Study Finds One Nation Produces Its Entire Food Supply.

According to a recent study, out of 186 countries, only Guyana is capable of producing sufficient food for itself without relying on foreign imports.

This study, published in Natural Food, assessed how effectively countries can supply their populations with seven food groups: fruits, vegetables, dairy products, fish, meat, plant-based proteins, and starchy staples.

Globally, the research revealed that 65% of countries produce meat and dairy in alignment with their population’s dietary needs.

It also determined that Guyana, situated in South America, stands as the sole country achieving complete self-sufficiency, while China and Vietnam can sufficiently produce food across six out of the seven food groups.

However, only one in seven individuals in the surveyed countries was deemed self-sufficient in five or more categories.

Meanwhile, there is a global deficiency of nutrient-dense plants, as fewer than half of the countries involved in the study produce adequate plant-based proteins, such as beans, chickpeas, lentils, nuts, and seeds, as well as sufficient starchy carbohydrates and vegetables.

Europe and South America tended to be closer to achieving self-sufficiency compared to other regions. In contrast, small island nations, countries in the Arabian Peninsula, and low-income nations were more likely to depend on food imports.

Six nations—Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Macau, Qatar, and Yemen—produced inadequate food groups to be categorized as self-sufficient.

“Low self-sufficiency is not inherently negative,” stated Dr. Jonas Stehl, a researcher from Göttingen and the first author of the study, in an interview with BBC Science Focus. “There are effective and often advantageous reasons why a country may not meet all its food production needs.”

For instance, a country may lack sufficient rainfall, quality soil, or stable temperatures necessary for growing adequate food for its population.

Stehl added that importing food from suitable regions can also be cost-effective.

“However, low levels of self-sufficiency can compromise a country’s ability to respond to sudden global food supply shocks, such as droughts, conflicts, and export bans,” he noted.

A team from the University of Göttingen in Germany and the University of Edinburgh in the UK conducted the study, evaluating the food output of various countries.

The researchers compared this data to the nutritional needs of each nation’s citizens, referencing the World Wildlife Fund’s Livewell Diet.

The Livewell Diet recommends “a flexible eating pattern that emphasizes plant-based protein sources, consumes vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and limits foods high in fat, salt, and sugar.”

The Covid-19 pandemic and the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict have sparked discussions about the merits of self-sufficiency, as these global crises have disrupted consistent food supplies to importing countries.

Stehl concluded that “the increased attention on national food self-sufficiency may signal broader political changes.”

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About Our Experts

Dr. Jonas Stehl is a doctoral researcher at the University of Göttingen in Germany, focusing on the food system and its implications for sustainability, nutrition, and health from a global viewpoint. He is part of an interdisciplinary research training group named Sustainable Food Systems. Stehl’s research interests include development, health, the environment, group economy, nutrition, and food security.