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

Riva C. H. Denny (), Sandra T. Marquart-Pyatt, Arika Ligmann-Zielinska, Laura Schmitt Olabisi, Louie Rivers, Jing Du and Lenis Saweda O. Liverpool-Tasie
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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

Environment Systems and Decisions, 2018, vol. 38, issue 1, 6-22

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: Food security; Undernutrition; Africa; Structural equation modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10669-017-9652-7

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