'Food security is said to exist when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.' - SCOPING STUDY ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION INFORMATION IN MYANMAR (May 2011)
Myanmar has previously been a British colony for more than a century. Myanmar had then declared independence in 1948; a year after General Aung San was assassinated.
The Union of Burma (Myanmar) began as a parliamentary democracy like most of its other newly independent neighbors on the Indian subcontinent, but there was ethnic strife from the start. Ethnic Burmans formed roughly two-thirds of its population; the remainder comprised more than one hundred groups.
Within the past few years, the generals who ran the country suppressed almost all dissent and stood accused of gross human rights abuses, prompting international condemnation and sanctions. This was also symbolised by the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Given all this, there has still been a gradual liberalisation process has been under way since 2010.
The country is expected to see a major shift when the government changes hands early in 2016, and to help this, the dominance of the largest ethnic group, the Burman or Bamar people, over the country's many minorities has been fuelling a series of long-running rebellions.