The Role of Food-Security Solutions in the Protection of Natural Resources and Environment of Developing Countries Farhad Lashgarara, a Seyyed Mehdi Mirdamadi, b Seyyed Jamal Farajollah Hosseini, b and Mohammad Chizari b a Islamic Azad University (IAU), Science & Research Branch, Tehran, Iran b Islamic Azad University (IAU), Science & Research Branch, Tehran, Iran The majority of the countries of the world, especially developing countries, face en- vironmental problems. Limitations of basic resources (water and soil) and population growth have been the cause of these environmental problems that countries are con- fronted with. Developing countries have numerous problems, including destruction of forests, vegetable and animal species, and pollution of the environment. Damage to nat- ural resources and the environment can influence the food-security situation. One of the main millennium development goals (MDGs) is protection of the environment and peo- ple’s health. This cannot obtained unless there is ensured food security. Food security has been defined as a situation when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food needed to maintain a healthy and active life. At the same time, with ensured food security, we can hope to protect the natural resources and environment. The methodology used is descriptive–analytical, and its main purpose is determining the importance and role of food-security solutions in the reduction of environmental hazards and improvement of natural resources and the en- vironmental situation in developing countries. Therefore, some of the most important food-security solutions that can play an important role in this relation were discussed, including conventional research-based technology, biotechnology, information and com- munication technologies (ICTs), alternative energy sources, and food irradiation. Key words: food security; solutions of food security; natural resources and environment Introduction According to FAO, food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to suffi- cient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The USAID Food Aid and Food Security Policy Paper , published in 1995, iden- tified factors that affect the food security of households and individuals, including chronic poverty, rapid population growth, declining per capita food output, poor infrastructure, eco- logical constraints, limited access to land, in- Address for correspondence: Farhad Lashgarara, Department of Agri- cultural Extension & Education, Islamic Azad University (IAU), Sci- ence and Research Branch, Punak,Ashrafi Esfahani Blvd., Tehran, Iran. far_lashgarara@yahoo.com appropriate policies, disease, poor water and sanitation, inadequate nutritional knowledge, and civil war and ethnic conflicts. Clarifying the pathways through which these factors in- fluence food-security status is critical to the de- sign, monitoring, and evaluation of successful interventions. The complexity of food-security problems requires consistent analysis of the mechanisms that undermine specific populations’ food- security status. Food security is the product of many agriecological, socioeconomic, and bio- logical factors. This widely accepted definition points to the following dimensions of food security: • Food Availability. The availability of suf- ficient quantities of food of appropriate Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1140: 68–72 (2008). C  2008 New York Academy of Sciences. doi: 10.1196/annals.1454.047 68