The state of food security and Nutrition in Myanmar 2022-23: Findings from six rounds of the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey

This working paper explores the state of food security and nutrition in Myanmar using 6 rounds of nationally representative household panel data collected from December 2021 to November 2023. Overall, the state of food security and nutrition has deteriorated in Myanmar in 2022-23. More than 3 percen...

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Autor principal: Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2024
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139140
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author Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
author_browse Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
author_facet Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
author_sort Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This working paper explores the state of food security and nutrition in Myanmar using 6 rounds of nationally representative household panel data collected from December 2021 to November 2023. Overall, the state of food security and nutrition has deteriorated in Myanmar in 2022-23. More than 3 percent of households were in moderate to severe hunger in September-November 2023. Hunger was highest in Chin (8.7 percent) and Tanintharyi (7.0 percent). Households with a low food consumption score increased from 9.4 percent in December 2021-February 2022 to 15.9 percent in October-December 2022 and remained high at 14.4 percent in September-November 2023. The shares in September-November 2023 were highest in Chin (38.2 percent), Kayah (22.4 percent), and Magway (20 percent). Inadequate diet diversity among adults rose from 20.6 percent to 30.9 percent over December 2021-February 2022 to October-December 2022, with an increase of 5.9 percentage points in the past one year. Women saw a faster decline in diet quality from December-February 2022 to September-November 2023 (12.1 percentage points increase in poor diet quality vs 8.4 percentage points for men). Decreases in diet quality among adults are driven by lower consumption of milk and dairy products as well as Vitamin A rich fruits, meat, fish, and eggs. 34.5 percent of all children aged 6-23 months and nearly a quarter (23.6 percent) of all children aged 6-59 months had inadequate diet quality in the latest round of survey. Regression analysis reveals low income and limited assets to be important risk factors for food security and adequate diet quality. Wage workers and low wage communities are found to be particularly vulnerable. Rising food prices, conflict and physical insecurity increase the likelihood of poor diet quality. Receiving remittances is a source of resilience; remittance-receiving households are less likely to experience hunger or poor dietary diversity at the household, adult, and child level. To avert a full-blown nutrition crisis in Myanmar, effective multisectoral steps are required to protect nutritionally vulnerable populations. Expanded implementation of nutrition- and gender sensitive social protection programs, including maternal and child cash transfers, particularly to vulnerable groups is called for. Further, given the importance of remittances as an effective coping mechanism, supporting migration and the flow of remittances would help to improve the welfare of the Myanmar population.
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spelling CGSpace1391402025-11-06T07:41:19Z The state of food security and Nutrition in Myanmar 2022-23: Findings from six rounds of the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity food security nutrition surveys data collection data analysis data diet This working paper explores the state of food security and nutrition in Myanmar using 6 rounds of nationally representative household panel data collected from December 2021 to November 2023. Overall, the state of food security and nutrition has deteriorated in Myanmar in 2022-23. More than 3 percent of households were in moderate to severe hunger in September-November 2023. Hunger was highest in Chin (8.7 percent) and Tanintharyi (7.0 percent). Households with a low food consumption score increased from 9.4 percent in December 2021-February 2022 to 15.9 percent in October-December 2022 and remained high at 14.4 percent in September-November 2023. The shares in September-November 2023 were highest in Chin (38.2 percent), Kayah (22.4 percent), and Magway (20 percent). Inadequate diet diversity among adults rose from 20.6 percent to 30.9 percent over December 2021-February 2022 to October-December 2022, with an increase of 5.9 percentage points in the past one year. Women saw a faster decline in diet quality from December-February 2022 to September-November 2023 (12.1 percentage points increase in poor diet quality vs 8.4 percentage points for men). Decreases in diet quality among adults are driven by lower consumption of milk and dairy products as well as Vitamin A rich fruits, meat, fish, and eggs. 34.5 percent of all children aged 6-23 months and nearly a quarter (23.6 percent) of all children aged 6-59 months had inadequate diet quality in the latest round of survey. Regression analysis reveals low income and limited assets to be important risk factors for food security and adequate diet quality. Wage workers and low wage communities are found to be particularly vulnerable. Rising food prices, conflict and physical insecurity increase the likelihood of poor diet quality. Receiving remittances is a source of resilience; remittance-receiving households are less likely to experience hunger or poor dietary diversity at the household, adult, and child level. To avert a full-blown nutrition crisis in Myanmar, effective multisectoral steps are required to protect nutritionally vulnerable populations. Expanded implementation of nutrition- and gender sensitive social protection programs, including maternal and child cash transfers, particularly to vulnerable groups is called for. Further, given the importance of remittances as an effective coping mechanism, supporting migration and the flow of remittances would help to improve the welfare of the Myanmar population. 2024-02 2024-02-09T16:03:07Z 2024-02-09T16:03:07Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139140 en Open Access application/pdf application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity. 2024. The state of food security and Nutrition in Myanmar 2022-23: Findings from six rounds of the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey. Myanmar SSP Working Paper 45. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139140
spellingShingle food security
nutrition
surveys
data collection
data analysis
data
diet
Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
The state of food security and Nutrition in Myanmar 2022-23: Findings from six rounds of the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey
title The state of food security and Nutrition in Myanmar 2022-23: Findings from six rounds of the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey
title_full The state of food security and Nutrition in Myanmar 2022-23: Findings from six rounds of the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey
title_fullStr The state of food security and Nutrition in Myanmar 2022-23: Findings from six rounds of the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey
title_full_unstemmed The state of food security and Nutrition in Myanmar 2022-23: Findings from six rounds of the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey
title_short The state of food security and Nutrition in Myanmar 2022-23: Findings from six rounds of the Myanmar Household Welfare Survey
title_sort state of food security and nutrition in myanmar 2022 23 findings from six rounds of the myanmar household welfare survey
topic food security
nutrition
surveys
data collection
data analysis
data
diet
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139140
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