Regional Disparities in Food Security: An Empirical Analysis of Pakistan's Provinces and Region

Abstract

Pakistan is an agricultural country. Despite self-sufficiency in major staples, the food security situation in Pakistan is very alarming. Moreover, the incidence of food insecurity is not uniform throughout the country. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyse the severity of food insecurity at the national and provincial levels across regions. The data on various indicators from HIES/PSLM for 2018-2019 is taken from HIES/PSLM. The food insecurity index is estimated to capture the extent of food insecurity at national, provincial, and regional levels based on a dietary intake assessment approach. The provincial analysis indicates that the conditions of food insecurity in Sindh are worse than in other provinces. Similarly, the rural regions are more food insecure than the urban regions. The study points out that the ruling governments in Pakistan must pay crucial importance to this matter to provide people with physical and economic access to food.