Attachments
mVAM system
The remote food security monitoring system (mVAM) was launched in July 2022 and collects data via telephone interviews from households in locations across Bangladesh. Data was collected from a sample of 1,200 respondents across eight divisions. The mVAM survey was launched to provide near real-time analytics on food security and essential needs analysis across the country. It allows to assess the impact of shocks, including the developing global food crises, the COVID-19 pandemic and floods.
Note that phone interviews are more prone to bias and should be interpreted carefully.
Highlights
▪ In July 2022, 32 percent of the surveyed households were moderately food insecure, with less than one percent of households severely food insecure. Still, about half of the households applied crisis and emergency coping mechanisms (43 percent). This finding is alarming as applying negative coping mechanisms may have severe consequences for the future socialeconomic situation of the households. Due to the May and June 2022 floods, 75 percent of households in Sylhet and 38 percent of households in Mymensingh were food insecure, higher than the national average.
▪ The war in Ukraine impacted households’ capacity to meet their food needs because the prices of major food commodities sharply increased. The increased fuel and elevated export-import costs influence production and transportation costs negatively, impacting the entire economy.
▪ The recent floodsin Sylhet and Mymensingh affected households directly as well asindirectly. Negative coping mechanisms applied by households - indicating exhausted savings and including compromising on preferred food, having irregular meals, selling productive assets, borrowing from friends and families, sending kids to work - may threaten households’ capacity to meet future food and basic needs.