@article{Carvalho:164792,
      recid = {164792},
      author = {Carvalho, Bernardo Reynolds Pacheco de},
      title = {Science Meets Reality: Economic Efficiency, Markets,  Institutions and Food Security},
      journal = {International Journal on Food System Dynamics},
      address = {2013-09},
      number = {1012-2016-81212},
      pages = {18},
      year = {2013},
      abstract = {Food still is, and will continue to be, a basic issue at  every day decision process in human behaviour. Food  consumption has been a problematic issue in human history  and today is also recognized as a basic pillar for human  health and welfare/quality of life. From a global problem  up to the middle of the eighties, right now food security  is mainly a local issue (however a macro-level approach  continued to be necessary for long run perspective and food  safety concerns in trade and commercialization). Food and  nutritional concerns today still are unforgetable issues on  a local base perspective in many regions: the most common  problems are related to the access and consumption to  achieve the minimum nutritional requirements, but also  other dimensions such as production, transformation,  distribution and logistical aspects of the “food equation”,  mainly in less developed countries, are crucial aspects to  be taken into consideration.
Economic effciency from a  production perspective in the food sector, measured in  terms of output per unit of input (technical and  technological innovation) achieved one of the best  performances in terms of development in the last 30 years  globally and in most regions in the world (few exceptions,  like Sub-Sahara countries and some others). The same can  not be refered in regard to markets and institutional  innovations. In fact, looking at institutions including  markets and governments, it is necessary to explore and  identify the several observed failures (institutional and  governance failures: markets, governmental and others) were  science can make a contribution. This is the main purpose  of the current research, which is starting based on  observed problems and applied solutions with good results  in many situations, but also pointing out many other  situations were solutions are needed based on the old  instruments, but also based on innovative procedures. The  method followed explores the basic theoretical approach in  production theory and in consumption micro-economic  concepts, allowing the introduction of some new proposals  in regard to efficiency measures. Adding to those aspects  some new questions and models are discussed in regard to  the “institutional/organizational economics” in the actual  world, providing support for improvement measures (and  policy suggestions).
The Brasilien case is explored in more  detail (the “Fome Zero Program”), but also some African  examples are used to illustrate that many solutions will  have to rely on technological changes, but also on  institutional innovations},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/164792},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.164792},
}