Food System Characterization

P. Ericksen

Delhi IGP 3

Objectives of characterization

• Distinguish both commonalities across regional sites, as well as unique differences

• Identify those determinants which are sensitive to GEC, those which make the system vulnerable, and those which could be reinforced to buffer the system against stress.

FOOD UTILISATION

Components of Food Systems& Key Elements

FOOD ACCESS

• Affordability• Allocation• Preference

• Nutritional Value• Social Value• Food Safety

FOOD AVAILABILITY

• Production• Distribution• Exchange

Food Availability

Amount, type, and quality of food a unit (household, village, region) has at its

disposal to consume

Availability - Production

• How much and what kind of food is produced.

• Determinants include:– Soil fertility, crop varieties, – land holding sizes, tenancy arrangements– irrigation availability, – etc.

Availability - Distribution

• How food is made available, in what form, when and to whom.

• Determinants may include:– Transportation and infrstructure– Gender and age– Public safety nets– Post harvest processing, storage

Availability- Exchange

• A given unit’s ability to obtain food via exchange mechanisms such as barter, trade, loans, purchase.

• Determinants include:– Income levels, remittances– Purchasing power– Local customs– Social networks

Access to Food

The strategies households, communities, regions employ to obtain the type, quality, and quantity of food they

require.

Access - Affordability

• The purchasing power of households or communities relative to the price of food.

• Determinants:– Pricing policies– Season and geographic variability in price– Form in which households are paid

Access – Allocation

• The mechanisms governing when, where and how food can be accessed.

• Determinants:– Markets!– Government policies

Access - preference

• Social or cultural norms and values that influence demand for certain types of food.

• Determinants:– Religion– Season– Advertising– Preparation requirements

Food Utilization

Household or community capacity (incl. Strategies) to consume food.

Has traditionally been the entry point for analysis of food security from a

nutritional standpoint

Utilization – Nutritional value

• How much of daily requirements of calories, vitamins, protein and micronutrients are provided by food consumed?

• Determinants:– Diversity of diet– Type of primary protein– Disease incidence

Utilization – Social Value

• All social and cultural aspects of consumption.

• Understanding the determinants requires insight into community and household relations– Kinship customs– Holidays

Utilization – food safety

• Can households process and prepare food without risk of contamination or decrease in nutritional value

• Determinants– Facilities for cooking– Access and availability of safe drinking

water– Hygiene practices

Food system determinantsFood System

Component Key Determinant Greater Faridpur, BD Gujrat, PK

Food Utilisation      

  Nutritional Value Food diversity Low OK

    Primary protein pulses meat/pulse/milk

   Effect of food processing on food

qualitydecreases quality  

         

  Social Value Social bonding/celebrations important but weakening important

    Role of food in kinship weakening  

   Esteem from agricultural

production/ farmer identity  HH self-suficency

valued

         

  Food Safety Public awareness re hygiene Low low

    Presence of pathogens    

    contamination Arsenic in drinking water pesticides in water

    Storage conditions Poor unknown

         

Food system determinants

Food Access Determinant Bangladesh Pakistan

  Affordability household incomes Generally low medium/high

  proportion of food purchased 60% self-sufficient in rice ?

  Policy support? Conducive govt. policy but inadequate institutional support

?

         

  Allocation      

  Control over own production sharecroppers get small share ?

  Degree of market influence market-driven ?

  Government intervention re markets

Inadequate adequate

    Market efficiency (storage capacity, integration…)

low or poor ??

  Preference Preferred carbohydrate Rice dominates culturally wheat, rice second

    preferred protein Fish but expensive Eat what produce

    Consumption patterns changing towards more commercially processed food

??

         

Food system determinants

Determinant Bangladesh Pakistan

Production Size of land holdings Land: Dominance of small holdings small holdings dominate

Tenancy arrangements Share-cropping system exists, however not so important

mostly household owners

Principal crop? Rice, rice wheat/rice

importance of cash crops and livestock High value crops reduced over time important

Potential for crop diversification Less-suitable for crop diversification because of dominance of low lands

could if need to

Degree of seasonality High seasonality issue for rainfed

Labor available or constrained

Distribution Infrastructure Relatively poor infrastructure; good

Presence of storage/ safety net Govt. Storage capacity is low good

Is distribution skewed or balanced? How?

Skewed, uneven distribution; balanced

Age or gender differences?

Exchange Importance of exchange for hh food consumption

Trade is important, no embargo in-country tradenot important

Trade more external or internal (to district?

external internal

Role of remittances Remittance dominates food exchange not important

Food Availability

Exercise

• Fill in the matrix for sites 2 and 4, choosing the key determiants.

• Observation is a description of the value of the determinant.– How relevant is it at your site? How would

you characterize it.– List data sources if you can.

• Any information on trends or ranking?