Food Security最新文献

This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the association between food insecurity (FI) and common mental health problems (CMHPs). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the existing evidence on the relationship between FI and CMHPs. We searched Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed for relevant articles published through December 2020. We reported associations between FI with CMHPs using odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). ORs were pooled using a random-effects model. Eighteen articles were identified resulting in 113,614 pooled individuals. FI was associated with the risk of depression and stress (OR = 2.01; CI: 1.64–2.46; OR = 2.07: CI; 1.64–2.61, respectively). Sub-group analyses based on gender showed that depression risk was higher among FI males (OR = 2.63; CI:1.74–3.98, I² = 72.2, P < 0.001). Participants with moderate and severe FI were more likely to be depressed (OR = 2.14; CI: 1.86–2.46, I² = 0.0, P < 0.001 for moderate; OR = 2.08; CI: 1.24–3.46, I² = 86.9, P < 0.001 for severe). Cross-sectional studies showed FI was associated with a higher risk of depression (OR = 2.32; CI: 1.86–2.88, I² = 95.4, P < 0.001) than cohort/longitudinal studies (OR = 1.24; CI:1.12–1.37, I² = 86.0, P < 0.001). The estimated risk of depression was higher among people with FI in Australia (OR = 5.77; CI: 2.88–11.55, P < 0.001) compared to other continents. FI Asians were at higher risk of stress (OR = 2.23; CI: 1.51–3.28, I² = 82.4, P < 0.001) than people in the US (OR = 1.88; CI: 1.58–2.39, I² = 5.7, P < 0.001). To alleviate the burden on CMHPs, the management of FI should be prioritized in the highest-risk regions including Australia, Asia, and Europe.

The change in immigration policy in state-level participation rates of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in the United States by citizenship and ethnicity was estimated over the period 2013-2018 using the Triple Difference estimate method. The principal finding was that the state-level WIC participation rate for Hispanic non-citizens was lower by 8.6% relative to all other groups (Hispanic citizens, non-Hispanic citizens, and non-Hispanic non-citizens). This study then not only provides quantitative evidence concerning the ongoing debate about the impact of the immigration policy changes under the Trump administration but also extends the extant literature by estimating the causal effects of immigration policy regime change on WIC participation of non-citizens.

Insect pests in storage are causes of major losses worldwide. Acoustic sensors can detect the presence of insects in grain through their sound signature, thus enabling early warning to farmers and traders. This research investigates the applicability of an affordable acoustic sensor, which uses micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone adapted to detect the sound produced by insect pests. Three major insect pests that commonly feed on paddy and milled rice (the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica; the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae; and the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum), were collected in rice mills and grain storage warehouses in Laguna The Philippines, and reared at the International Rice Research Institute. Baseline sound recordings were replicated for each insect over three days using a completely randomized design (CRD). Recorded sounds were analysed to determine the sound profiles of each insect. Waveforms, root mean square (RMS) energy values, frequency domain, and spectrograms provided characteristics for the sound signal signature specific to each insect. Primary insect pests (R. dominica and S. oryzae) were differentiated from the secondary insect pest (T. castaneum) through signal analyses. Such data are useful to enable insect pest classification, which can be incorporated into more effective and timely postharvest pest management tools.

Many welfare measures, including food expenditures and diet quality, are based on household-level aggregates. This is grounded in the assumption that resources are equally or equitably distributed among household members. Individual-level measures of food expenditures and diet quality may paint a more accurate picture of welfare. We find differences between household- and individual-level measurements of food expenditures and diet quality in the Philippines. We find that 25 percent of food poor individuals live in households that are not classified as food poor. This suggests potential misclassification of individuals if classifications are based on household-level measures. We further find intra-household inequalities in diet quality. Many women and children do not meet the recommended consumption for starchy staples and for meat, fish, and pulses, even within households which, in aggregate, are able to meet the recommended consumption. However, consumption of vegetables, fruits, eggs, and milk is equally low across all household members.

The relationship between agricultural commercialisation and nutrition is empirically contested, with findings suggesting different trends for different indicators, and across different contexts. Using novel cross-sectional survey data from a study of commercialisation in four African countries, this paper aims to understand associations and trade-offs between agricultural commercialisation and food consumption using three different indicators: household perceptions of their own food security; the dietary diversity of adult women and men; and the consumption of unhealthy ultra-processed foods and drinks. We find that a higher level of commercialisation is associated with respondents perceiving the household as more food secure in three countries and hypothesise that this relationship only holds where food price inflation remains low. Perception of better food security is subsequently associated with better reported dietary diversity, but diversity remains low in all countries even in the most commercialised households, and men’s dietary diversity overtakes women’s, on average, at higher levels of commercialisation. Ultra-processed foods were not highly consumed in our samples but were also linked with increasing commercialisation. Through this analysis, we show that commercialization and food consumption outcomes are linked in both positive and negative ways – and that both, retaining own food production, and the food market context, plays a moderating role, as does household experience of uncertainty in transition to commercial agriculture. Findings for policy in the context of inevitable but highly varied forms of agricultural commercialisation in Africa therefore include ensuring that diverse nutritious foods are available and affordable in local markets, but also that household food security and diets are socially supported through the process of transition where commercialisation is pursued.

