Towards better measurement of household food security: Harmonizing indicators and the role of household surveys
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the elements of a strategy, built around a combination of short-term fixes and long-term methodological advancements, to reverse the existing trends of poor coordination and slow methodological innovation in food security measurement and monitoring.
About: This article is published in Global Food Security.The article was published on 2013-03-01. It has received 338 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Food security & Dashboard (business).
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01 Sep 2018
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the use of nexus approaches to sustainable development challenges is presented, with a focus on food, water, and energy, and a systematic procedure and future directions.
Abstract: Many global challenges, though interconnected, have been addressed singly, at times reducing one problem while exacerbating others. Nexus approaches simultaneously examine interactions among multiple sectors. Recent quantitative studies have revealed that nexus approaches can uncover synergies and detect trade-offs among sectors. If well implemented, nexus approaches have the potential to reduce negative surprises and promote integrated planning, management and governance. However, application and implementation of nexus approaches are in their infancy. No studies have explicitly quantified the contributions of nexus approaches to progress toward meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. To further implement nexus approaches and realize their potential, we propose a systematic procedure and provide perspectives on future directions. These include expanding nexus frameworks that consider interactions among more sectors, across scales, between adjacent and distant places, and linkages with Sustainable Development Goals; incorporating overlooked drivers and regions; diversifying nexus toolboxes; and making these strategies central in policy-making and governance for integrated Sustainable Development Goal implementation. Sustainability challenges, such as feeding people with fewer resources, involve challenges at the nexus of multiple issues, such as food, water and energy. This Review explores such nexus approaches, surveying their use towards sustainable development challenges, discussing examples, and proposing a systematic procedure and future directions.
400 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the relationship between women empowerment in agriculture, measured using the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index, and per capita calorie availability, dietary diversity, and adult body mass index (BMI).
395 citations
Cites background from "Towards better measurement of house..."
...It is not a sufficient indicator of food energy deficiency, which requires comparing calorie availability against the energy requirement of households, which, in turn, depends on the age and sex composition of households, and their individual height, weight, and activity levels (Carletto et al., 2013)....
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TL;DR: Data from 1970 to 2012 for 116 countries is used, finding that safe water access, sanitation, women’s education, gender equality, and the quantity and quality of food available in countries have been key drivers of past reductions in stunting.
305 citations
Cites background from "Towards better measurement of house..."
...See Carletto, Zezza, and Banerjee (2012) for a recent review of currently available food security indicators....
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TL;DR: Clarity is brought in the assessment of the food access dimension of food security at the household and individual level by recommending the use of experience-based indicators, HDDS, or FCS to assess household access to energy.
Abstract: Background:With food security now a top priority for many governments and for the global development community, there is heightened awareness of the need to improve our understanding and measuremen...
290 citations
Cites result from "Towards better measurement of house..."
...Conclusions Our study supports the conclusions from several recent reviews of food security measurement that no single indicator can or should be used to capture the complex reality of food security, and that a suite of indicators might be useful for this purpose.(1,7,8,10,12,83) It also reemphasizes the need to harmonize indicators, use a common framework and terminology, and develop and validate indicators that have a stated purpose....
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International Livestock Research Institute1, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center2, Wageningen University and Research Centre3, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation4, Lund University5, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology6, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture7
TL;DR: There is a strong need for multisectoral policy harmonization and incentives and improved interconnectedness of people to urban centers and diversification of employment sources rather than a singular focus on agricultural development of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.
Abstract: We calculated a simple indicator of food availability using data from 93 sites in 17 countries across contrasted agroecologies in sub-Saharan Africa (>13,000 farm households) and analyzed the drivers of variations in food availability. Crop production was the major source of energy, contributing 60% of food availability. The off-farm income contribution to food availability ranged from 12% for households without enough food available (18% of the total sample) to 27% for the 58% of households with sufficient food available. Using only three explanatory variables (household size, number of livestock, and land area), we were able to predict correctly the agricultural determined status of food availability for 72% of the households, but the relationships were strongly influenced by the degree of market access. Our analyses suggest that targeting poverty through improving market access and off-farm opportunities is a better strategy to increase food security than focusing on agricultural production and closing yield gaps. This calls for multisectoral policy harmonization, incentives, and diversification of employment sources rather than a singular focus on agricultural development. Recognizing and understanding diversity among smallholder farm households in sub-Saharan Africa is key for the design of policies that aim to improve food security.
