What is food security?

Being able to reliably obtain, consume and metabolise sufficient quantities of safe and nutritious and foods, is essential to human
well-being.
This building block explains the meaning of the food security concept.

Last update: 12 March, 2018

Definitions
Explanation

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1.0 Introduction
2.0 What is food security?
2.1 The four components of food security
2.2 Cultural acceptability
2.3 Definition
3.0 How can food (in)security be assessed?
3.1 What are levels and types of food (in)security?
3.2 Measuring food (in)security

1.0 Introduction
Malnutrition, or the risk of it, is a universal human problem: while some people’s diets lack sufficient nutrients for an active and
healthy life (e.g. undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies), others consume excess food energy (overnutrition), and this also
leads to negative health consequences. A person may consume energy excess to requirements and so be overweight, while also
suffering from micronutrient deficiencies.
Effective action to address malnutrition in all its forms requires an understanding of the various mechanisms that can affect it. It is
this nuanced understanding, developed over decades of research, which is captured in the concept of food security.
2.0 What is food security?
Food security is a concept that is used to think systemically about how and why malnutrition arises, and what can be done to
address and prevent it. Underlying it is a moral ideology that can be linked to realising the international goal of food as a human
right.2,3
Up to the mid-1970’s, discussions about food security primarily focussed on the need to produce more food and to distribute it
better. Discussions prioritised the total availability of food calories at the national and global level as the primary means to address
malnutrition (primarily undernutrition).4
Over time, the food security concept has been broadened considerably to encompass a wide range of factors that can have an
influence on malnutrition (of all forms) ranging across the whole food system and - in some applications - including recognition of
the important social and cultural role that food plays.4
Today, the concept of food security is generally understood to incorporate four main components: availability, access, utilisation,
and stability; although some see stability as a separate cross cutting factor. For a state of food security to exist, all of these
components must be sufficiently present (see Figure 1).5–8
Figure 1: The four components of food security.9
2.1 The four components of food security and supporting elements5,6,8
1. Food availability. Enough nutritious food of sufficient quality needs to be available to people for their consumption. Availability
can be affected by:
Production: how much and what types of food are available through food that is produced and stored locally.
Distribution: how is food made available (physically moved), in what form, when, and to whom.
Exchange: how much of food that is available can be obtained through exchange mechanisms such as barter, trade, purchase, or
loans.
2. Food access. Individuals and households must be able to acquire sufficient food to be able to eat a healthy, nutritious diet, or have
access to sufficient resources needed to grow their own food (e.g. land). Access can be affected by:
Affordability: the ability of individuals, households or communities to afford the price of food or land for producing food, relative to
their incomes.
Allocation: the economic, social and political mechanisms governing when, where, and how food can be accessed by consumers and
on what terms. For example, food may be unequally allocated according to age and gender within households.
Preference: social, religious, and cultural norms and values that influence consumer demand for certain types of food (e.g. religious
prohibitions or the desire to follow a specific dietary pattern such as vegetarianism).
3. Food utilisation. People must have access to a sufficient quantity and diversity of foods to meet their nutritional needs but must
also be able to eat and properly metabolise such food. Utilisation can be affected by:
Nutritional value: the nutritional value provided by the foods that are consumed, as measured in calories, vitamins, protein, and
various micronutrients (e.g. iron, iodine, vitamin A).
Health status: the effect of disease (e.g. HIV/AIDS or diarrhoea) on the ability to consume the food and absorb and metabolise its
nutrients.
Food safety: access to food free from food spoilage or from toxic contamination introduction during the producing, processing,
packaging, distribution or marketing of food; and from food-borne diseases such as salmonella.
Preparation and consumption: the resources (e.g. cooking tools and fuel), knowledge and ability to prepare and consume food in a
healthy and hygienic way.
4. Stability. Food may be available and accessible to people who are able to utilise it effectively, but to avoid increases in
malnutrition and in order for people not to feel insecure, this state of affairs needs to be enduring rather than temporary or subject
to fluctuations.
2.2 Cultural acceptability
Some stakeholders also see cultural acceptability as an important aspect to incorporate within the food security concept.
This recognises that the way in which food contributes to the basic needs and well-being of individuals, households and
communities, goes far beyond its nutritional adequacy alone, and encompasses enjoyment, as well as the various social, religious,
and cultural functions that food plays in peoples’ lives. 10
Other stakeholders, however, argue that this broadens the food security concept so far as to make it impractical.
2.3 Definition
Together, the importance of the four food security components, and of cultural acceptability is reflected in the widely-accepted
definition of an aspirational state of food security, put forward by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation:
“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food
which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” 1

