Food Security最新文献

Although the production-to-consumption pathway is widely promoted to improve diet quality in developing world, its contribution to individual diet and nutrient intake remains unclear. We assessed this relationship among 377 children aged 6 to 59 months in three zones characterized by landscape diversity along an agricultural intensification gradient from the state forest of Munesa to the nearby town of Arsi Negele, Ethiopia during the two harvest seasons. A repeated interactive multiple-pass 24-h recall method was used to collect intake data. Usual intake distributions for energy, protein, iron, zinc and vitamin A were estimated using the National Cancer Institute (NCI) method and compared with estimated average requirement values to determine the prevalence of inadequate intake. The usual intake of protein, zinc and vitamin A among children were inadequate and further exacerbated by seasonality. The extent of nutrient inadequacy was higher in the diverse landscape (“near to forest” zone) than in the less diverse landscape (“distant to forest” zone). However, the diverse landscape tended to provide a better buffering capacity against seasonal energy and nutrient stress than a less diverse landscape. The age of a child positively predicted usual intakes of energy, protein, iron, zinc and vitamin A along the gradient, while breastfeeding negatively predicted these intakes. Most of the food groups and nutrients consumed were derived from on-farm production, whereas fruits and vegetables were via the market. Thus, introduction of nutrient-dense crops and increasing livestock productivity are vital to enhance consumption of diverse diets and thereby nutrients among children.

Food insecurity is rising across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where undernourishment continues to affect a large portion of the population, particularly young children. Studies examining the associations between crop diversity and childhood nutrition have recently proliferated but are characterized by inconsistent results and two key limitations. First, many studies focus only on the household level, overlooking the prospect that more diverse crops at village and regional levels may contribute to household food security. Second, many studies pool data from multiple countries, which may obscure important context-specific aspects of nutrition outcomes. Drawing on Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 10 SSA countries, in combination with agricultural production estimates for 112 crop species, this study explores the associations between crop diversity at multiple scales (10-, 25-, and 50-kilometer radii) and children’s dietary diversity (HDDS). In addition to producing overall estimates across our sample, we measure country-specific associations to account for spatial heterogeneity. Results of the overall model show a negative association between crop diversity and dietary diversity. However, the country-specific analyses uncover extensive variability in these associations: in some cases, diversity is highly positively correlated with HDDS, while in others the estimated effect is negative or nonexistent. Our findings suggest that country-level analyses provide important nuance that may be masked in pooled analyses. Moreover, these findings foreground the importance of looking beyond household-level analyses to understand the dynamic role that local crop diversity, and its exchange across space, can play in supporting children’s dietary diversity.

We investigated the trajectory of depressive symptoms (“depression”) from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa (March 2020) until 2021, between individuals with and without pre-pandemic depression, specifically regarding the role of food security. Our investigation used publicly available panel data (N = 6,930) from the South African National Income Dynamics Study Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (SA-NIDS-CRAM from 2020–2021) on those who had also participated in the pre-pandemic South African National Income Dynamics Study (SA-NIDS, 2017) depression interview. We investigated trends in depressive symptomatology (based on a 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire) at SA-NIDS-CRAM Wave 2 (July 2020), Wave 3 (February 2021) and Wave 5 (May 2021). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) with post-estimation linear combinations of estimators were fitted to investigate the roles of pre-pandemic depression (based on 2017 SA-NIDS data) and food insecurity during the pandemic on depressive symptomatology. During the pandemic, the highest levels of depression were observed consistently among those with pre-pandemic depression and food insecurity; and were lowest among those without pre-pandemic depression and food security. Depressive symptomatology rose in nearly equal magnitude during the early phases of the pandemic in two groups: those without pre-pandemic depression but food insecure during the pandemic; as well as those with pre-pandemic depression but food secure during the pandemic. However, this dynamic changed later in the pandemic, when higher depressive symptomatology was observed in the group with both pre-pandemic depression and food insecurity, widening the gap between them from Wave 3 (adj β = 0.63, p < 0.01) to Wave 5 (adj β = 0.79, p < 0.01). Our results highlight the importance of addressing both population mental health and food insecurity, particularly at the early stages of a crisis/disaster. As we showed that mental health impact is linked to food insecurity during a pandemic, strengthening social protection measures, especially around food and nutrition, would help build resilience to crises in the long term.

International food trade plays a crucial role in enhancing global food security by connecting regions with diverse agricultural capabilities and resource endowments. This study employs complex network analysis and ecological network resilience to investigate the historical dynamics of global staple food trade network resilience from 1986 to 2020. Additionally, structural decomposition and econometric analysis are used to explore the drivers of resilience from both internal and external perspectives. The findings reveal significant heterogeneity in the resilience dynamics of global staple food trade when faced with external shocks such as COVID-19 and geopolitical tensions. Staple foods, i.e., wheat, rice, and potatoes have demonstrated increased resilience in response to pandemic-related disruptions. However, the aggregated staple food network is more adversely affected by geopolitical tensions compared to the five individual staple food networks, with a more pronounced inhibitory effect on its resilience. Potatoes emerge as the most resilient staple, while soybeans exhibit the lowest resilience. Interestingly, the inclusion of a greater variety of staple foods in the aggregated basket does not necessarily enhance resilience. For instance, integrating potatoes, characterized by high network efficiency, increases resilience, whereas integrating soybeans, with low network efficiency, reduces resilience. Furthermore, the diversity of trade flows and trade partners plays a crucial role in enhancing resilience. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to bolster the resilience of the global food trade network.

