Sustainable food: issues of food security in Latvia
2011
Melece, L., Latvian State Inst. of Agrarian Economics, Riga (Latvia)
Sustainable food system is an increasingly important issue, where ''sustainable food'' means different things used to balance emerging food issues on various health, environmental, and social concerns. In this context, the special attention is paid to local food systems. Food security has been a major issue globally and according to the FAO, it is an issue on the individual, household, national, regional, and global levels. The paper argues that the debate is reasonable only if food security policy is based on its capability to deliver sustainability. The results of research on food self-sufficiency and import dependence ratio for the main food groups in Latvia in the recent years are listed in the present research. The latest trends of Latvia's import dependency ratio and self-sufficiency for the main food products (consumed by inhabitants) have been evaluated, where self-sufficiency levels vary widely between products. Self-sufficiency of meat and dairy products' group are operating above the 65% and 85% (respectively) self-sufficiency level compared with cereals' products that are nearly 100% self-sufficient. Only 53% of Latvia's vegetable consumption comes from Latvia's production as well as fruit production is very low at 12% of consumption.
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