3.0 How can food security be assessed?

3.1 What are levels and types of food (in)security?
The state of food security varies over a range of scales, ranging from the individual to global (Figure 2). Even where food security is
present at a particular individual or household level, it may not be so on a regional level. Conversely, while a nation or region may be
generally considered to be food secure, certain (groups of) individuals may still suffer from food insecurity.
Figure 2: Levels of Food Security. Reproduced from Gibson, 2012.6
Types of food insecurity can also be distinguished by their frequency or duration: 5,11
Chronic food insecurity. A long-term and persistent condition of food insecurity. A population suffers from chronic food insecurity
when it is unable to meet minimum food consumption requirements for extended periods of time (approximately six months of the
year or longer).
Transitory food insecurity. A short-term and temporary condition of food insecurity. A population suffers from transitory food
insecurity when there is a sudden drop in the ability to produce or access sufficient food for a healthy nutritional status (e.g. after a
period of drought or as a result of conflict).
Seasonal food insecurity. A condition of food insecurity that reoccurs predictably, following the cyclical pattern of seasons.
3.2 Measuring food (in)security
No single tool can account for all dimensions of food security. However one useful method for measuring food insecurity on an
individual level is the FAO’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale, which is based around the following 8 questions. 12
During the last 12 months, was there a time when, because of lack of money or other resources:
1. You were worried you would not have enough food to eat?
2. You were unable to eat healthy and nutritious food?
3. You ate only a few kinds of foods?
4. You had to skip a meal?
5. You ate less than you thought you should?
6. Your household ran out of food?
7. You were hungry but did not eat?
8. You went without eating for a whole day?
These questions compose a scale that covers a range of severity of food insecurity from mild to severe (Figure 3).
Figure 3: A scale to measure food insecurity based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Adapted from FAO, n.d. 12
Note that the Food Insecurity Experience Scale measures food insecurity as it is experienced by individuals. To estimate and predict
the presence and severity of food insecurity on a national level, the FAO uses a range of factors including Gross National Products,
volume of food production and consumption, poverty levels, and the risk at food emergencies (e.g. resulting from droughts or
war).13
Food security, as defined by the UnGlobal Food Security
The United States is leading international efforts to address the need that people around the world have for reliable sources of
quality food. American aid is, in part, directed to food security — ensuring every nation has the ability to feed its population
adequate amounts of nutritional foods.
IMPORTANCE OF GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
Growth in the agriculture sector has been found, on average, to be at least twice as effective in reducing poverty as growth in other
sectors. Food insecurity – often rooted in poverty – decreases the ability of countries to develop their agricultural markets and
economies.
Access to quality, nutritious food is fundamental to human existence. Secure access to food can produce wide ranging positive
impacts, including:
Economic growth and job creation
Poverty reduction
Trade opportunities
Increased global security and stability
Improved health and healthcare
NIFA’S IMPACT
NIFA supports global efforts to strengthen agricultural production and end hunger by:
Helping countries to improve their agricultural markets and increase food production
Funding research to heighten disease resistance in beans and increase crop production
Joining with USDA and other federal agencies on global initiatives intended to break the cycle of hunger and poverty
Developing and testing new food products designed to improve the nutritional value of the food aid that is delivered overseas
Strengthening developing countries’ extension systems
Helping developing countries improve their agricultural economies
5 ways to improve global food security

© Manon Verchot || Rice farmers in Malang, Indonesia

Nearly 1 billion people around the world suffer from hunger. Considering that we already produce enough food to feed the whole
planet, this should no longer be a problem. But there are a number of factors that get in the way, including inefficient use of water,
fertilizers and crop rotations.
That’s why Paul C. West and a team of researchers developed a set of ways to improve global food security.
“Our aim in writing this paper was to do an analysis that highlights that the opportunities and challenges to create a sustainable food
system are concentrated in a small set of crops and places,” West, co-director of the Global Landscapes Initiative at the University of
Minnesota, told TreeHugger. “Targeting actions in these places can have not only local, but also regional, and in some cases global
impact.”
According to their report, tightening up on a number of key leverage points would provide enough calories to nourish 3 billion
people while also taking environmental welfare into account:

