Food security: from national to global governance

Food constitutes the basic human need. Without food it is impossible to meet other needs. Changes in the modern world indicate that the problem of food security will steadily grow in importance in the future. The key question is therefore how to provide it, how to govern it. Despite its importance food security constitutes one of the less researched areas within international governance debate. It has never been ensured on the global level despite amazing progress of science and technology. What is more, the changing nature of threats to food security makes this goal even more distant. There are two contrasting views on that issue. In the first, the states are responsible for food security governance. This view is supported by the uniqueness of the agriculture, as a sector responsible for ensuring food. However, the growing limitations of states’ ability to decide on its own agriculture and food policy due to globalization processes make this vision disputable. According to the second view, in the face of globalization processes the best way to ensure it is to enhance the global food security governance. This vision also is confronted with criticisms, however, there are strong arguments which support it. The paper deals with the problem of food security governance. Its main assumption is that national governance becomes ineffective to address all food security dimensions under the globalization processes. That is why new modes are needed. The main argument of the paper is that the global governance model can fill the governance gap in food security area at the national level.Food constitutes the basic human need. Without food it is impossible to meet other needs. Changes in the modern world indicate that the problem of food security will steadily grow in importance in the future. The key question is therefore how to provide it, how to govern it. Despite its importance food security constitutes one of the less researched areas within international governance debate. It has never been ensured on the global level despite amazing progress of science and technology. What is more, the changing nature of threats to food security makes this goal even more distant. There are two contrasting views on that issue. In the first, the states are responsible for food security governance. This view is supported by the uniqueness of the agriculture, as a sector responsible for ensuring food. However, the growing limitations of states’ ability to decide on its own agriculture and food policy due to globalization processes make this vision disputable. According to the second view, in the face of globalization processes the best way to ensure it is to enhance the global food security governance. This vision also is confronted with criticisms, however, there are strong arguments which support it. The paper deals with the problem of food security governance. Its main assumption is that national governance becomes ineffective to address all food security dimensions under the globalization processes. That is why new modes are needed. The main argument of the paper is that the global governance model can fill the governance gap in food security area at the national level

Many Narratives or a Single Voice? The Role of Historical Policy in EU–Russia Relations

The purpose of the article is to analyse the process of change in Russian historical policy from a foreign policy perspective. The article hypothesizes that the historical policy can be considered as an indicator of changes in Russia’s foreign policy, allowing to infer the direction of its future development, playing both an ‘integrative’ and ‘disintegrative’ role. Using the example of the EU, the impact of Russia’s historical policy on the EU’s historical narrative is examined. While in the analysed context the new Russian historical narrative signalled a growing distrust and a more confrontational stance towards the EU (a disintegrative role), its unintended side effect was the construction of a common European historical narrative (an integrative role) pushed by the Central and Eastern European states in response to Russia’s aggressive rhetoric on historical issues, the interpretation of which few years earlier had divided the ‘old’ and ‘new’ member states

Assessment of the geological environment in respect of waste disposal in salt mine workings

The concept of waste storage in underground salt mines is to use the host rock environment as a geological barrier, preventing the migration of hazardous substances. European and Polish law defines the geological conditions and the safety of underground storage. According to national regulations, the underground storage site location is based on the results of geological research contained in the hydrogeological and geological-engineering documentation. This paper presents the principles for the assessment of the geological environment in a salt mine for the waste storage, in the context of national legislation. It has been shown that for the salt deposits a more detailed range of geological research has to be defined to prepare relevant documentation and to assess the possibility of waste storage in salt mines

Zastosowanie koncepcji zarządzania ryzykiem w obszarze bezpieczeństwa żywnościowego

