country in august 2021. the united states has frozen about $9 billion in assets belonging to the afghan central bank, blocking the taliban from accessing billions of dollars held in u.s. bank accounts. in october 2021, more than half of afghanistan's 39 million people faced an acute food shortage. on 11 november 2021, human rights watch reported that afghanistan is facing widespread famine due to collapsed economy and broken banking system. the un world food program has also issued multiple warnings of worsening food insecurity. china food security is a policy priority of the government of china. the persistence of wet markets has been described as "critical for ensuring urban food security", particularly in chinese cities. the influence of wet markets on urban food security includes food pricing and physical accessibility. calling food waste "shameful", general secretary of the chinese communist party xi jinping launched "operation empty plate". xi stressed that there should be a sense of crisis regarding food security. in 2020, china witnessed a rise in food prices, due to the covid-19 outbreak and mass flooding that wiped out the country's crops, which made food security a priority for xi. mexico food insecurity has been an issue for mexico throughout its history. although food availability is not the issue, severe deficiencies in the accessibility of food contribute to insecurity. between 2003 and 2005, the total mexican food supply was well above the level sufficient to meet the requirement of the mexican population, averaging 3,270 kilocalories per daily capita, which is higher than the minimum requirements of 1,850 kilocalories per daily capita. however, at least 10 percent of the population in every mexican state suffers from inadequate food access. in nine states, 25–35 percent live in food-insecure households. more than 10 percent of the population of seven mexican states falls into the category of serious food insecurity. the issue of food inaccessibility is magnified by chronic child malnutrition, as well as obesity in children, adolescents, and families. mexico is vulnerable to drought, which can cripple agriculture. singapore in 1965 singapore produced 60% of its vegetable demand, 80% of its poultry, and 100% of its eggs. in 2019 singapore produced 13% of all leafy vegetables consumed, 24% of its eggs, and 9% of its fish. in that year the government launched the "30 by 30" program which aims to drastically reduce food insecurity through hydroponic farms and aquaculture farms. united states infographic about food insecurity in the us the department of agriculture defines food insecurity as "limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways." food security is defined by the usda as "access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life." national food security surveys are the main survey tool used by the usda to measure food security in the united states. based on respondents' answers to survey questions, the household can be placed on a continuum of food security defined by the usda. this continuum has four categories: high food security, marginal food security, low food security, and very low food security. the continuum of food security ranges from households that consistently have access to nutritious food to households where at least one or more members routinely go without food due to economic reasons. economic research service report number 155 (ers-155) estimates that 14.5 percent (17.6 million) of us households were food insecure at some point in 2012. across 2016, 2017 and 2018: 11.1 percent (14.3 million) of u.s. households were food insecure at some time during 2018. in 6.8 percent of households with children, only adults were food insecure in 2018. both children and adults were food insecure in 7.1 percent of households with children (2.7 million households) in 2018. 11.8 percent (15.0 million) of u.s. households were food insecure at some time during 2017. 7.4 percent (9.4 million) of u.s. households had low food security in 2016. 4.9 percent (6.1 million) of u.s. households had very low food security at some time during 2016. both children and adults were food insecure in 8.0 percent of households with children (3.1 million households). food insecurity is recognized as a social determinant of health, or a condition in the environment where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. the severity of food insecurity differs between populations and communities such as minority populations and rural communities. people who experience food insecurity are usually faced with a variety of other socioeconomic and personal challenges such as affordable housing issues, social isolation, economic/social disadvantage resulting from structural racism, chronic or acute health problems, high medical costs, and low wages, all of which compound the problem. poverty is closely associated with food insecurity but this relationship is not foolproof, in that not all people living below the poverty line experience food insecurity, and people who live above the poverty line can also experience food insecurity. in recognition of the complexity of the issue of food insecurity, promising and viable solutions consist of ones that frame food insecurity as a social issue and are comprehensive in that they address the interplay between food insecurity and socioeconomic and systemic factors, not merely the issue of fresh food access and availability. one example may include making efforts to increase minimum wage or unemployment rates in affected areas, in addition to addressing a community's access to fresh food. an effort being increasing the implementation of social protection programs that function to stabilize incomes, raising incomes, or enhancing social justice, since underlying factors of food insecurity relates to economic factors such as income. in september 2022, the united states announced a $2.9 billion contribution to aid efforts of global food security at the un general assembly in new york. $2 billion will go to the u.s. agency for international development for its humanitarian assistance efforts around the world, along with $140 million for the agency's feed the future initiative. the united states department of agriculture will receive $220 million to fund eight new projects, all of which is expected to benefit nearly a million children residing in food-insecure countries in africa and east asia. the usda will also receive another $178 million for seven international