Knowledge Gaps and Recommendations: An Analysis

Abstract

The issue of food security is complex, as it encompasses not only the supply of food but also other interrelated issues, including politics, economics and social aspects. In addition, the processing of foods from farm to plate should reach consumers in a safe and unadulterated form. Food security is a broad concept that incorporates a wide range of factors that creates the baseline for the concept. Within this range of factors, we identified a number of challenges and threats to food security. We also integrated the concept of food sovereignty, not only to focus the concerns on the availability of food but also to encompass a number of other crucial matters that are directly related to the way food is produced as well as by whom and where it is produced. While slightly different in the sense that food sovereignty looks at issues such as from where food comes, or the conditions under which it is produced and distributed, we place these issues under the broader framework of food security. However, as the promotion of food security indicates guaranteeing availability, often subsidies and policies that destroy local food producers but benefit agribusiness corporations are supported. However, due to limitations in finding adequate materials, we cannot analyze every aspect of food security prevalent in the Arctic-Barents region, but we can provide a broad overview of gaps in regard to how laws and policies could be better addressed to promote the governance of food security. Therefore, the recommendations and suggestions in this chapter merely concern ways to improve and enhance food security in the Barents region based on our cited research materials and interviews.