Food Security: Overview and Social Issues/Problems History

Food Security
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Food Security
Part 1: Overview and Social Issues/Problems History
The Recognition of the Social Problem that Necessitated a Policy Response
The history of the United States (US) social welfare programs date back to several centuries ago when the country was under the British colony. In particular, social welfare policy entails the programs that provide public services to meet individuals’ needs. For example, food insecurity is a significant social problem that can affect all individuals. The US promises its citizens equality since all people are considered equal and have specific inalienable rights, including liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and life (Blau & Abramovitz, 2014). In that light, life necessities, such as food, should be available for everyone since no person can live without eating. The colonial America borrowed numerous things from the British social welfare, some of which continue to influence the current social welfare programs in the US. The most significant thing about the US is that it had resources, such as land, which the British did not have. Since the US was a fluid society, it was easy to trade (Blau & Abramovitz, 2014). For instance, those who did not have farm products exchanged what they produced with food. Besides, the colonial American economy predominantly practiced agriculture, which gave the country food security.
Despite the implementation of a few federal assistance programs, hunger became a primary social problem in the US in the 1960s. Before this period, Americans had plenty of food produced from the South. Many large scale farmers had plantations and slaves who attended to their farms before the introduction of farming machinery. As such, the South produced more farm products than it used, hence distributing the surplus to other places within the country. In the 1960s, there was no clear definition of hunger, and the name was used interchangeably with malnutrition (Ramankutty et al., 2018). When seeking food assistance, terms like poverty and malnutrition were used to show the magnitude of the problem. As the population of the US rapidly increased, food insecurity became a significant problem. Moreover, the production of agricultural products in the South were affected by various reforms that tried to free slaves who provided cheap labor in the plantations. Notably, malnutrition necessitated a policy response in the 1960s since hunger became a significant issue. Federal food assistance programs were formed to help those Americans who were affected by the food insecurity issue.
Historical Definition of the Social Problem
In reality, food security has been one of the most challenging social issues in the US. The food security concept keeps evolving due to the dynamic of the factors surrounding it, including but not limited to food production, environment, and dietary diversity (Akbari et al., 2021). Notably, food security entails assured access to adequate food products at all times to facilitate a healthy and active life. In other terms, food security involves the availability of nutritionally...