Food Security and Health in Rural and Remote Australia
Food Security and Health in Rural and Remote Australia Report
RIRDC Publication
- Author(s): National Rural Health Alliance,
- Published: 2016
- Publisher: Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation
Abstract: Australia produces over 90 per cent of its domestic food requirements. Compared with many other nations, it is in a global sense ‘food secure’. However, within the Australian population there are some people who regularly experience food insecurity and a greater number for whom it is an occasional issue. In a country as generally affluent as Australia, this situation is perhaps surprising. It is certainly a situation we should do something about. Fundamentally, food security and insecurity are determined by economic means. Food insecurity can be a consequence of a range of disadvantages, given their simplest expression in the word 'poverty'. Most frequently and most simply, it is low income that is the issue: financial poverty. However it might also be 'mobility poverty' that is involved: an inability to access food due to the absence of means of transport, or physical immobility. Or it might be 'communications poverty': the inability of a consumer to express their wishes and needs due to language, physiology or technical barriers. Or it might be the absence of the knowledge and skills needed to know what a healthy diet is and how to manage food appropriately. Frequently these various types of vulnerability go hand-in-hand, with some individuals and families experiencing challenges on several fronts simultaneously. The population groups at greatest risk of food insecurity include some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families with no employment or low income, welfare recipients, single parent families, and some others in more remote areas of the nation. This Report describes the human health effects of food insecurity, and explores the policy and program settings currently in place to try to address it nationally and in the various jurisdictions. It then considers the means by which the challenges might be better managed. One of the particular interests of the NRHA is the extent to which 'rurality' (or distance from major centres) affects the incidence of food insecurity. Unfortunately most of the data sources relevant to the issue of food insecurity are poor at distinguishing populations in remote locations from other areas. In exploring the effect on human health, the report takes a whole of life approach, examining the health impact of food insecurity prior to birth, at birth to age 4, 5 to 12 years of age, 13 to 18 years of age, into adulthood and into old age. Finally, based on the evidence presented, the report proposes options for dealing with food insecurity in Australia. The purpose of the Report is to bring these issues to the attention of policy makers and researchers, and to promote their discussion. Working collaboratively, governments, communities, researchers, non-government organisations and the private sector can reduce the incidence of food insecurity and its adverse human effects.
- Urls: https://www.agrifutures.com.au/product/food-security-and-health-in-rural-and-remote-australia/, https://www.agrifutures.com.au/wp-content/uploads/publications/16-053.pdf (particularly Chapter 10)
- Publisher Location: Canberra