Growth is not enough: solving the global food security crisis requires investments to close gaps

Florence Santos, Yingxin Zhang, Cesar Escalante and Emily Janoch

Development in Practice, 2025, vol. 35, issue 5, 763-775

Abstract: The escalating global hunger crisis, exacerbated by ongoing conflicts, economic shocks, and climate crises, demands comprehensive and effective solutions. Since limited research has explored the interplay between inequality and economic growth in relation to a country’s food insecurity prevalence, this study seeks to bridge this knowledge gap. Using country-level data from 113 countries in both pre- and post-pandemic periods and employing the seemingly-unrelated-regression (SUR) model, this study provides empirical evidence, highlighting the significant roles of advancing women and girls and improving incomes for the most at-risk people in addressing food insecurity. The study found that higher differences between women and men and income gaps correlate positively with food insecurity. Notably, our results indicate that economic growth can exacerbate food insecurity, particularly in the post-pandemic context. This suggests that mere economic growth is insufficient to combat food insecurity if inequalities persist.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2025.2519611

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