To investigate the potential of food security and nutrition programmes to simultaneously address the global syndemic of undernutrition, obesity and climate change, a policy document analysis of World Food Programme (WFP) activities was carried out, using Laos as a case study. A framework for the double burden of malnutrition was adapted, defining six intermediate-level modifiable factors for the global syndemic. Information on 11 WFP food security and nutrition programmes in Laos for all populations was extracted from 33 WFP documents and assessed using the framework method approach. Firstly, current programmes were assessed to determine if they could serve as a platform to address the six factors. Next, identification of pathways to undernutrition, obesity and climate change outcomes was used to determine which programmes were already double or triple duty. Finally, potential adaptations to retrofit programmes into triple duty actions were proposed, drawing on double and triple duty actions from the literature. The analysis found that all 11 programmes provided the opportunity to address two or more factors, four programmes were already double duty and five triple duty, and all programmes in theory could be retrofitted to become triple duty actions through adaptations identified in the literature. These findings suggest that food security and nutrition programmes do have potential to address the global syndemic.

Small pelagic fish species (SPFS) from marine waters off Central-West Africa and North-West Africa and the African Great Lakes Region in Eastern Africa and associated value chains sustain several million livelihoods. Catches are used for direct human consumption, to produce fishmeal and fish oil for animal feeds and to manufacture value-added products. SPFS constitute a valuable source of micronutrients, fatty acids and protein that could help alleviate malnutrition and food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa. Considering this context, this study aimed to identify and prioritise recommendations concerning SPFS use. Preliminary recommendations came from interviews (n = 122) and focus groups (n = 642) with women and men. Representative stakeholders from Gambia, Ghana, Malawi, Mauritania, Republic of Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Uganda engaged in a Delphi study. Responses were received from 150 to 115 participants in Rounds 1 and 2, respectively. Priority recommendations (Round 2 mean rating > 8) included: environmental audits of fishmeal plants, promote health and safety at work, assess health risks, eliminate pollution, locate factories away from residential areas, promote alternative feed ingredients, farmer training and research programmes, enhanced governance, demand assessment, price controls on fish for feed, regular assessment of key fish stocks, assess and monitor fish affordability, consumption and importance in food and nutrition security, promote better handling to avoid food waste, regulate capacity of fishmeal sector. Comprehensive and effective implementation of priority recommendations could ensure that SPFS use can contribute to food and nutrition security and help provide sustainable and healthy diets across sub-Saharan Africa.

Enhancing farm productivity in Ethiopia through the adoption of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) is crucial for bridging the gap between food demand and supply, while also ensuring the sustainability of agro-ecosystems. However, the synergistic effects of different types of technologies within ISFM remain inadequately understood. This study analyzes individual and combined impacts of adopting ISFM practices, specifically inorganic fertilizer and Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) practices, on net crop value and per capita food consumption expenditure. Using primary data collected from 781 plots in eastern Ethiopia, the study employs Multinomial Endogenous Switching Regression (MESR) to identify those factors associated with the adoption of these practices and evaluate their impacts on households’ welfare, while accounting for both observable and unobservable biases. The average treatment effects of adopting inorganic fertilizer and SWC practices either separately or in combination show that these practices result in improved net crop value and per capita food consumption expenditure. Interestingly, the combined impact of inorganic fertilizer and SWC practices on net crop value and food consumption expenditure is more than double when compared to adopting these practices separately. Moreover, our finding shows that the age and educational level of the household, irrigation use, and cultivated area are positively and significantly associated with the likelihood of adopting the combination of inorganic fertilizer and SWC practices. Therefore, encouraging and supporting farmers to adopt a combination of inorganic fertilizer and SWC practices will result in significant welfare gains.

The Russo-Ukrainian war has shocked global food prices and supply chains. Some of the largest impacts are expected in food-importing African countries. This includes Nigeria, where a combination of increasing population, urbanization, and declining domestic production increased households’ exposure to global price shocks. To understand how food demand responds to price shocks, we estimate household-level demand elasticities for selected food categories using the Exact Affine Stone Index (EASI) demand model. We simulate the effect of increasing grain and edible oil prices on demand by households across several food groups and items. Our results vary across regional and income groups and often differ because grains and edible oils represent different proportions of the respective sub-national budget shares. We find that, given their low price elasticity, a shock to the price of edible oils generally leads to changes to the household budget share. We also find that the war is expected to have the highest impact on non-grain starches and vegetable proteins, which had the highest own-price elasticities. Nevertheless, given that palm and groundnut oil are the dominant edible oils in Nigeria, the effects of the war depend on the elasticity of substitution between sunflower and these two oils on the global markets, as well as between edible oils and other foods. One policy implication of the study is the need for targeted food and nutrition interventions in response to crises or global price shocks, given the substantial sub-national variation in observed food budget shares, and in the effects of price shocks.