Food Security Measurements Flashcards
(50 cards)
1
Q
What is the take-home message behind food security measurements?
A
- There is no single instrument that can access food security as a whole
- We require more than one type
2
Q
What is the central dimension of food security?
A
Access
3
Q
What are the static and dynamic dimensions that access food security?
A
- Availability
- Physical access
- Economic access
- Utilization
- Vulnerability
- Shocks
4
Q
What does availability measure?
A
- Average energy supply adequacy
- Average value of food production
- Share of dietary energy
- Average protein supply
5
Q
What does physical access measure?
A
- Percentage of paved roads over total roads
- Road density
- Rail lines density
6
Q
What does economic access measure?
A
Domestic food price index
7
Q
What does utilization measure (in terms of a static and dynamic determinant)?
A
- Access to improved water sources
- Access to improved sanitation facilities
8
Q
What does vulnerability measure?
A
- Cereal import dependency ratio
- Value of food imports over total merchandise exports
9
Q
What do shocks measure?
A
- Political stability and absence of violence/terrorism
- Domestic food price volatility
10
Q
Who is Dean Spears? What did he discover?
A
- British economist
- Discovered that 35% to 55% of stunting in India is caused by open air defecation
- Lots of parasites, which decrease nutrient absorption
11
Q
What are the two outcomes that are measured?
A
- Access
- Utilization
12
Q
What does access measure (in terms of an outcome)?
A
- Prevalence of undernourishment
- Share of food expenditure of the poor
- Depth of the food deficit
- Prevalence of food inadequacy
13
Q
What does utilization measure (in terms of an outcome)?
A
- Percentage of children under 5 affected by wasting, stunting, underweight
- Percentage of adults who are underweight
- Prevalence of anemia among pregnant women/children
- Prevalence of vitamin A or iodine deficiency
14
Q
How do you measure the percentage of children under 5 who are underweight?
A
- Height
- Weight
- Ask parents for their birth date
- Sex
15
Q
What is stunting?
A
Height is below where it should be in a growth chart
16
Q
What is wasting?
A
Weight is below where it should be on a growth chart
17
Q
What is underweight?
A
Combination of the weight and height of the child
18
Q
Differentiate what stunting and wasting indicate?
A
- Stunting: chronic undernutrition
- Wasting: acute undernutrition
19
Q
What are the five methods to measure food security?
A
- FAO Method: Food balance sheets
- Household income and expenditure surveys
- Adequacy of dietary intake
- Child nutritional status
- People’s experience with food security
20
Q
What is the FAO method of measuring food security?
A
Food balance sheets
21
Q
How do you determine food security using food balance sheets?
A
- The quantity of food produced (in calories) - the quantity of food exported, utilized for livestock, and food wasted (in calories)
- Determination of the number of calories necessary for the population
- If 100 000 calories are needed, and only 50 000 calories are produced, then half of the country is food insecure
22
Q
What is the limitation of food balance sheets?
A
- Does not take into account the nutritional quality (micronutrients) of the food
- Does not precise who has access to the food
23
Q
What is SOFI?
A
- The last Food Balance Sheet report by the FAO in 2015
- State of Food Insecurity in the World
24
Q
What is the adequacy of dietary intake?
A
- Usage of 24-hour recall questionnaires
- It takes 3 dietary recalls in order to perceive dietary patterns (includes a weekend day)
25
What is the limitation of dietary recalls?
- People's memory
- Time-consuming
- Nutrients that we don't consume very often require more than 10 dietary recalls
26
How do you measure child nutritional status?
Through anthropometric indicators
27
What questions are asked in questionnaires concerning people's experience with food security?
- "What does it mean to be hungry?"
| - "Do you ever go to bed hungry?"
28
What is the questionnaire called to evaluate people's experience with food security?
Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)
29
What was the alternative definition of the minimum dietary energy intake? What was the problem in this measurement?
- Incorporation of physical activity
| - FAO is not capable in calculating the energy requirement of everyone in the world; would take too much money
30
How does FAO calculate the minimum dietary energy requirement as of 2012?
- They calculate the minimum requirement for SEDENTARY people
- Thus, we are underestimating the requirement since not everyone is sedentary
31
What was the "bad news" of the alternative definitions of minimum dietary energy requirements by FAO in 2012?
If we project the minimum dietary energy requirements for "normal" physical activity, then the number of food insecure individuals would be 1.5 billion
32
How many people are iron deficient?
- 25% of the world
- Pregnant women: 42%
- Preschool children: 47%
33
What is the prevalence of zinc deficiency?
1/3 of the world
34
What are risk factors for micronutrient deficiencies?
- Inadequate intake
| - Poor absorption from diet
35
What are questions that Food Insecurity Experience Scale could ask?
"During the last 12 months, was there a time when, because of lack of money or other resources:"
* You were worried you could not get enough food to eat?
* You were unable to eat healthy and nutritious food?
* You ate only a few kinds of foods?
* You had to skip a meal?
* You ate less than you thought you should?
* Your household ran out of food?
* You were hungry but did not eat?
* You went without eating for a whole day?
36
How many people are hungry according to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale?
At least half a billion
37
How many people are hungry in the world?
- It depends on the indicator and the methodology
| - The sources of information are different
38
Who release the state of food security in 2017?
- FAO
- WFP
- IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)
39
What influences the methodology of a researcher? Give an example.
- Their background
| - Ex: a nutritionist thinks that macronutrient deficiencies is the way to go
40
What do we measure for child nutritional status?
- Height (or length if they cannot stand)
| - Weight
41
What is relevant about the different levels of severity of food insecurity?
To go through the higher levels of severity, you must go through the lower levels first
42
What measurement allowed us to realize that 12.5% of Canadian households are food insecure?
Food insecurity experience scale
43
Which other organizations were also helping the 3 food-focused ones to write the state of food security and nutrition in the world (2017)?
- UNICEF
| - WHO
44
Why is it good that UNICEF and WHO joined forces with FAO, WFP, and IFAD?
Since to fight hunger, we require DIFFERENT kinds of interventions as it is multi-faceted
45
What was the state of food insecurity in the world in 2015? How did it change by 2016?
- 2015: 777 million
| - 2016: 815 million
46
What does the increase of food insecurity tell us?
The policies that we have in place are not even enough to prevent an increase in the number of hungry individuals
47
What plays a key role in the increase of food insecurity?
Stability!
48
Describe how conflict is a driver of food insecurity.
- Conflict is a key driver of situations of severe hunger crisis and recently re-emerged famines
- Hunger and undernutrition are significantly worse where conflicts are prolonged
49
How can we address food insecurity and malnutrition in conflict-affected situations?
- Cannot be "business as usual"
- Requires a conflict-sensitive approach that aligns actions for immediate humanitarian assistance, long-term development and sustaining peace
50
How can you fix an international conflict?
By figuring out the interests of the different groups
