Executive Summary
The world is currently in the midst of a global food crisis which began in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic and compounded after the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine in 2022.
Adding to the crisis are ongoing extreme weather events related to climate change, which are increasing in frequency and severity across the globe. One of the results of this ‘polycrisis’ is that for most of the past four years, populations around the world have faced spiking food insecurity.
While the effects of the current polycrisis are being felt all over the world, in the Asia-Pacific region, the impacts have been particularly severe. In order to better understand the impacts of the ongoing polycrisis on food security in the Asia-Pacific region, this report investigates diets, nutrition, and food system resilience during the crisis in six selected countries – Bangladesh, the Philippines, Pakistan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic , Sri Lanka, and the Kyrgyz Republic.
Through this investigation, the report provides relevant insights on the shocks faced by each country during the crisis and assesses the resilience of their food systems in the face of these shocks. Moreover, it constructs much-needed data on the impacts of these shocks on diets and nutrition in each country.
First, the scoping review examines the existing evidence on the impacts of the ongoing crisis in the six selected countries.
Key findings include:
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Domestic food production was down from the pre-crisis period in all six countries.
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All six countries experienced significant food inflation during the crisis period.
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The purchasing power of consumers fell in all six countries during the crisis period, a decline felt disproportionately by women and youth, small-scale producers, and migrant and seasonal workers.
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Both dietary diversity and quality fell in all six countries during the crisis period, most severely for women and children.
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The use of food- and livelihood-based coping strategies rose in all six countries during the crisis period.
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The impacts of crisis were felt severely in both urban and rural areas.
Next, a conceptual model depicting the relationship between the food environment and changes in food security and nutrition is used to better understand the impact of the crisis on diets, nutrition, and resilience. Key findings include:
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From 2019-2021, the volume of food imports decreased, while the value of food imports increased.
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The value and proportion of “NCD risk” food imports increased, as did the sales volume of ‘risk’ foods.
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Household income increased overall but share of income spend on food stayed the same or increased.
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Where incomes decrease, these decreases are associated with sales of “NCD risk” foods.
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The cost of diets is rising, with greater increases in the cost of a nutritious diet.
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Increases in cost of diets means decreases in households able to afford those diets.
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The increased cost of a nutritious diet correlates with negative household-level diet and food security outcomes.
Third, to better understand the challenges faced by urban food vendors during the ongoing crisis period, a survey was conducted in the six focus countries in 2023, yielding 677 responses from food vendors across 11 cities. The findings showed urban food vendors faced disruptions during the crisis, including:
- Reduced access to customers or markets • Supply chain disruptions • Decreasing income
Finally, resilience snapshots were created assessing shocks, vulnerabilities, capabilities, and resilience strategies in all six selected countries. Key highlights provided by these snapshots include:
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Reliance on rice production in Bangladesh left the country highly vulnerable to disruptions to rice supply during the crisis.
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Reliance on imports in the Kyrgyz Republic significantly impacted food system resilience and led to food inflation and price volatility.
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Overlapping shocks in Lao People’s Democratic Republic during the crisis were mutually reinforcing and highlighted the need for multifaceted approaches to improving food system resilience in the current era of crises.
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Pakistan provided a sobering example of the Asia-Pacific region’s documented susceptibility to climate change, as unprecedented flooding damaged most domestic food production in 2022.
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In the Philippines, rapid urbanization negatively impacted urban food security, with children and women in particular facing negative nutrition outcomes.
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Sri Lanka’s catastrophic inorganic fertilizer ban in 2021, which halved local food production, highlighted the risks of enacting initiatives without stakeholder collaboration or relevant supportive training and education.
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Interestingly, while Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Sri Lanka both faced significant shocks during the crisis, each saw improvements in infrastructure, indicated by mobile cellular subscriptions, and a stable or increasing social capital index.
Building on the findings, the report concludes with recommendations to both mitigate the impacts of the current polycrisis and build resilience against future shocks. These recommendations will assist policymakers and partners in critical areas such as:
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Promoting local supply chain resilience
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Building climate resilience
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Expanding the social safety net for vulnerable groups
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Promoting healthy diets across food systems
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Supporting urban food vendors to mitigate disruptions in market access, supply chains, and income during crisis