Smallholder food storage dynamics and resilience

Kurt B. Waldman, Stacey Giroux, Jordan P. Blekking, Kathy Baylis, Tom P. Evans

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

For smallholder farmers in developing countries, agricultural production is seasonal yet food demand is constant throughout the year. One fundamental agricultural decision is how much harvest to sell versus store for subsequent household consumption. Little is known about the temporal dimensions of grain storage, the extent to which storage levels vary over time, and the diversity of food storage patterns across different household types. This paper examines household level maize storage consumption, sales, and purchases using weekly food storage data collected via text message. We demonstrate how high frequency data can be used to measure rates and patterns of food storage decline, identify thresholds of food security, and anticipate future periods of food insecurity at a fine spatial scale.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)7-20
Number of pages14
JournalFood Security
Volume12
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2020

Keywords

  • Africa
  • Food storage
  • Maize
  • Resilience
  • Zambia

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Food Science
  • Development
  • Agronomy and Crop Science

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