Food Security and Low-Income Households in the Malaysian East Coast Economic Region: An Empirical Analysis

This research aims at analyzing the level of food security among some selected poor and low-income households in Malaysia. The study area is located in the East Coast Economic Region of the country. It uses primary data collected during the July-October months of 2012 and 460 sample families were chosen from the E-Kasih poor households database based on cluster random sampling technique. In this sample survey, households’ food security has been measured by the USAID-HFIA model. The findings of the study indicate that 52.8% of the households are food secure, that of 23.3% are mildly food insecure, 14.3% are moderately food insecure, and 9.6% are severely food insecure. The findings on the current situation of household food security among different economic groups is very important for the policy makers to achieve Vision 2020 and the targets of Malaysian National Plans regarding food security, socioeconomic development and poverty alleviation. In order to ensure food security in Malaysia, especial focuses are needed for those who are severely food insecured and those who are food insecured but marginally above the poverty line. Here the involvement of private sector and community based organizations are also important to combat the short run, seasonal, and event related risk of food insecurity as well as for the development of appropriate mitigation and adaptation options to ensure sustainable food security at household level in Malaysia.