Our recurring series Taxonomy Matters explores definitions of terms related to the field of international development and their connection to knowledge products that we publish. This new entry focuses on the subject of food security.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and its multilingual thesaurus AGROVOC, food security is a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
The IDB considers food security as crucial for the region’s development, defining it through four areas: food availability, access, stability, and use. In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), there are major challenges, especially with food use. About 11% of children experience stunted growth, and 24% of adults are obese. LAC also has the highest cost for a healthy diet, and 24% of people cannot afford it, with higher rates in the Caribbean (50%), Central America (28%), and South America (20%).
The lack of food security also leads to worse health outcomes, including delayed physical and mental development in children, higher chronic diseases in adults, lower productivity, and increased healthcare costs. To address these issues, it’s crucial to build food systems that are resilient, sustainable, and inclusive.
Below we have compiled a selection of datasets and publications related to this concept. For crafting the description of some of these knowledge products, we used the generative AI functionality of the IDB Publications Catalog where indicated.
Data
IDB Agrimonitor (data)
Agrimonitor is a dataset of Product Support Estimates (PSE) for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. It intends to allow policymakers and analysts to monitor agricultural policies and assess and measure the composition of support to agriculture. Indicators related to magnitude and composition aim to help better describe and address key challenges facing agriculture in the coming decade.
Publications
Food security in Central America, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Haiti
This study examines food security, discusses policy responses, and offers recommendations for managing food emergencies and preventing future crises. In 2019, 39% of the combined population of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama experienced a lack of food security, which was higher than the Latin American average. The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in early 2020, further threatened food security in the region. The loss of household income from widespread job losses made it harder for people to afford food. Unemployment in the region increased by 4 to 12 percentage points in 2020, and average per capita income dropped by 9.1%. At the peak of the pandemic, more than 40% of households in Guatemala, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic reported going without food due to lack of income. As a result, food insecurity in Central America rose to 42.1% by 2020, affecting about 19 million people.
Effective Land Ownership, Female Empowerment, and Food Security: Evidence from Peru
Here is a summary of this work generated with the help of the AI functionality of our Publications Catalog:
The research paper examines the impact of women’s effective land ownership on female empowerment and household food security within the context of Peruvian family farming. Utilizing a rigorous instrumental variable approach, the study finds that self-declared informal land ownership significantly reduces the daily time women spend on agricultural work and increases crop diversity, leading to a 20 percentage point enhancement in the likelihood of household food security. The findings underscore the importance of effective land ownership in promoting gender empowerment and improving food security, offering valuable insights for policymakers and development practitioners aimed at empowering women in agriculture and enhancing food security in Peru and beyond.
A similar study was done in Ecuador: The Effects of Tenure Security on Women’s Empowerment and Food Security: Evidence From a Land Regularization Program in Ecuador
Good Practice Recommendations for the Governance and Management of Modern Agricultural Research, Development and Innovation Organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean
There is robust evidence that well-planned investment in public agricultural research, development, and innovation (RDI) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) can boost economies, improve food security, and reduce poverty. However, many RDI institutions in the region face challenges and need more support to succeed. Since the early 2000s, many LAC countries have worked to improve their national RDI systems by increasing the number of researchers, enhancing skills, updating management models, and encouraging more collaboration between public and private sectors.
The authors believe that strong national agricultural research systems, backed by targeted investment and skilled personnel, are crucial for improving agricultural productivity and promoting economic growth, food security, and poverty reduction. In LAC, transforming the RDI system is necessary to tackle both current and future challenges. To make these changes, it’s important to carefully plan what RDI models are needed and how to implement them. Based on their experience, the authors offer practical advice for policymakers and other stakeholders to speed up improvements in LAC’s agricultural RDI institutions, helping them meet new challenges.
Visit our publications catalog to read other studies related to food security like, A Framework for Sustainable Food Security for LAC, and many others:
• The full collection of IDB Publications tagged with the subject “Food Security”.
Which of these knowledge products have you used? Share how in the comments section below.
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