Food Security and How It Helps Change Livelihood

Food security is an essential topic that significantly impacts the well-being of individuals, their communities, and their nation. Food security means the ability of a person to gain access to sufficient health through safe nutritional food. It’s fundamental to human health and plays an enormous role in building sustainable development of human resources, resulting in benefits to progressive countries. With that being said, food security remains a persistent challenge for countries that are in development like those in Southeast Asia. 

As Cambodia continues to rapidly progress in its economic sector, food insecurity has become a critical sector in delaying the development of human resources. With the population struggling to gain access to safe and nutritional food, this keeps them from being able to perform an active and healthy life. Children growing up in the rural side of the country are suffering from malnutrition due to family lack of awareness and education. To help solve this problem, the 1000-day project is being implemented in Steung Treng province. 

The 1000-day project by Wathnakpheap Organization (WP) aims to help families improve their child’s health, and household food production, and enhance water and sanitation infrastructure in the target communities. As mentioned in the video documentary, almost half of the population in the province is using unsafe water and has no access to proper toilets. This follows with most citizens not growing vegetables which leads to food shortages in the dry season and 30% of children diagnosed with malnutrition. The video documentary produced by the iMPACT STORY team was able to detail the progress of the project and reflect on the impact that was achieved. 

The issues of food insecurity and hygiene are a hassle to a developed country like Cambodia. With the impact of the 1000-day project, families can have a sustainable income and gain access to a healthier diet. With these goals achieved, families are likely to be more successful in their jobs allowing them to work efficiently in farming to support their food harvest. Having clean water and vegetables means the family members are less likely to face health issues which saves more income to help support the family. 

We at iMPACT STORY believe that food security plays an important role in ensuring the growth of human resources in the nation. We hope that this project will lay a foundation for improving the health and nutrition of children. This investment in food security today will translate to stronger, more productive human resources for the future. When communities can meet their basic needs and provide their children with the building blocks for physical and cognitive development, it opens the door for greater educational attainment, economic success, and overall community resilience. Ensuring food security is a global goal and must be retrieved in order for the world to move forward in unity.