256 citations
Cites methods from "Towards better measurement of house..."
...Our approach is based on farmer-reported data, with all of its constraints and limitations (30, 31)....
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References
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01 Jan 2007
1,343 citations
TL;DR: This work states that estimated prevalence rates and patterns remain tenuous because measuring food security, an elusive concept, remains difficult.
Abstract: Food security is a growing concern worldwide. More than 1 billion people are estimated to lack sufficient dietary energy availability, and at least twice that number suffer micronutrient deficiencies. Because indicators inform action, much current research focuses on improving food insecurity measurement. Yet estimated prevalence rates and patterns remain tenuous because measuring food security, an elusive concept, remains difficult.
1,011 citations
"Towards better measurement of house..." refers background in this paper
...A clear hierarchy is evident across these dimensions; availability is necessary for food security, but is not sufficient to ensure access, whereas food access is similarly necessary but insufficient to ensure proper utilization of food (Barrett, 2010)....
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...While new technologies such as mobile phones and CAPI can significantly reduce the time required for data processing, it is also necessary to invest further in real-time instruments such as sentinel site surveillance systems that can allow us to track the evolution of multiple food security indicators around the world (Barrett, 2010)....
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01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) as discussed by the authors is the first multidimensional poverty index for 104 developing countries and is composed of ten indicators corresponding to the same three dimensions as the Human Development Index: Education, Health and Standard of Living.
Abstract: This paper presents a new Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for 104 developing countries. It is the first time multidimensional poverty is estimated using micro datasets (household surveys) for such a large number of countries which cover about 78 percent of the world´s population. The MPI has the mathematical structure of one of the Alkire and Foster poverty multidimensional measures and it is composed of ten indicators corresponding to same three dimensions as the Human Development Index: Education, Health and Standard of Living. Our results indicate that 1,700 million people in the world live in acute poverty, a figure that is between the $1.25/day and $2/day poverty rates. Yet it is no $1.5/day measure. The MPI captures direct failures in functionings that Amartya Sen argues should form the focal space for describing and reducing poverty. It constitutes a tool with an extraordinary potential to target the poorest, track the Millennium Development Goals, and design policies that directly address the interlocking deprivations poor people experience. This paper presents the methodology and components in the MPI, describes main results, and shares basic robustness tests.
890 citations
TL;DR: Evidence from a multicountry analysis suggests that household-level DD diversity is strongly associated with household per capita income and energy availability, suggesting that DD could be a useful indicator of food security.
Abstract: Dietary diversity (DD) is universally recognized as a key component of healthy diets There is still, however, a lack of consensus on how to measure and operationalize DD This article reviews published literature on DD, with a focus on the conceptual and operational issues related to its measurement in developing countries Findings from studies of the association between DD and individual nutrient adequacy, child growth and/or household socioeconomic factors are summarized DD is usually measured using a simple count of foods or food groups over a given reference period, but a number of different groupings, classification systems and reference periods have been used This limits comparability and generalizability of findings The few studies that have validated DD against nutrient adequacy in developing countries confirm the well-documented positive association observed in developed countries A consistent positive association between dietary diversity and child growth is also found in a number of countries Evidence from a multicountry analysis suggests that household-level DD diversity is strongly associated with household per capita income and energy availability, suggesting that DD could be a useful indicator of food security The nutritional contribution of animal foods to nutrient adequacy is indisputable, but the independent role of animal foods relative to overall dietary quality for child growth and nutrition remains poorly understood DD is clearly a promising measurement tool, but additional research is required to improve and harmonize measurement approaches and indicators Validation studies are also needed to test the usefulness of DD indicators for various purposes and in different contexts
828 citations