Evidence of the food security risk in the case of Kosovo

The food and nutrition security (FNS) is a multidisciplinary term that encompasses a set of the complex economic and social determinants. Variety of determining short and long term factors influenced recently on rising concerns of food insecurity. FNS is one of the biggest challenges aggravating mankind nowadays. The commodity price hikes of 2007/2008 revived once again awareness of the hunger and food insecurity. The global debate over the food security became a challenging issue in particular after the food price spikes over the recent years. Kosovo as a small European country is undergoing the complex economic, political and structural adjustments of transition process. It is a net importer of food commodities displaying a chronic trade deficit. Therefore, implications of global food price volatility are crucial in maintaining the fragile food security. At the same time, Kosovo is considered to be self-insufficient in meeting domestic demand for the key food staples. One of the driving constraints of FNS in Kosovo is high share of the food consumption (40%) in the total household expenditure.