Close the yield gap

By 2050, 120 million hectares of natural habitats will be converted to farming in developing countries, the World Wildlife Fund
estimates. In many parts of the world, current agricultural land is not reaching its potential, yielding 50 percent less than what it
could produce. Closing the gap between what is being produced and what could be produced would both reduce the need to clear
land for agriculture and feed 850 million people. The next points address how this gap can be diminished.
Use fertilizer more efficiently
At TreeHugger, we’re not big fans of synthetic fertilizers, but the reality is that they are used in large quantities around the world.
There is some good news: based on previous studies, West and his team estimated that the use of fertilizers with nitrogen and
phosphorus on wheat, rice and maize crops could be reduced by 13-29 percent and still produce the same yields. Further efficiency
could be gained through adjustments in the timing, placement and type of fertilizer.

Raise low water productivity

Water is a major issue, and we’ve written about it many times. Improving irrigation systems and planting crops that use less water
would be an effective way to tackle this. For example, rice and sugar cane are among the crops that need the most water. But it’s
not simple to change the types of crops grown since farmers make decisions of what to grow based on market values, International
Food Policy Research Institute Senior Research Fellow Lawrence Haddad pointed out to TreeHugger. One way to encourage change
would be to provide economic incentives, but that can change based on regional differences and cultural tastes.

Target food for direct consumption

A lot of caloric efficiency is lost when crops are converted for animal feed and other non-food uses. If these crops were used directly
to feed people, West and his team calculated that they could provide enough calories for 4 billion people. In some cases, this would
mean changing where certain crops are grown, but like point number 3, changing crops isn’t straightforward. Farmers grow crops
that will ensure that they and their family can eat, whether that means eating their own crops or selling them to be able to afford
food. “Lots of assumptions are made in this study: that people are willing to change their diets; that people in wealthy countries are
willing to take significant measures to reduce food waste; that poor countries have the political and economic means to rectify yield
gaps,” said Dr. Carol Barford, director of the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment at the University of Wisconsin.
But West had a response to this: “It would be very naive to assume that diets could radically shift soon. In fact, the trend toward
more meat consumption is happening in many parts of the world. Our main point here is that the amount of calories that we already
grow but feed to animals is a *huge* number of calories. Even small changes in diet can have a profound impact.“

Reduce food waste

Globally, 30-50 percent of food production goes to waste because of inefficient preparation or inadequate storage facilities. The
United States is one of the biggest culprits for this and needs an agricultural land base that is 7 to 8 times larger than a land base in
India to compensate for this waste. Reducing food waste in the United States, India and China could feed 413 million people per
year.

