Two lessons that can be drawn from these low-DES regions are that severe production shortfalls are not so easily made up by food imports, and that population growth is not the only cause of food shortage. In SSA, low DES is often attributed to low import capacity due to low export earnings and large burden of debt service. Greater dependence on imports within the region would also magnify associated logistical problems - higher costs per unit food as demand increases, transportation costs to reach remoter areas, expanded costs of shipping, and storage losses. Multiplying numbers of conflicts and their aftermaths already have created unmet demand for food aid, especially as the costs of the actual food increase in an environment of shrinking foreign assistance. In South Asia, the data indicate that food shortage remains a key issue, even where per capita food production has continued to rise along with population increase.
Emergencies refer to both man-made and natural disasters.
Furthermore, in these two regions, each of the three major micronutrient deficiency diseases is a serious public health problem, as contrasted with other regions that suffer from one or two but not all. Their combined food and nutritional deficiencies contribute to a continuing cycle of low productivity and hunger in the countries of these regions. Global and even regional food availability estimates hide important variations in DES and food self-sufficiency of individual countries. There are an additional 13.6 million people living in countries with inadequate food availability, despite being in regions where food supply is adequate. Food self-sufficiency is an additional issue and a potential determinant of food shortage.