constraints to an individual s ability to access food can include economic growth that is inadequate or insufficiently broadbased leading to a lack of job opportunities or lack of incentives to become a productive participant in the economy negative impacts of national economic policies inadequate training andor job skills lack of credit or other means to exchange assets or income streams food losses associated with ineffective and inefficient harvesting storage processing and handling and political decisions favouring one group over another this new concept includes securing access by vulnerable people to available supplies calling attention to the balance between the demand and supply sides of the food security equation cassava potato yam and sweet potato as well as starchy fruit plantain are among the major food crops in africa