While West’s study provides some areas which need to be considered by policy makers, the study does not delve too far into
economics.
“The research focuses on food availability, but I would say that most of the problem of hunger is around food access —do people
have enough income to purchase food?” Haddad, of IFPRI, said in an email. Haddad writes that a discussion of global food security
should also address the different needs of higher and lower income groups, maximize resilience of the food chain in the face of
climate change and social conflicts, and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
To be fair, West did acknowledge that his article fell short of addressing food access and nutrition, but he added, “It does address
many of the key aspects of creating a sustainable food system using low-tech tools, including using fertilizer to boost production in
food insecure areas to benefit the people in those areas as well as be less dependent on the major breadbaskets, minimizing waste,
as well as reducing the environmental impacts through changes in management practices that increase efficiency. Access, nutrition,
and cultural preferences all need to be addressed in concert with the aspects we addressed.”
The complexity of issues like food security is the reason hunger is such a prevalent issue in the 21st century. Tackling hunger will
take a multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary approach.
ited Nations’ Committee on World Food SFactors affecting food security
Global food supply is not even. Some places produce more food than others.
Physical factors (such as climate, soil quality and gradient) and human factors (such as technology) have historically controlled the
quantity and type of food produced in any location. Today, there are many other factors that explain why some countries produce
more food than others:
Climate - global warming is increasing temperatures by around 0.2°C every 10 years. Rainfall is increasing in some places, but
decreasing in others. Higher temperatures and unreliable rainfall make farming difficult, especially for those farming marginal lands,
who already struggle to survive. Even advanced countries (ACs) can be affected by drought. Countries such as Russia and Australia
are huge exporters of wheat and barley respectively. When they suffer drought there is less food available globally and global food
prices increase, leaving the poor most vulnerable.
Technology - improvements in technology have increased the amount of food available. Technology can overcome temperature,
water and nutrient deficiencies in the form of greenhouses, irrigation and fertilisers. This can incur an economic or environmental
cost. ACs import food from across the globe, all year round.
Loss of farmland - the growth of the biofuel market is taking up valuable farmland which is then not used for food.
Pests and diseases - pesticides have increased crop yields. Farmers in ACs can afford pesticides, whereas most farmers in low income
developing countries (LIDCs) cannot afford them.
Water stress - irrigation systems provide water for countries with unreliable or low rainfall. Irrigation can double crop yields, but it is
expensive to put these systems in place. Water can be taken either from underground aquifers or directly from rivers. Both have
environmental consequences.
Conflict - war forces farmers to flee their land or to fight in conflict. Food can be used as a weapon, with enemies cutting off food
supplies in order to gain ground. Crops can also be destroyed during fighting. Food shortages have caused riots and conflict. The
South Sudan region has faced conflict for years, with 4 million people facing food insecurity. In the Darfur area conflict has lasted
years because of disagreement over land and grazing rights.
Poverty - when people have less money, they cannot afford food and they become unable to work. Families in developing countries
spend much of their income on food.
Impact of food insecurity
Food security is when the entire population of a country has access to enough safe and nutritious food to maintain an active life. The
opposite is food insecurity, which is a problem for lots of different countries. Countries that do not have enough food to feed
everyone usually have other associated issues to overcome. Some impacts of food insecurity include:
Famine - the World Food Programme classifies three hunger conditions:
Undernourishment is when people do not consume enough calories. Over 800 million people in the world are undernourished.
Malnutrition is when people do not eat enough of the right kind of foods to keep them healthy.
Wasting is the most serious type of hunger. It is severe weight loss due to acute malnutrition resulting from starvation.
Soil erosion - the removal of soil occurs more rapidly in areas that are very dry. Food insecurity can lead to soil erosion as farmers try
to get more out of their land.
Deforestation, overgrazing and over-cultivation expose the soil and make it vulnerable to wind and water erosion.
Rising prices - when there is less food available, the prices of food increase - since the year 2000 prices have risen. Poorer countries
are more vulnerable to increasing food prices.
Debt - food prices can be set by speculators in ACs. This can cause great swings in the prices offered to farmers for their crops from
year to year. Farmers may incur debts by borrowing to buy seeds and equipment and then find they cannot sell their crops at a high
enough price to repay the loan.
Social unrest - everyone needs to eat and so when food supplies are low people have to fight for their survival. Riots in Algeria in
2011 were caused by high food costs. The prices of cooking oil, sugar and flour doubled within the space of a few months.
ecurity, means that all people, at all timeTHE WORLD’S 10 HUNGRIEST COUNTRIES
October 15, 2019
Photo by Jiro Ose
Despite global hunger levels falling, one in nine people worldwide still face hunger. Here are the 10 hungriest countries according to
the 2019 Global Hunger Index.
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Global hunger levels have risen in the last 3 years, from 785 million in 2015 to 822 million in 2018. This is in no small part due to
climate change and the resulting climate crisis, which are causing crop failures due to weather-related disasters. As the former
President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, writes in the introduction to the 2019 Global Hunger Index, “it is a terrible global indictment
that after decades of sustained progress in reducing global hunger, climate change and conflict are now undermining food security in
the world’s most vulnerable regions.”
Produced annually by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, the Global Hunger Index examines the available data for hunger
levels around the world. Overall, the 2019 GHI scores indicate that global hunger is moving from serious to moderate, reflecting a
31% decline in global hunger since 2000. However, multiple countries have higher hunger levels in 2019 than they did in 2010.
Conflict, inequality, and the effects of climate change are all contributors to these instances of high levels. Here, according to the
2019 Global Hunger Index, are the current top 10 hungriest countries.
10. AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan recently experienced its worst drought in decades, brought on by the effects of La Niña. In 2018, it faced a rain, snow,
and sleet deficit of 70% that led to a harvest that was over 60% below the country’s five-year average. While the drought’s impact is
expected to wane in 2019, ongoing conflict combined with climate and livelihood crises means that there are still nearly 5 million
people who are food-insecure, roughly 14% of the population. This includes 4 million Afghanis who are food-insecure due to natural
disasters. In 2019, 3.6 million are at Emergency levels of food insecurity, which is a 24% increase compared to 2018 figures.
9. ZIMBABWE
Food insecurity in Zimbabwe was exacerbated this year by a combination of ongoing drought and, in several provinces, the adverse
effects of Cyclone Idai. While drought contributed to a number of crop failures, flooding from the cyclone washed away crops in the
affected areas. The country is now once again in the grips of drought, which contributed to a cereal deficit of over 900,000 metric
tons and has left 3.6 million people food-insecure. The UN estimates that 5.5 million (or 59% of the country’s rural population) will
be food insecure at the peak of the “hungry season” between harvests (next January through March).
8. TIMOR-LESTE
The small island nation of Timor-Leste is one of Asia’s poorest countries. One-third of the population of 1.2 million suffers chronic
food insecurity. While the rate of stunting children ages 5 and younger has gone down in the last 10 years (from 58% in 2009/2010
to 46% in 2016), that number is still high — as is the rate of undernutrition for women of reproductive age. The United Nations
recommends improving the health and diet of women ages 15-49 in order to break the cycle of stunting.