The goal of the article is to analyze the use of the risk governance concept in the area of food security. The concept is treated as a method to ensure food security in both the positive sense (scenarios creation, early warning systems) and the negative sense (risk reduction). The analysis is organized around two problems: the main assumptions of the risk governance concept and the application of risk governance in the area of food security. The first part discusses risk governance is discussed as a theoretical concept. In the second part, the practical application of risk governance is discussed in the three dimensions of food security: food availability, food access and food safety. The analysis permits four conclusions: first, the concept of risk governance is widely used in the context of food security. Second, the main motive for its use is to strive to ensure food security. Third, strategies, mechanisms, and instruments to minimize the risk as well as the scale of application and the degree of institutionalization of risk governance depend on the food security dimension. Fourth, risk governance has a high usability as a process for elimination and mitigation of risks, particularly covariate ones, in the area of food security.Celem artykułu jest analiza zastosowania zarządzania ryzykiem w obszarze bezpieczeństwa żywnościowego, traktowanego jako metoda jego zapewnienia, zarówno w sensie pozytywnym (tworzenie scenariuszy, systemów wczesnego ostrzegania), jak i negatywnym (ograniczanie ryzyka). Analiza została zorganizowana wokół dwóch problemów: głównych założeń koncepcji ryzyka i zarządzania ryzykiem oraz zastosowania zarządzania ryzykiem w obszarze bezpieczeństwa żywnościowego w trzech wymiarach: fizycznej i ekonomicznej dostępności oraz zdrowotnej jakości żywności. Przeprowadzona analiza daje podstawę do sformułowania następujących wniosków: po pierwsze, koncepcja zarządzania ryzykiem, znajduje szerokie zastosowanie na gruncie bezpieczeństwa żywnościowego. Po drugie, głównym motywem jej wykorzystanie jest dążenie do jego zapewnienia. Po trzecie, strategie, mechanizmy i instrumenty redukcji ryzyka, a także skala zastosowania i stopień instytucjonalizacji zarządzania ryzykiem różnią się w zależności od wymiaru bezpieczeństwa żywnościowego. Po czwarte, zarządzanie ryzykiem, ma charakter perspektywiczny i wykazuje dużą użyteczność, jako metoda eliminacji i ograniczania ryzyk, szczególnie współzmiennych, w obszarze bezpieczeństwa żywnościowego

Zechstein PZ3/PZ4 cyclothems boundary in the Inowrocław salt dome according to archival photographs of the "Solno" mine - an interpretation of local sedimentation conditions in the central part of the Polish Zechstein Basin

Three decades ago in the exposures of the Inowrocław "Solno" salt mine, mud cracks at the top of Brown Zuber complex (Na3t) of the PZ3 Zechstein cyclothem were observed and documented in photographs. Brown Zuber complex is covered by the layer of Underlying Halite which is the first member of the PZ4 Zechstein sequence. The contact between Brown Zuber and Underlying Halite is clearly delineated. In some exposures a thin (1-2 cm) layer of anhydrite appears indicating the episode of dilution of brines in the sedimentation basin. Sometimes the thin (10 cm) layer of red or dark red salt occurs between the mud cracks on the top of Brown Zuber and a typical Underlying Halite. Probably the layer was created as a result of salt dissolving within the upper part of zuber and re-sedimentation. Documented features provide the evidence of the short episode of subaerial exposure of the basin bottom and of the discontinuities during sedimentation in this area. They also provide new information on paleogeographic conditions of Na4a0 salt sedimentation

La gobernanza de la seguridad alimentaria en América Latina: desde la cooperación Norte-Sur hacia la cooperación Sur-Sur

Combating hunger and malnutrition and ensuring food security are global priorities for action, set out in Agenda 2030, under Goal 2: Zero Hunger. Its implementation requires complex and coordinated action at both national and international levels and the development of an effective model of food security governance in the future. Latin America is an interesting example of the regionalization of food security governance. The study aims to analyze the Latin American model with particular emphasis on the role of regional organizations, and to demonstrate that the regional food security governance model is based on the South-South cooperation mechanism, which promotes cooperation and joint actions of developing countries. The analysis is based on two assumptions: first, due to the multidimensional nature of food security, the importance of cooperation and multilateral solutions is growing; second, the North-South model of cooperation, which dominates international development, becomes insufficient in the face of new challenges and is supplemented by other arrangements. As a result, the South-South and intra-regional cooperation is gaining in importance in Latin America.Combatir el hambre y la desnutrición y garantizar la seguridad alimentaria son prioridades globales de acción, establecidas en la Agenda 2030, en el Objetivo 2: Hambre Cero. Su implementación requiere una acción compleja y coordinada a nivel nacional e internacional y el desarrollo de un modelo efectivo de gobernanza de la seguridad alimentaria en el futuro. América Latina es un ejemplo interesante de la regionalización de la gobernanza de la seguridad alimentaria. El estudio tiene como objetivo analizar el modelo latinoamericano con especial énfasis en el papel de las organizaciones regionales y demostrar que el modelo regional de gobernanza de la seguridad alimentaria se basa en el mecanismo de cooperación Sur-Sur, que promueve la cooperación y las acciones conjuntas de los países en desarrollo. El análisis se basa en dos supuestos: primero, debido a la naturaleza multidimensional de la seguridad alimentaria, está creciendo la importancia de la cooperación y las soluciones multilaterales; segundo, ante los nuevos desafíos, el modelo de la cooperación Norte-Sur, que domina el desarrollo internacional, se vuelve insuficiente y tiene que complementarse con otros arreglos. Como resultado, la cooperación Sur-Sur e intrarregional está ganando importancia en América Latina

