food due to higher incomes. The increase in global demand for food would result in higher international prices for food. Since food imports are likely to be costlier, the need for increased domestic food production is reinforced.

Population increase
Although Sri Lanka’s rate of population growth has decelerated to about 1 percent per year, the annual increase in population is about 210,000 per year. With increases in income, the food needs of the population would increase by more than by the increase in population. Therefore the demand for food would increase by a significant amount.

By 2040 our population is likely to rise to about 25 million, which means that food needs would be more than 25 percent of the current requirements. Some estimates of food requirements place it even higher at about 50 per cent more than current levels by 2030. The need to increase food production or have the capacity to import our increased food requirements is indisputable. Increasing our agricultural production in the context of climate change, scarcities of water and land and shortages of labour for agriculture are severe challenges.

Food security
Ensuring food security is a national priority. However food security is not synonymous with self-sufficiency in food. The food security of a country can be ensured either by domestic production or imports that enable all households to obtain adequate quantities for their basic nutritional needs at prices they can afford. Many countries in the world that are food secure are not self sufficient in food production, as is the case of Britain and Japan.

Undoubtedly increasing domestic food production is important in making available adequate food supplies, but self-sufficiency in food production is not necessary to achieve food security. Food security can be achieved by a country if it has the capacity to import its food deficit. The diversification of the economy and increasing exports is a means of achieving a higher level of food security. This is a strategy that Sri Lanka must adopt owing to constraints in land, water and labour.

Economic growth
Overall economic growth, diversified economic activities, which provide better employment and income generating activities and safety nets to those unable to obtain their basic food requirements, are essential strategies to reduce the number of households not obtaining their basic food requirements. Furthermore there is a need to ensure food for those who are handicapped, disabled, the aged and the unemployable who are too poor to access adequate food. Only a strong economy with healthy public finances could intervene effectively to meet these needs.

Self-sufficiency
It must be recognised that self-sufficiency could be achieved in only some foods. The country would have to continue to import substantial amounts of many significant items of food such as wheat, sugar and milk. Therefore the discussion on food security focused on rice self-sufficiency is deceptive. Food security in Sri Lanka cannot be achieved by domestic production alone. There has to be increased domestic production and imports.

Since there are land and water constraints to increasing the extent of paddy cultivation, sustaining self-sufficiency in rice would require an increase in productivity. Average paddy yields would have to increase above current yields of 4.5 metric tons per hectare, especially if per capita consumption of rice were to increase.

Exports
Increasing agricultural exports is significant for food security as an export surplus would strengthen the capacity to import food. While there have been forays into the export of vegetables and fruits by private agribusiness enterprises, there has to be a much higher exportable surplus of these to make a dent in our trade balance.

Constraints
There are serious challenges and constraints facing agriculture. These include the reality of climate change. Drought and floods and unseasonal weather would disrupt the crop cycle of seasonal crops and the productivity of tree crops. There is a shortage of land and water. And a serious constraint to agriculture is the shortage of agricultural labour.

These problems raise the need to reconsider the mode of agricultural production and new methods of irrigation and mechanisation. It is important to adopt a scientific and economically rational approach to these issues.

Agricultural policies
The enhancement of food security requires agricultural policies that would improve productivity in crops as current levels of yield are far below productivity in comparable other producing countries and technologically achievable levels. It is imperative that the output of all crops is increased by productivity increases and where possible, expansion of the area cultivated with appropriate crops. A favourable land policy and the development of private sector agribusiness enterprises are needed to achieve this.
Increased agricultural production by improving incomes of rural households could enhance household food security considerably as a large proportion of the country’s population is dependent on agricultural incomes, directly or indirectly.

Agricultural research and communication of the best practices in farming, policy decisions based on sound scientific knowledge and ground realities and economic and social conditions are vital in order to meet the food needs of the future. A well thought out agricultural policy, rather than ad hoc decisions based on prejudices or ideological positions, is a current priority.

However food security is not dependent on agricultural and food policy alone, but good overall economic management and social policies. Rapid economic growth, a diversified economy, a rational and productive agriculture, a good distribution of incomes and interventionist policies to assist people left behind in the process of economic growth are needed to ensure food security.