Approaches to assessing the impact of education on food security

Food security and education are two ways of a causal relationship. Food security has an impact on education and health and vice versa. Food insecurity, especially during the early years of child growth, leads to malnutrition and poor cognitive development and academic achievement. Education contributes to food security through school gardens, feeding, literacy skills, nutrition education and agriculture education. Food secure children are more likely to enrol in school on time, miss fewer days and have better academic performance than food-insecure children. Schools are an ideal setting to support the nutrition and development of children and adolescents. The impact of food insecurity on education is measured by school enrolment and attendance, academic performance, and child health and development, such as anthropometric measures as proxies. Promoting investment in the education sector should have a long-term impact on improving food security.