EPAR Technical Report #337
Mon, 06/20/2016
Authors: 
C. Leigh Anderson
Travis Reynolds
Joshua Merfeld
Pierre Biscaye
Margaret Beetstra
Katie Panhorst Harris
Abstract: 

Relative to chronic hunger, seasonal hunger in rural and urban areas of Africa is poorly understood. No estimates are compiled, and limited evidence exists on prevalence, causes, and impacts. This paper contributes to the body of evidence by examining the extent and potential drivers of seasonal hunger using panel data from the Malawi Integrated Household Panel Survey (IHPS). Farmers are commonly thought to use various strategies to smooth consumption, including planting “off-season” crops, investing in post-harvest storage technologies, or generally diversifying farm portfolios including livestock products and/or wild crops. Similarly, when markets are available, farmers may diversify through off-farm income sources in order to purchase food in lean seasons. We investigate whether seasonal hunger – distinct from chronic hunger – exists in Malawi, drawing on two waves of panel data from the LSMS-ISA series. We examine the extent of seasonal hunger, factors associated with variation in seasonal hunger, and how recurring and longer-term seasonal hunger might be associated with various household welfare measures. We find that both urban and rural households report experiencing seasonal hunger in the pre-harvest months, with descriptive evidence suggesting male gender, age, and education of household head, livestock ownership, and storage of crops are associated with lower levels of seasonal hunger. In addition, we find that Malawian households with seasonal hunger harvest crops earlier than average – a short-term coping mechanism that can reduce the crop’s yield and nutritional value, possibly perpetuating hunger.

This paper has been published in the Journal of Development Studies. The code used to conduct this analysis is available through our GitHub repository.

Findings from this report were presented at the CUGH Conference in San Francisco in April 2016, and at the APPAM International Conference in London, the ICABR Conference in Ravello, Italy, and the AgMIP Conference in Montpellier, France in June 2016. Presentation slides are available upon request.

Findings were presented as a poster at the American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting in January 2017.

Type of Research: 
Data Analysis
Research Topic Category: 
Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Livelihoods
Agricultural Productivity, Yield, & Constraints
Household Well-Being & Equity
Food Security & Nutrition
Geographic focus: 
Southern Africa Region and Selected Countries
Dataset(s): 
LSMS & LSMS-ISA