Trade openness and the triple burden of malnutrition

Details

Supervisors

Prof. Dr. Goedele Van den Broeck

Faculty

Faculté des bioingénieurs

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences agronomiques et industries du vivant, à finalité spécialisée: Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis

Abstract

One of the most pressing concerns of the twenty-first century is ensuring that the world's population has consistent access to sufficient, affordable, and nutritious food. Liberalization of agricultural trade is often seen as a critical component of economic policies aimed at increasing food security in developed and developing countries. Many, however, contend that freer agricultural trade may not help most developing countries and may exacerbate food insecurity. Little is known empirically regarding the nutritional implications of trade on food security. Using a sample of 114 countries over the period 2001–2018, this thesis provides new empirical evidence and contributes to the literature in three main ways. First, for the global sample of countries, the impact of total agricultural trade openness on the prevalence of undernourishment (PoU), prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women (PoA), and prevalence of obesity among adults (PoO) is estimated. Second, emphasis is placed on agri-food product trade, notably cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables, and tropical commodities trade. Third, the analysis is split up across income groups: High income (HI), Upper middle income (UMI), Lower middle income (LMI), and Low-income countries (LI). Three main conclusions emerge: (a) agricultural trade openness contributes to increase the PoU, PoA, and PoO in all the countries selected; (b) agricultural trade openness contributes to increase the PoU and PoA in Low and middle-income countries (LMICs); (c) trade in tropical commodities contributes to increase PoU, PoA, and PoO in all the countries selected. The findings suggest that developing countries may benefit by embracing food self-sufficiency for a period of time, despite such activities conflicting with World Trade Organization guidelines and the present agenda.