Haiti has suffered from a series of natural disasters, including Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Matthew brought heavy rains and
flooding to the capital city and devastated coastal communities. Photo: Andrew McConnell / Concern Worldwide
7. HAITI
Haiti has the highest level of hunger in the Western Hemisphere. The island nation has suffered from a destructive combination of
political instability and natural disasters including the ongoing effects of the country’s 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew in
2016. At the beginning of 2019, 2.6 million Haitians were food insecure, roughly 23% of the country’s population. The UN estimates
that number is higher, with aid for many of the food-insecure populations unable to reach the designated areas due to security
issues.
6. LIBERIA
Liberia is a new addition to 2019’s ranking of the world’s hungriest countries, but its food insecurity stems back to its 1989-2003 civil
war. In the last two years, the country’s food security has been threatened due to ongoing rains. Roughly 1.8 million Liberians are
undernourished, and 2.9 million are food-insecure (just over 62% of the population). 35.5% of Liberia’s children suffer the effects of
stunting. Still in recovery from both civil war and the West African Ebola epidemic, Liberia also ranks among the poorest countries in
the world, and is one of 41 countries to receive foreign assistance for food.
5. ZAMBIA
Despite enjoying a long period of peace and stability, climate change has severely impacted the landlocked country of Zambia,
where most farmers rely on rain to grow their crops. In 2019, many areas in southern and western Zambia saw the lowest rainfalls
since at least 1981 (when record-keeping began for the country). The northern and eastern sectors of the country, meanwhile, have
also suffered due to flash floods and waterlogging. 40% of Zambian children continue to be stunted, a figure that has remained
consistent over the last few years, and the UN estimates that the current number of acutely food-insecure Zambians (1.7 million) will
rise to 2.3 million by March 2020.
4. MADAGASCAR
Every year, Madagascar is hit by an average of 1.5 cyclones, the highest number in Africa. In 2019, the country saw the effects of
both Cyclone Idai in March and Cyclone Kenneth in April. Like many of the world’s hungriest countries this year, these periods of
extreme flooding are matched by long periods of drought, which has left nearly half of the country’s districts classified at crisis-level
food insecurity. As of this writing, the UN estimates over 730,000 citizens face food insecurity (including over 134,500 at an
emergency level of food insecurity). This number may seem small, but it accounts for 21% of the population. By the end of this year,
the UN estimates that number will rise to over 916,000 — 26% of the population. Over 188,550 children are suffering from acute
malnutrition.

Khamissa Ibrahim is 32 years old. She has six children and is six months pregnant. Concern’s support has greatly benefited
Khamissa’s village of Doroti as there are less child and adult illnesses than the national average. There is a lower rate of malnutrition
in women and children. Photo: Lucy Bloxham/ Concern Worldwide
3. CHAD
Part of the Sahel region of West Africa, Chad faces continuous drought and unpredictable rains that have created a crisis in the area.
The resulting food insecurity that comes from these climate disasters has been exacerbated due to an influx of refugees from
conflict-torn Nigeria, Sudan, and the Central African Republic — all of whom need emergency food assistance. Nearly 3.7 million
Chadians are food-insecure, a 29% increase since 2018. The number of children suffering from acute malnutrition also rose from last
year’s total of 220,000 to surpassing 350,000 in 2019.