Evaporite deposits in Turkey - borates, sulphates, chlorides

In Turkey, salt lakes and lacustrine evaporite deposits are an important source of industrial minerals such as: borates, soda ash, sodium sulphates and salt (sodium chloride). In the Anatolian Plateau salt lakes differ in the chemical composition of body waters and evaporation conditions as well as tertiary lacustrine evaporitic deposits with its specific and often unique mineralogical composition. The review of conditions of evaporation and precipitation in salt lakes and lacustrine evaporite deposits geology and method of exploitation were the goals of the scientific expedition of Polish Salt Mining Association (PSMA) in Turkey which took place from 7th to 14th September 2011. The route lead through Anatolian Plateau to the salt lakes: Salda and Tuz, to the Kirka borates deposit and Cayirhan sodium sulphates deposit. During the expedition were visited also other places: Pamukkale - with hot springs and travertine precipitation, the marble deposits in the Iscehisar - Afyon region known since ancient times and Cappadocia vulcanic plateau with famous forms of weathering and erosion

Oblicza współczesnych migracji

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The regression analysis of predictors for selected health behaviors among elderly in Poland

The meaning of the word health takes on a different connotation in relation to certain individuals or groups. The trend is visible when taking under consideration the health of elderly individuals or the entire population in this age category. Even more, there has been noticed a great spread in individuals belonging to this age group, given that the elderly person is considered to be one that completed 65 years of life untill the diversified its end. Therefore, such a wide age range covering approximately 20 - 30 years demands diverse criteria for persons aged 70 years and the ones aged 90 years.            The purpose of the study was to identify predictors influencing the health behaviors of people over 65 years of age in Poland.            On the one hand, older age allows a sense of satisfaction, fulfillment and understanding for the meaning of the whole past life. On the other hand, it can be a source of physical and mental pain, the cause of dissatisfaction and frustration. All in all, the manner in which this period is experienced depends on numerous factors. These include both genetic and individual factors as well as social aspects. However, the most important ones are considered to be health behaviors of seniors. For that reason, taking into account the perspective of aging Poland, joint preparation for old age should become a priority undertaking

The relationship between the value of health and health behaviors in individuals over 65 years of age

Background. Health is commonly regarded to be a social and individual value. It is perceived from the angle of multiple factors that determine health status. Objectives . Evaluation of the relationship between the value of health and the health behaviors declared by primary healthcare patients over 65 years of age. Material and methods. The study encompassed 505 patients of primary healthcare who were over 65 years of age. Those surveyed were asked to complete a questionnaire consisting of the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI) and Health Criteria List (HCL ) by Z. Juczyński. Results . The findings of the study demonstrate that in the evaluation of the health behaviors of the surveyed patients above 65 years of age, the average value of the HBI was 76.49 points. Having analyzed the separate categories of health behaviors, it has been reported that preventive behaviors and health practices were rated highest. These seniors paid the greatest attention to health in terms of property and condition. Health in terms of being a goal is treated as least important. Patients with a higher general level of health behaviors less frequently perceive health in the category of an outcome (p = 0.001). Conclusions . Seniors attach great significance to health understood as property or condition, which may explain their reluctant approach to this issue. The perception of health as an expected outcome is associated with a lower general rate of health behaviors