development projects to support u.s. government priorities on four continents. feed the future in 2010, the government of the united states began the feed the future initiative. the initiative is expected to work based on country-led priorities that call for consistent support by the governments, donor organizations, the private sector, and civil society to accomplish its long-term goals. uganda in 2022 28% of ugandan households experienced food insecurity. this insecurity has negative effects on hiv transmission and household stability. democratic republic of congo the democratic republic of congo is the second-largest country in africa and is dealing with food insecurity. although they have an abundance of natural resources, they lack accessibility to essential foods, which makes it difficult for the congolese people in their daily lives. malnutrition is high among children, which affects their ability, and children who live in rural areas are affected more than children who live in urban areas. in the democratic republic of congo, about 33% of households are food insecure; it is 60% in eastern provinces. a study showed the correlation of food insecurity negatively affecting at-risk hiv adults in the democratic republic of congo. in 2007–2008, grain prices increased and the people in the democratic republic of the congo went into civil unrest. there were riots and protests. hunger is frequent in the country, but sometimes it is to the extreme that many families cannot afford to eat every day. bushmeat trade was used to measure the trend of food security. the trend signifies the amount of consumption in urban and rural areas. urban areas mainly consume bushmeat because they cannot afford other types of meat. australia agriculture remains one of australia's main exports, particularly beef, wheat, and rice. australia is estimated to export enough food to feed 40 million people. conversely, australia is estimated to retain enough food to feed roughly 22 million domestically. australia's main agricultural exports are to countries such as japan, indonesia, and south korea. in 2012, the australian bureau of statistics (abs) conducted a survey measuring nutrition, which included food security. financial issues were cited as the main cause of food insecurity. it was reported that 4% of australian households were food insecure. 1.5% of those households were severely food insecure. additionally, the australian institute of family studies (aifs), reported that certain demographics are more vulnerable to being food insecure; such as indigenous, elderly, regional, and single-parent households. climate change may present future challenges for australia regarding food security, as australia already experiences extreme weather. australia's history in biofuel production and use of fertilizers has reduced the quality of the land. increased extreme weather is projected to affect crops, livestock, and soil quality. wheat production, one of australia's main food exports, is projected to decrease by 9.2% by 2030. beef production is also expected to fall by 9.6%. world summit on food security the world summit on food security, held in rome in 1996, aimed to renew a global commitment to the fight against hunger. the food and agriculture organization of the united nations (fao) called the summit in response to widespread undernutrition and growing concern about the capacity of agriculture to meet future food needs. the conference produced two key documents, the rome declaration on world food security and the world food summit plan of action. the rome declaration called for the members of the united nations to work to halve the number of chronically undernourished people on the earth by 2015. the plan of action set several targets for government and non-governmental organizations for achieving food security, at the individual, household, national, regional, and global levels. another world summit on food security took place at the fao's headquarters in rome between november 16 and 18, 2009. pillars of food security growth in food production has been greater than population growth. food per person increased since 1961. data source: food and agriculture organization. growth of world food supply (caloric base) per capita the who states that three pillars that determine food security: food availability, food access, and food use and misuse. the fao adds a fourth pillar: the stability of the first three dimensions of food security over time. in 2009, the world summit on food security stated that the "four pillars of food security are availability, access, utilization, and stability". two additional pillars of food security were recommended in 2020 by the high-level panel of experts for the committee on world food security: agency and sustainability. availability food availability relates to the supply of food through production, distribution, and exchange. food production is determined by a variety of factors including land ownership and use; soil management; crop selection, breeding, and management; livestock breeding and management; and harvesting. crop production can be affected by changes in rainfall and temperatures. the use of land, water, and energy to grow food often compete with other uses, which can affect food production. land used for agriculture can be used for urbanization or lost to desertification, salinization, and soil erosion due to unsustainable agricultural practices. crop production is not required for a country to achieve food security. nations do not have to have the natural resources required to produce crops to achieve food security, as seen in the examples of japan and singapore. because food consumers outnumber producers in every country, food must be distributed to different regions or nations. food distribution involves the storage, processing, transport, packaging, and marketing of food. food-chain infrastructure and storage technologies on farms can also affect the amount of food wasted in the distribution process. poor transport infrastructure can increase the price of supplying water and fertilizer as well as the price of moving food to national and global markets. around the world, few individuals or households are continuously self-reliant on food. this creates the need for a bartering, exchange, or cash economy to acquire food. the exchange of food requires efficient trading systems and market institutions, which can affect food security. per capita world food supplies are more than adequate