19-month-old Tolowana Graceadieu is being treated for malnutrition at a mobile health clinic run by Concern Worldwide at Bougoin,
Central African Republic. Photo: Kieran McConville
2. YEMEN
Yemen is in the grips of a brutal conflict that currently ranks as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Food insecurity has risen in the
last year, with more than 20 million people across the country facing hunger and 10 million people suffering from extreme levels of
hunger. There are an estimated 7.4 million Yemenis requiring malnutrition treatment, including 2 million children facing acute
malnutrition. These figures have led to the UN declaring Yemen the world’s largest food security crisis, driven primarily by conflict.
1. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
While Yemen is currently the site of the world’s largest food security crisis, the Central African Republic (CAR) remains at the top of
this list as the “hungriest country in the world.” One of the world’s poorest countries, CAR has suffered from instability, ethnic
violence and conflict since 2012, disrupting food production and leaving 63% of the total population in need of humanitarian
assistance. This includes 2.1 million people (46% of the population) suffering from food insecurity, a 10% increase from last year. Per
the UN, the current level of food consumption in the CAR is at its second lowest, just behind levels recorded in 2016.
In many countries where we know that hunger is widespread and at levels that are a cause for significant concern, there are
insufficient data for assessment and inclusion in the GHI. For 2019, these include: Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Eritrea, Libya, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria.
https://www.concernusa.org/story/worlds-ten-hungriest-countries/
s, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary
needs for an active and healthy life.
Over the coming decades, a changing climate, growing global population, rising food prices, and environmental stressors will have
significant yet uncertain impacts on food security. Adaptation strategies and policy responses to global change, including options for
handling water allocation, land use patterns, food trade, postharvest food processing, and foThe Price of Sugar is a 2007 Uncommon
Productions film directed by Bill Haney and produced by Haney and Eric Grunebaum about exploitation of Haitian immigrants in
the Dominican Republic involved with production of sugar, and the efforts of Spanish priest Father Christopher Hartley to ameliorate
their situation. It is narrated by actor Paul Newman. The documentary shows the poor working conditions in the sugar cane
plantations, and political control exerted by the Vicini family to stifle efforts to change the situation.
While the documentary highlights the efforts of Father Christopher Hartley to bring medicine, education, and human rights to
Haitian workers, it also shows the widespread resentment of his actions held by Dominican people.