This article is about the critical role played by intermediate institutions, coined “meso-institutions,” in the implementation of regulation. Building on recent theoretical contributions, it proposes a model that emphasizes the functions and tasks fulfilled by meso-institutions in bridging the gap between the macro-institutional layer at which general rules and norms are established and the micro-institutional layer within which transactions are organized. A comparative approach to the institutional settings designed to secure the safety of raw cow milk in Brazil, Canada and Italy substantiates the analysis. Beyond the variety of institutional “configurations” characterizing these cases, the investigation shows how crucial the implementation by meso-institutions is of otherwise similar norms and rules in determining their effectiveness. Meeting food safety regulations depends on the capacity of meso-institutions to fulfil specific functions, the accomplishment of which can be assessed only through related tasks. Lessons are drawn with respect to efficiency, the trade-off between centralized and decentralized solutions, the impact on the organization of supply chains, and the necessity for public policies to pay special attention to meso-institutions in the design and implementation of food safety regulation.

Small-scale agricultural and horticultural interventions play a critical role in improving nutrition and food security of vulnerable households in peaceful settings. However, scant rigorous evidence exists on the impacts and sustainability of such interventions in conflict settings. In this paper, we address this knowledge gap by analyzing the short- and medium-term impacts of a small-scale vegetable input support program involving asset transfers on food security and diets in war-time Syria. We use longitudinal panel household survey data from a quasi-experimental study collected at three rounds: before, one year, and two years after the horticultural intervention ended. We use propensity score matching and fixed-effect regression models to estimate the average treatment effects on the treated. We find that the vegetable support significantly improves food security by 21% and 19% in the short- and medium-term, respectively. More specifically, we find that the intervention significantly increased the consumption of nutrient-rich food groups such as vegetables, root tubers, fruits, eggs, pulses and nuts, milk, and oil and fats. Moreover, we find that the intervention reduces in the short-term the use of harmful coping strategies by 17%. However, this effect dissipates two years after the end of the intervention. The findings underscore the importance of small-scale vegetable support in addressing food insecurity in protracted conflict settings.

Human nutrient deficiencies remain prevalent globally and are particularly common in low- and middle-income countries, such as Kenya. Fish holds potential to help address these deficiencies but remains barely incorporated in nutrition policies and strategies, partly due to a lack of supporting evidence. We address this gap by analyzing sixteen years of fisheries production and trade data from marine, freshwater, and aquaculture systems to evaluate fish nutrient supply, assess changes in supply, and determine the contributions the current supply could make to meet the nutritional needs of children under five years in Kenya. Despite an 11% increase, through time, in the total supply of fish, there was a 24% decline in per capita fish consumption due to fishery changes and increased fish demand. Furthermore, a 21% decline in supply of fish from inland freshwater systems resulted in a 25–40% decline in nutrient supply. Based on the current supply of fish, Kenya’s per capita consumption of 2.5 kg/yr is below WHO recommendations of 10.4 kg/yr. However, this supply has the potential to support nearly 13 million Kenyans at this WHO recommendation. If supply was targeted towards vulnerable groups, such as children under five years, it could supply all children in Kenya with one-third of their calcium, selenium, and protein and over 70% of children in Kenya with one-third of their iron, zinc, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids requirements. Therefore, fish can play an important role in supporting nutritional security in Kenya if strategic interventions involving all relevant sectors are considered, to reduce identified nutrient deficiencies.

This paper investigates the effect of out-shopping (i.e., buying food outside local area) on food expensiveness in remote areas in Scotland, contributing to the literature on social factors affecting food security and food affordability in remote rural areas worldwide. It identifies out-shopping as a factor explaining why existing studies observing food prices at local stores in remote areas find much higher prices than at urban stores, while studies observing actual purchases of household in remote areas find small differences in food expensiveness with urban households. To investigate this difference, a food expensiveness index was constructed using home scanner data measuring households’ actual purchases. Data from the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, when travel restriction limited out-shopping, were compared with the same period in 2019 when such restrictions were not in place. The results find that the premium paid in remote rural areas was small overall, but a statistically significant increase during lockdown was found for those households that lost access to discount stores because of movement restrictions. This result indicates that out-shopping is an important factor limiting food expensiveness in remote areas of Scotland and thus ensuring food affordability. Data suggest that approximately 42 percent of households in Scotland remote areas rely on out-shopping for obtaining affordable food.

We assess the relationship between food insecurity and land inequality in Colombia during the period 2005–2015. We use spatially controlled system estimation at the level of Departamentos (subnational administrative units), verifying its advantages when compared to linear non-spatially controlled estimation. The analysis builds upon the idea that there is a direct impact of land inequality on food insecurity, besides its indirect impact through its effect on general inequality and poverty. The paper describes the historical-geographical processes that have determined high concentration of land ownership in Colombia, and subsequently, it uses regression analyses to verify that there is a spatially controlled effect of land inequality on food insecurity, and not the other way around. This result holds under different spatial specifications and the inclusion of corresponding control variables. The direct connection between these variables calls for policy measures that directly address land inequality as a food insecurity determinant, in addition to the indirect solution that current poverty alleviation policies might have on food insecurity.