Does Consumer Price Index Affect Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa?

摘要

Food security is a major global issue with over a billion people believed to lack sufficient dietary access while others suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. In Sub-Saharan Africa, food insecurity is further exacerbated by climate change scenarios, absence of appropriate storage facilities and increase in transportation costs. These deeply impact traditional farming methods and livelihoods there by restricting access to sufficient food hence leaving people in constant food crisis. This paper assesses the influence of consumer price index (CPI) on food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is based on the premise that, consumer spending of households is often influenced by price elasticity (changes in food prices) with a consequence on household incomes. The study found out that, food price inflation has increased in many Sub-Saharan African countries; pushing up CPIs with ripple effects on households and on the macro economy. This has a direct consequence on the already weakened household purchasing power thus exposing these households to food insecurity. Therefore, the potential impacts of price elasticity in relation to CPI is a fundamental food security issue.