Effect of coping strategies on household food insecurity in Pakistan amid global economic crisis

Abstract

Food insecurity tends to be more prevalent amid crises. Several households employ various coping strategies to soften the crisis's financial impact and access adequate food for consumption. This study investigates the impact of various coping strategies on household food insecurity in Pakistan. The study endeavours to identify a more effective coping strategy for reducing food insecurity amid an economic crisis. The study uses nationally represented data surveyed to ‘evaluate the socio‐economic impact of a pandemic on the well‐being of people’. We applied the Ordered Logit and Inverse Probability Weighting model to estimate the aftermath of coping strategies on food insecurity levels. The study's findings suggest that a household that used coping strategies amid crisis is a vulnerable household and more likely to have food insecurity status. Moreover, the study suggests that the coping strategies’ extent (quantity) is positively associated with the likelihood of food insecurity. Finally, the study's aftermath suggests that amongst the different coping strategies, the erosive coping strategy has a lower likelihood of incidence of food insecurity than other strategies. However, within the erosive coping strategies, a household sold real estate asset has less likelihood of being food insecure than other erosive coping strategies. Moreover, spending savings or investments and liquidating real estate are crucial in determining the household's food security status amid the crisis. The study's key findings put forth some potential policy implications related to strategies that can hedge against the crisis and promote resilience in the face of food insecurity.