18 in markets. For this purpose, well-functioning distribution, processing and market systems is essential.49 10.3 Accessibility Accessibility requires economic and physical access to food to be guaranteed. Economic accessibility means that food must be affordable. Individuals should be able to afford food for an adequate diet without compromising on any other basic needs, such as school fees, medicines or rent.50 For example, the affordability of food can be guaranteed by ensuring that the minimum wage or social security benefit is sufficient to meet the cost of nutritious food and other basic needs. On the other hand, socially vulnerable groups such as landless persons and other particularly impoverished segments of the population may need attention through special program..51 Physical accessibility implies that adequate food must be accessible to everyone, including physically vulnerable individuals, such as infants and young children, elderly people, the physically disabled, the terminally ill and persons with persistent medical problems, including the mentally ill. Because these group of people face specific hurdles in relation to the right to food. These can result from biological or socio-economic factors, discrimination and stigma, or, generally, a combination of these.52 Access to food must also be guaranteed to people in remote areas and to victims of armed conflicts or natural disasters, as well as to prisoners. Victims of natural disasters, people living in disaster-prone areas and other specially disadvantaged groups may need special attention and sometimes priority consideration with respect to accessibility of food.53 Accessibility to food is especially important for the rural poor. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Jean Zaegler, chronic hunger is predominantly a rural problem, and the “rural people suffer from hunger because they lack access to resources such as land, do not hold secure 49 Ibid, p. 1 Ibid, p. 2. 51 Fact Sheet 34, p. 3. 52 Fact Sheet 34 53 Ibid. 50