The government will develop a new food security index that goes beyond a simple food self-sufficiency rate to reflect supply chain stability and climate crisis response capacity. With more than half of the country's food dependent on overseas sources, the judgment is that it is difficult to properly assess the level of food security based only on the share of production.
According to the government on the 24th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs recently commissioned a study titled "Development of a Food Security Index for rerouting food self-sufficiency goals." Beyond merely announcing targets for the food self-sufficiency rate, the plan is to create a new "Korean food security index (K-FSI)" that evaluates supply chain stability, stockpile levels, and climate response capacity together. This is the first step in fleshing out the Lee Jae-myung administration's state task of strengthening food security.
The government has so far built policy around the self-sufficiency rates of major grains such as rice, wheat, soybeans, and corn. However, the current self-sufficiency rate, which is calculated only by domestic production versus consumption, has long been criticized for failing to reflect factors such as international supply chain volatility, sources of imports, and inventory ratios. According to the ministry, as of 2022, Korea's food self-sufficiency rate was 49.3%, among the lowest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The average self-sufficiency rate for major grains such as wheat and corn from 2021 to 2023 did not reach even 20%.
A ministry official said, "The self-sufficiency rate is a lower-level concept centered on production, while the food security index is a higher-level concept that includes supply chain stability and climate response capacity," adding, "We will operate it in a way that manages it in parallel with the self-sufficiency rate."
The government's current target for the food self-sufficiency rate is set at 55.5% in 2027. A ministry official said, "Once the food security index is completed, we will review the self-sufficiency target to make it more realistic," adding, "We will also draw up a more precise mid- to long-term supply and demand plan accordingly."
There is currently a gap in food security indicators used internationally. The Global Food Security Index (GFSI) by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which was widely used worldwide, ceased publication after 2022 following the Russia-Ukraine war. In the GFSI, Korea fell from 29th in 2019 to 39th in 2022. In some items, the score for "food security policy implementation capacity" was tallied as zero.
Kim Han-ho, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Seoul National University, said, "At one point Singapore ranked No. 1 in the GFSI, and it was the result of a high score given for securing food stably through trade," adding, "It can look perfect on the indicators, but sometimes the results are out of step with reality."
Kim said, "A Korean-style index can make up for these limitations and reflect risk factors such as supply chain disruptions and climate risks," adding, "We expect the food security index to serve as an 'early warning system' that prompts the government and industry to continually check and prepare for risk factors."
The ministry plans to base the evaluation framework on the structure of the GFSI while reflecting Korea's dietary structure, import and production ratios, and climate conditions. The index will be developed around five areas: availability, access, stability, nutrition, and environment. The validity and measurability of each item will be verified and converted into scores.
Based on the research results early next year, the government will establish the basic framework of the food security index and then consider introducing a system for regular calculation and publication. A ministry official said, "For the index to be meaningful, it must be calculated and released periodically," adding, "We are reviewing whether to publish the index once a year or every other year."