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Food security in Africa: a cross-scale, empirical investigation using structural equation modeling

Author

Listed:
  • Riva C. H. Denny

    (Michigan State University)

  • Sandra T. Marquart-Pyatt

    (Michigan State University)

  • Arika Ligmann-Zielinska

    (Michigan State University)

  • Laura Schmitt Olabisi

    (Michigan State University)

  • Louie Rivers

    (North Carolina State University)

  • Jing Du

    (Texas A&M University)

  • Lenis Saweda O. Liverpool-Tasie

    (Michigan State University)

Abstract

Despite consistent gains in global agricultural productivity in the last 50 years, lack of food security persists in many regions of the world. Addressing this issue is especially pertinent in Africa where 39 of the nearly five dozen nations most at risk of food insecurity are located. We draw from interdisciplinary research to develop an empirical model that outlines the four interconnected aspects of food security—availability, access, utilization and stability. Given the complexity of this issue, we develop a model that considers agricultural, socio-political, and economic factors as drivers of food security and its manifestations, related in a complex system of relations that includes both direct and indirect paths. We use structural equation modeling with latent variables to specify a model that seeks to determine the primary drivers of food security over 55 years in Africa, West Africa as a region, and for a group of 5 West African countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. Empirical results reveal the critical importance of availability and accessibility for mitigating food insecurity.

Suggested Citation

  • Riva C. H. Denny & Sandra T. Marquart-Pyatt & Arika Ligmann-Zielinska & Laura Schmitt Olabisi & Louie Rivers & Jing Du & Lenis Saweda O. Liverpool-Tasie, 2018. "Food security in Africa: a cross-scale, empirical investigation using structural equation modeling," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 6-22, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:envsyd:v:38:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10669-017-9652-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10669-017-9652-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert L. Paarlberg, 1999. "Politics and Food Insecurity in Africa," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 21(2), pages 499-511.
    2. Kostas Stamoulis & Alberto Zezza, 2003. "A Conceptual Framework for National Agricultural, Rural Development, and Food Security Strategies and Policies," Working Papers 03-17, Agricultural and Development Economics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO - ESA).
    3. W. W. Rostow, 1959. "The Stages Of Economic Growth," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, August.
    4. Food and Agriculture Organization, 2015. "The State of Food Insecurity in the World Meeting the 2015 International Hunger Targets: Taking Stock of Uneven Progress," Working Papers id:7595, eSocialSciences.
    5. Bhattacharya, Jayanta & Currie, Janet & Haider, Steven, 2004. "Poverty, food insecurity, and nutritional outcomes in children and adults," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 839-862, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Galeana-Pizaña, J. Mauricio & Couturier, Stéphane & Figueroa, Daniela & Jiménez, Aldo Daniel, 2021. "Is rural food security primarily associated with smallholder agriculture or with commercial agriculture?: An approach to the case of Mexico using structural equation modeling," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    2. Fitsum Assefa Adela & Joachim Aurbacher & Gumataw Kifle Abebe, 2019. "Small-scale irrigation scheme governance - poverty nexus: evidence from Ethiopia," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(4), pages 897-913, August.
    3. Arika Ligmann-Zielinska & Louie Rivers, 2018. "A holistic vision for food security research," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 3-5, March.
    4. Wilna Oldewage-Theron & Abdulkadir A. Egal, 2021. "Is food insecurity a problem among the elderly in Sharpeville, South Africa?," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(1), pages 71-81, February.

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