Living on the edge: Household vulnerability to food-insecurity in the Punjab, Pakistan. (October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Azeem, Muhammad Masood; Mugera, Amin W.; Schilizzi, Steven
• Is Part Of: Food policy. Volume 64(2016)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 13
• Publication Date: 2016-10
• Subjects: Food-insecurity -- Vulnerability -- Shocks -- Multilevel model -- Punjab -- Pakistan; Food supply -- Periodicals; Food security -- Periodicals; Food -- Quality -- Periodicals; Food Supply -- Periodicals; Alimentation -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 338.1905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2016.08.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-9192

Abstract

Highlights: Households are likely to become food-insecure in the future not as a result of poor resource endowments but because of risk. The risk of household-specific shocks is higher compared to community-wide shocks. Urban dwellers appear to face higher risk of being food-insecure than rural. Abstract: This study investigates the prevalence, sources and distribution of household vulnerability to food-insecurity in the Punjab, Pakistan. Applying a multilevel model on a large dataset of about 90, 000 households, we find that the share of households at risk of becoming food-insecure (vulnerability) is higher than the share that is current food-insecure. Households in rural areas are least vulnerable. In contrast, residents of cities and urban areas experience high level of vulnerability that exceeds the average in the Punjab. The risk-induced vulnerability is higher than the structural-induced vulnerability and vulnerability to idiosyncratic shock is higher than vulnerability to covariate shocks. Findings imply that households in the Punjab are vulnerable not as a result of poor resource endowments but because of risk. The Pakistani government should go beyond mere observed food-insecurity to address the needs of the relatively larger population that is at risk of being food-insecure in the future.