Characteristics and strategies favouring sustained food access during Guinea's food-price crisis

Abstract

This study examines household food-access status in rural areas of Guinea, a poor, net food-importing West African state, during the height of the food-price crisis. Linking a household's food-access status with specific household characteristics and strategies, the article provides evidence on those unique characteristics and strategies favouring sustained food access during the price crisis. The findings are discussed and their policy implications reviewed, identifying good practice for targeting and intervention and suggestions for further research.

Caractéristiques et stratégies favorables à l'accès soutenu à la nourriture durant la crise des prix des produits alimentaires en Guinée

Cette étude examine la situation des ménages sur le plan de l'accès à la nourriture dans les zones rurales de la Guinée, un État ouest-africain pauvre et importateur net de nourriture, au moment de l'apogée de la crise des prix des produits alimentaires. En reliant la situation du ménage sur le plan de l'accès à la nourriture à des caractéristiques et stratégies précises des ménages, cet article donne des données sur les caractéristiques et les stratégies qui favorisent l'accès soutenu à la nourriture durant la crise des prix. Les résultats font l'objet d'une discussion et leurs implications sur le plan des politiques générales sont examinées, identifiant les bonnes pratiques pour le ciblage et l'intervention et des suggestions de recherches supplémentaires.

Características e estratégias favorecendo o acesso sustentável a alimentos durante a crise do preço dos alimentos de Guiné.

Este estudo examina as condições de acesso a alimentos das famílias nas áreas rurais de Guiné, um Estado do oeste africano pobre e importador líquido de alimentos, durante o auge da crise do preço dos alimentos. Fazendo a ligação entre as condições de acesso a alimentos de uma família e características e estratégias familiares específicas, o artigo oferece evidências sobre estas características e estratégias únicas favorecendo o acesso sustentável a alimentos durante a crise dos preços. Os resultados são discutidos e as implicações de sua política revisadas, identificando boas práticas para serem buscadas e sugestões para mais pesquisa.

Características y estrategias que favorecieron el acceso a alimentos durante la crisis de los precios de los alimentos en Guinea

Este ensayo analiza cómo las familias campesinas de Guinea obtuvieron alimentos durante el momento más álgido de la crisis de los precios de los alimentos. Guinea, en África Occidental, es un importador neto de alimentos. Vinculando el acceso a alimentos de los hogares con las características y las estrategias de cada hogar, el ensayo da cuenta de cómo fue posible el acceso continuo a alimentos durante la crisis de los precios. Se examinan los resultados y sus implicaciones para políticas públicas, a la vez que se identifican las experiencias exitosas para orientar futuras intervenciones e investigaciones.

Keywords:

• Labour and livelihoods

Acknowledgements

Thanks to ACF Spain for its contributions: Julien Jacob for coordinating and providing comments, and the ACF Guinea Mission for their invaluable fieldwork and ongoing monthly surveillance. Special thanks to Anastasia Marshak, at the Feinstein International Center, for her assistance in the statistical analysis.

Notes

Forest Guinea activities are dominated by subsistence farming (34 per cent), cash-crop farming (32 per cent), and livestock breeding (19 per cent) (WFP 2005).

The average prices mentioned in this study are constructed from an average of prices in two markets of each préfecture, collected twice a month

Source: ACF-E Market Surveillance data, Forest Guinea.

See note 3.

Analysis showed an R2 of 0.9201 and a correlation coefficient of 0.8204 (p = 0.000).

Préfecture Macenta lacks 2007 data for comparison, and only préfecture Yomou had more severe malnutrition in 2007.

See note 3.

Severity is deducted from a cross-country comparison study of the perceived severity of Coping Strategies (Maxwell, Caldwell, and Langworthy 2008: Table 3 - Comparison of severity weights across studies).

A check was conducted to review the extent to which data are censored; it revealed that the data are not highly censored.

Analysis by prefecture through OLS regression.

ACF-E objective to measure prevalence did not require panel data.

Regressions on separate regions are not presented here, although reference to those regressions is made in the analysis

A higher CSC and a lower DDC are each indicative of greater food-access constraints. Therefore, an independent variable positively correlating with the CSC and negatively correlating with the DDC (#meals/adult, ‘no credit for food’ or ‘no food insufficiency’) depict the same trend.

All households engage in some form of agricultural activity, with 56 per cent cultivating their garden (88 per cent owns land, 12 per cent rents). Most households are net food buyers (WFP, 2005: 90).

Data include lean period (June–August) and harvest season (September–November). Since the dataset did not consist of panel data, it is not possible to explore the effects on stock usage as a response mechanism and the time-lagged impact of a diminishing buffer on household food access.

A larger household is likely to have more children and/or more active adults, yet not necessarily when comparing by ratios (per household member). The three variables were checked for possible correlation, revealing no significant correlation,

‘Purchase as main food source’ and ‘Own production as main food source’ are negatively correlated (-0.8419).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Loek E.A. Peeters

Loek E.A. Peeters currently works with CARE International on Agriculture and Livelihood programming in Gaza. He was previously engaged with ACF Spain in various post-disaster and post-conflict settings. He holds an MSc in Economics and a MA in Humanitarian Assistance.

Daniel G. Maxwell

Daniel G. Maxwell is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Food and Nutrition Policy at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and Research Director at the Feinstein International Center, Tufts University. He holds a Ph.D. in Development Studies. <[email protected]>