Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Food security status, issues and challenges in Malaysia: A review

Author(s):

Ferdoushi Ahmed *, Chamhuri Siwar

Recieved Date: 2013-01-28, Accepted Date: 2013-04-30

Abstract:

Food security is becoming an issue of great importance in not only developing countries but also in the developed world. There is an intimate relationship between food security and poverty. Food insecurity is a common problem among the low-income households in the developing countries including Malaysia. This paper aims to identify and review literatures that have given effort to measure food security status at household as well as national level in Malaysia. The paper also focuses on the issues and challenges of food security in Malaysia. Literatures were identified for review through a comprehensive search by using electronic and non-electronic databases. Based on the review of literature, it was found that household food security is significantly correlated with the income level of the households. Other socioeconomic variables of the households also affect the food security status of the households. More of the food insecure households are living below the poverty line, have a larger household size, low education level, more children and school going children and mothers as housewives. From the national perspective, Malaysia has achieved a significant increase in the production of several basic food items such as rice, fruits, vegetables, fisheries, and poultry. However, the country is highly dependent on importation of many agricultural products such as wheat, beef, mutton and dairy items due to their rising demand as well as relatively limited local production. Therefore, the key challenge for food security in the country is to achieve self-sufficiency level in most of the food requirements as well as to reduce dependency on food importation. So, further research is urgently needed to set more effective policies and strategies for achieving the self- sufficiency in producing food commodities in the country. 

Keywords:

Food security, status, issues, challenges, household income, agricultural, Malaysia

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 2
Category: Food and Health
Pages: 219-223

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