Food Access and Shocks in Rural Households: Evidence from Bangladesh and Ethiopia

Araya and Stroosnijde (2011)found that, in North Ethiopia, and for the period 1978–2008, about 36 percent to 59 percent of the seasons, depending on the town surveyed, were drought seasons, implying crop failure. Dercon and Hoddinott (2003) and Yamano et al. (2005) study the long-term impact of shocks on child and adult health in Ethiopia. A related paper studies seasonal poverty in Ethiopia (Dercon and Krishnan 2000), concluding that poverty and malnourishment increase 27 % during the lean season. A study of household food security status over 2 years and the dynamic of asset accumulation or loss in Northern Ethiopia was carried out by Maxwell et al. (2013). Porter (2012) concludes that households were unable to protect themselves from rainfall failure that took place every five years in rural Ethiopia. Conway and Schipper (2011) show that chronic food insecurity affects 10 % of Ethiopian population and that they rely on food assistance. For the analysis of the 1998 floods in Bangladesh on household food security, health and nutrition, see Del Ninno, et al. (2001). An analysis of Bangladesh’s seasonal hunger and the evolution of several policy interventions in the North West region is found in Khandker and Mahmud (2012).

The 2010 GHI incorporates three interlinked hunger-related indicators, namely the proportion of under-nourished in the population, the prevalence of underweight in children under the age of five, and the mortality rate of children under the age of five. The index ranks countries on a 100-point scale, with 0 being the best score (no hunger) and 100 being the worst. Values less than 5.0 reflect low hunger, values between 5.0 and 9.9 reflect moderate hunger, values between 10.0 and 19.9 indicate a serious problem, values between 20.0 and 29.9 are alarming, and values of 30.0 or higher are extremely alarming.

A literature review about the role of household consumption and savings in economic development is found in Deaton (1997).

Further information on RANQ is available at: http://​www.​welldev.​org.​uk/​research/​methods-toobox/​ranq-toolbox.​htm.

The question was: “During the last 12 months, did your household suffer any shortage of staple food?” The answers were yes or no. It is recognised that it is not a perfect indicator, but at least provides some indication of the scarcity of staple food, a major source of calories for the household.

A summary of food security and aid food policies in Bangladesh and Ethiopia is found in Del Ninno et al. (2007). Analysis on food aid in rural Ethiopia was conducted, among others, by Jayne et al (2001) and Quisumbing (2003).

For instance, Devine (2008: 2) reported that “the Sholpomulle Khaddo Sorborho Prokolpo (SKSP) is a national relief program initiated by the Government and implemented through the Union Parishads (UP). The aim of the program is to distribute rice at a subsidised rate among the poorest households. The Union SKSP Committee, comprising mostly locally elected officials, is responsible for identifying beneficiaries. WeD research into SKSP found that the list prepared by the SKSP Committee was replaced by another one prepared and sanctioned by the local representative of the ruling party. (…). Being poor therefore was a necessary but insufficient criterion to be included on the list. For those not associated with the ruling party, the chances of receiving benefits from the SKSP were negligible”.

Honorific title relates to the educational status, political position or religious status of a senior member.

There is an endogeneity problem between household receiving food aid and experience of food shortage. The use of dummy variables for research site tries to control for spatially correlated characteristics such as the presence of food aid, food programs and quality of services delivery. For empirical analysis on this issue see Dercon and Krishnan (2000) and Yamano et al. (2005).

Sen (2003) analysed panel data of rural households interviewed in 1987–1988 and 2000. Falling into poverty conditions was associated with events such as flooding and ill-health.

Cash et al. (2013) describe the negative effects of five floods in Bangladesh over the last 40 years. Brouwer et al. (2007) study the adaptation to environmental risk in Bangladesh, asking 700 people living in the River Meghna about their flood damage costs and coping strategies. The authors conclude that household income as well as income inequality at community level are positively associated to flood damage costs. In contrast, the number of income sources is negatively correlated with damage costs and that implementing preventative measures (such as land elevation works) reduce damage costs.

Factors affecting the rate of dowry are: level of education of the bride, bride’s beauty, financial conditions of the bride’s and groom’s family, professional profile of the groom and family tradition (The WeD BIDS Team 2004).

For an analysis of the gender-differentiated impact of shocks on assets in rural Bangladesh, see Quisumbing et al. (2011). Using panel data for the 2006–2007 and the 2010 rounds, the authors found that dowry and wedding expenses as well as illness shocks had a detrimental impact on wives’ assets while weather shocks have a larger effect on men’s assets.

Bangladesh has registered in the last four decades major but imbalanced health achievements. The country shows, for instance, progress in human survival, high coverage of vaccination and wide use of oral rehydration therapy but also low rates of maternal antenatal care use and of skilled birth attendance, as well as high prevalence of child malnutrition. Poverty, inequality and corruption are still key challenges to be addressed when trying to improve the health status of poor people (Chowdhury et al. 2013). Bangladesh has also considerably reduced the negative health effects of natural hazards such as floods and cyclones. For instance, measures like the construction of embankments and of elevated homesteads and the provision of food support and agricultural resources have been used (Cash et al. 2013).

Alem and Söderbom (2012) carried out an analysis of the effects of the 2008 food price shock on the household level consumption in urban Ethiopia. Findings suggest that households with low assets and casual workers were negatively affected by high food prices.