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Food and Peace? Exploring the Link between Conflict and Food Insecurity in Africa

Author

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  • d'Agostino, Giorgio
  • Dunne, J. Paul
  • Pieroni, Luca

Abstract

This paper contributes to the literature on the costs of conflict, focusing on the important channel of its effect on food security. It does this by examining whether people in conflict zones lack sufficient food and whether this can be directly attributed to armed conflicts. It uses the Afrobarometer household survey and data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) for conflict indicators, specifically the number of battle- related events at the regional level. The dataset spans 2012–2022 across 29 African countries.The effect of battle-related events (i.e., battle deaths) on food insecurity is evaluated using a two-way fixed effect and a weighted regression framework that directly addresses unobserved heterogeneity. The model shows that a rise in battle-related events in a region leads to increased food insecurity and this result is found to be robust. When more intense food insecurity is considered conflict is also found to have an even larger effect. This provides evidence that conflict has a significant impact on food security in Africa. This has important health implications and adds to the evidence of the important legacy costs of conflict that can last long after the conflict ends.

Suggested Citation

  • d'Agostino, Giorgio & Dunne, J. Paul & Pieroni, Luca, 2024. "Food and Peace? Exploring the Link between Conflict and Food Insecurity in Africa," MPRA Paper 122247, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:122247
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Clionadh Raleigh & Roudabeh Kishi & Andrew Linke, 2023. "Political instability patterns are obscured by conflict dataset scope conditions, sources, and coding choices," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-17, December.
    2. John Paul Dunne & Nan Tian, 2019. "Costs of civil war and fragile states in Africa," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 1220-1237, August.
    3. Verpoorten, Marijke & Arora, Abhimanyu & Stoop, Nik & Swinnen, Johan, 2013. "Self-reported food insecurity in Africa during the food price crisis," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 51-63.
    4. Martin-Shields, Charles P. & Stojetz, Wolfgang, 2019. "Food security and conflict: Empirical challenges and future opportunities for research and policy making on food security and conflict," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 150-164.
    5. Philip Verwimp & Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mora, 2018. "Returning Home after Civil War: Food Security and Nutrition among Burundian Households," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(6), pages 1019-1040, June.
    6. Clionadh Raleigh & Roudabeh Kishi & Andrew Linke, 2023. "Correction: Political instability patterns are obscured by conflict dataset scope conditions, sources, and coding choices," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-1, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Food insecurity; Armed conflicts; African regions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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