Food Security Definition – Questions Answered
The full meaning of Food Security is to have ready access to life sustaining food for one’s daily dietary needs to promote and maintain a healthy life. A person or family is food secure when they do not have to live with the threat or fear of hunger. Developing the knowledge and know-how on how to provide oneself that level of security for their food choices should be the goal and aim of any teacher and community.
An most effective way to provide Food Security to yourself, your family and/or community is to put food growing systems in place. Establishing the methods, processes, procedures and production of nutrient rich food sources that can sustain that healthy and vibrant lifestyle. Personal gardening practices along with the nurturing activities as seed harvesting, soil or growing medium preparation, proper plant growing management are all a part of creating one’s Food Security. Aquaponics is an excellent method to grow herbal or leafy based plants, the ‘fruit’-bearing (tomatoes, melons, etc.) and root-tubular food plants as well, can be grown in your closed ecosystem. Bringing together the fertilizing capabilities of the waste production of the fish, through the nitrogen conversion process to benefit and grow the plants in the desired planting area commonly known as a grow bed. The plants use the nitrates to grow and develop, taking that compound out of the water and returning the water free from such a compound that can and does harm the fish. This closed ecosystem is set up to be as self-sustaining as possible for your food producing efforts.
Food Security Definition- the deeper dive
When it comes to Food Security over the course of history, the prospect of it has been tenuous at best. As men started from being Hunter Gatherers to settling down in places that could provide and support areas for growing food sources, it has been a hard situation to maintain for the surrounding populace. Often not being successful in securing the food source. As mankind has sought after power, additional resources, or more land to control, the ability of one place continuously producing food for its inhabitants has been trying, at best, and devastatingly horrific at worst.
Modern times have not been much better than those feast or famine ancient times. Most of the world for centuries have been mere moments away from wholesale starvation, even when most places were still agrarian in nature. The daily grind, most literally, was such a burden that many on the land or in the growing cities found it hard to keep full bellies consistently. Even as we reside well into the 21st Century, there are still millions who face that daily grind, those gnawing pangs of hunger and fear of where their next meal may come from. Food Security still can be out of reach for millions in our day and age.
Sure there are places in the world that have seemingly conquered hunger and gained that desired Food Security. The United States as has most of the countries who espouse western thought for the last several decades have provided access to food via the enterprising efforts of Grocery Companies creating a well-oiled, finely-tuned set of Food Distribution Channels. The accomplishment of this has been so successful, that it has taken out the general knowledge and know-how of Food Independence, and supplanted in the minds of the last few generations a dire dependence upon what they can find at the local grocer’s. Add to that success of excess the advancements in food processing (fast foods, frozen foods and food preservatives) and it steps further yet from the personal food growing agricultural efforts once widely taught and practiced not too long ago.
A chasm of ignorance and dependence that at any disruption in those Channels has sent great swathes of people into panicked reactions at the sight of empty shelves at the supermarket.
On the macro level Food Security is the availability of, access to, utilization with and stability for the daily nutritional needs that food provides. However it is at the micro level of the actual doing that makes the difference for you and me, and the communities we find ourselves in. It is in the putting into daily practice the ways that one can independently acquire their life sustaining sustenance that they truly require and may desire. That we have the confidence in ourselves, to provide what needed nutrients our bodies needs outside of any other happenstance that may arise. It is in the performing; in the learning the tried and true methods of preparing for the growing season, properly nurturing the plants to fruition and effectively preserving all that we grew for later use. It is in the teaching; bringing that vital knowledge and practices to a greater number so they too can receive of the great gifts of God’s green earth, making sure the life-giving know-how is passed on. Having Food Security is in the being, in knowing, come what may, that you can find, acquire, grow, harvest and prepare the food stuffs you and those you love need to be partakers in.
We at ThatAquaponicsGuy are here to assist you in achieving that knowledge and know-how through several methods, the top being through the Aquaponics Food Growing System. Take the time as you have right now and get your Food Security taken care of in the best way possible!