Contents
1Critical reception
2Defamation lawsuit
3Improvement of living conditions
4See also
5References
6External links
Critical reception[edit]
The documentary won the audience award at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival.
On November 19, 2007, The Price of Sugar was named by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as one of 15 films on its
documentary feature Oscar shortlist.[1]
The documentary did not make the nomination list for the Oscar Documentary Feature category.[2]
Defamation lawsuit[edit]
Subjects of the film, Felipe and Juan Vicini Lluberes, filed a defamation suit on August 31, 2007 against Uncommon Productions and
producer Bill Haney, alleging 53 factual inaccuracies.[3][4] According to Read McCaffrey, a partner in the law firm Patton
Boggs representing the Vicinis,'The misrepresentation are very egregious and as deceptive as I have seen in a very long
time.'"[4] However, according to the First Circuit Court of Appeals, the Vicini family "later winnowed the number of allegedly
defamatory statements down to seven".[5] The Appeals Court upheld a judgment from a lower court that the Vicini brothers were
"public figures under the circumstances". The brothers thus must prove that the filmmakers made false depictions and knew about
it. If they had been private figures, as the plaintiffs had unsuccessfully tried to prove, the filmmakers could have been liable for
publishing information without verifying its truth. The appeals court sent the case back to the lower court to decide if the filmmakers
have to hand over a report that they prepared to obtain insurance coverage for the film. After that, the lower court can determine
whether information shown in the film was false and, if it was the case, if the filmmakers knew about it. [6]
Improvement of living conditions[edit]
According to a report by NPR, the living conditions of Haitian workers depicted in the film have improved to some extent soon after
the film. New houses with electricity and water have been built together with rural clinics. The guards no longer carry guns, and the
Haitians can leave the plantation.[4]
More recent service workers from the U.S. who have traveled to the La Romana region of the Dominican Republic to partner with
the Good Samaritan Hospital in providing relief efforts to the bateyes report different findings. In the network of more than 200
bateyes around La Romana, more than 50% have undrinkable water. Most do not have electricity. Guards are often seen with
firearms. While Haitians are allowed to leave the plantations, they lack the financial resources and/or relationships to do so.
Malnutrition and dehydration are the number one causes of death among children. [citation needed]
od prices and safety are urgently needed. IFPRI’s work on food security includeslysis of cash transfers, promotion of sustainable
agricultural technologies, A worker carries a bundle of sugar cane in “The Price of Sugar.” CreditWalter Astrada
“The Price of Sugar,” Bill Haney’s muckraking documentary about Haitians lured into a form of indentured servitude on sugar
plantations across the border in the Dominican Republic, focuses on the Rev. Christopher Hartley, a courageous and stubborn
Spanish priest who devoted 10 years to bettering their desperate plight.
The movie visits the workers’ shantytowns, known as bateyes, which, according to the film, resembled forced labor camps patrolled
by armed guards before Father Hartley’s reform movement. Through his organizing and relentless pressuring of the plantation
owners in the face of death threats, some bateyes in his parish now have improved living and working conditions and have been
visited by American doctors.
A robust, charismatic organizer, Father Hartley is a disciple of Mother Teresa. Born in 1959 to an aristrocratic Spanish-British family,
he dropped out of an elite private school at 15, joined a seminary and for much of 20 years, beginning in 1977, worked with her in
poor communities around the world. His sojourn in the Dominican Republic began in 1997 when he volunteered as a missionary in
the diocese of San Pedro de Macoris, a 600-square-mile parish based in the town of San José de los Llanos. The conditions he found
on the plantations, he says, were tantamount to slavery.
Each year, as the sugar harvest approaches, as many as 20,000 Haitian workers are recruited with the promise of steady work at
higher pay than they can earn in Haiti, the poorer of the two countries. With the complicity of military and immigration authorities,
the movie says, these destitute immigrants are loaded onto trucks, stripped of their identification papers and transported in the
middle of the night to the bateyes, where many are housed in concentration-camp-like barracks. Estimates of the population of
undocumented Haitians living in the camps range from 650,000 to one million.
Once harvesting begins, the film explains, they work 14 hours a day, seven days a week, earning less than $1 a day with minimal-to-
nonexistent health care. Instead of cash, they are paid in vouchers that can be redeemed for overpriced food at company-owned
stores. Since they can afford only one meal a day, most of the calories they consume come from chewing sugar cane. Since children
born in the bateyee are not recognized as Dominican citizens, they grow up stateless.
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Many of the plantations shown are owned by the Vicini family, a dynasty of sugar barons who refused to be interviewed for the film
and sent the filmmakers a cease-and-desist letter in an attempt to block its release. The United States, which imports much of the
Dominican sugar, is partly culpable, the movie says, because of political contributions from the barons that have helped maintain the
price of imported Dominican sugar at close to double the world price.
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“The Price of Sugar” is narrated in calm, gravelly tones by Paul Newman. Like most documentary polemics, it simplifies the issues it
confronts and selects facts that bolster its black-and-white, heroes-and-villains view of raw economic power.
The film does show how Father Hartley’s efforts backfired in sad, unforeseen ways. Once the immigrant laborers were permitted to
travel outside the bateyes, they flooded the town of San José de los Llanos, and simmering ethnic hatred of Haitians among
Dominicans came to a boil, fanned by bribery and propaganda from the sugar barons.
Father Hartley was reassigned to Ethiopia in August. The future of the bateyes is unclear. He worries that once the pressure is off the
Vicini Group (the country’s second-largest sugar producer), his reforms will be rescinded and the previous labor conditions will
resume.
THE PRICE OF SUGAR
Opens today in Manhattan.
Directed by Bill Haney; written (in English and Spanish, with English subtitles) by Mr. Haney and Peter Rhodes; narrated by Paul
Newman; directors of photography, Eric Cochran and Jerry Risius; edited by Mr. Rhodes; music by Claudio Ragazzi; produced by Eric
Grunebaum and Mr. Haney; released by Mitropoulos Films. At the Cinema Village, 22 East 12th Street, Greenwich Village. Running
time: 90 minutes. This film is not rated.
building resilience to shocks, and managing trade-offs in food security, such as balancing the nutritional benefits of meat against the
ecological costs of its production.