Session 3D: Managing Food Security Issues in Selected Economies(SERD Session) (Auditorium 4)
Moderator: Maria Dulce Victoria Zara
Discussants: Michiko Katagami and Omer Zafar
Food security is a complex issue, with a number of interlocking factors that need to be addressed. This session will discuss three papers that examine hunger and food security in Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Timor Leste. The papers will examine the issue of hunger based on the four dimension of food security indicators which includes: a) availability; b) access; c) utilization; and d) stability. The papers will show that food security have common drivers across the various economies such as decline in agriculture production, reliance on imports as main source of food supply, rising food prices, economic downturn, recurrent climate-induced risks, and conflict. However, there are also unique features about hunger in these small economies. The papers will also elaborate on essential policy prescription that can help manage hunger and strengthen food security in the region.
Food security in Timor Leste
Kavita S. Iyengar
Food insecurity is prevalent across all districts in Timor-Leste. With over two-thirds of households reliant on subsistence agriculture, the rates of malnutrition and stunting amongst children are high. The recent COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and global shocks have further exacerbated the situation. The government has recognized the challenges and taken diverse steps from prioritizing agricultural productivity to creating social security programs and improving road networks. Strategically targeted resources and effective coordination between stakeholders are needed to ensure impactful results.
JEL Code/s: Q18
Food security in Lao PDR
Emma R. Allen
This paper reviews the state of food security in the Lao PDR. It notes that shortage and high prices of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides limited farmer’s access to these inputs, tempering crop yield expectations for the 2022 harvest season. With many reliant on agriculture, it is estimated that one in seven households are currently food insecure, relying on livelihood-based coping strategies to meet essential needs. Improving food and nutrition outcomes requires new approaches to reduce risk of food insecurity.
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Food security in Myanmar
Joel Mangahas
This paper discusses the food security situation in Myanmar that has been adversely impacted by pre-existing poverty, climate change, and combined shocks of COVID-19 pandemic and political crisis. It notes that with more than a quarter of the population facing acute food insecurity alongside the rapidly rising poverty and economic downturn, the improvements in the well-being of the people achieved prior to the pandemic are being reversed. It discusses critical interventions needed to meet food and nutritional requirements over the short, medium, and long term.
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