What drives diversification of national food supplies? A cross-country analysis

Main author: Choudhury, Samira
Other authors: Headey, Derek
Format: Journal Article           
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id eprints-30070
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description Little previous research has explored what drives the diversification of national food supplies (DFS) across countries and regions. We construct and analyse a cross-country dataset linking a simple DFS indicator - the share of calories supplied by nonstaple foods - with structural transformation and agroecological indicators. Panel econometric models show that several indicators of structural transformation (economic growth, urbanization and demographic change) are strong predictors of diversification within countries, yet time-invariant agroecological factors are also significantly associated with diversification, which appears to explain why some countries have exceptionally low or high DFS relative to their level of economic development. We discuss the implications of these findings for food and nutrition strategies.
format Journal Article
author Choudhury, Samira
author_facet Choudhury, Samira
Headey, Derek
authorStr Choudhury, Samira
author_letter Choudhury, Samira
author2 Headey, Derek
author2Str Headey, Derek
title What drives diversification of national food supplies? A cross-country analysis
publisher Elsevier
publishDate 2017
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/30070/