Factors associated with Afghan household food security pre- and post-Taliban regime

Date

2023

Authors

Sadat, Seyyed Amin Allah
Pakravan-Charvadeh, Mohammad Reza
Gholamrezai, Saeed
Rahimian, Mehdi
Lane, Ginny
Béland, Daniel
Koc, Mustafa
Clark, Nancy
Omidvar, Nasrin
Sadeghi, Rasoul

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Journal of Public Health Policy

Abstract

To determine multifaceted determinants of household vulnerability to food insecurity in Afghanistan before and after the Taliban takeover, we randomly selected 555 households from 13 provinces, conducted in-person surveys, and applied the Household Food Insecurity Assess Scale (HFIAS) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). We collected data from January to April 2022. We observed an increase in both prevalence and severity of food insecurity among Afghan households after the Taliban takeover. Approximately, 98% and 70% of interviewed households were food insecure after and before the Taliban takeover, respectively. Similarly, households were more likely to be severely food insecure (81%) than before (40%). Our results showed that policy and political conditions contributed substantially to the food insecurity of Afghan households after the Taliban takeover. We recommend that the Taliban forces facilitate the presence of humanitarian organizations and NGOs to improve low-income households' food security, especially for women and children. We also recommend that international organizations enhance their attempts to negotiate with the Taliban to ensure freedom for women.

Description

Keywords

Afghanistan, food insecurity, Taliban takeover, household vulnerability

Citation

Sadat, S. A. A., Pakravan-Charvadeh, M. R., Gholamrezai, S., Rahimian, M., Lane, G., Béland, D., Koc, M., Clark, N., Omidvar, N., Sadeghi, R., & Vatanparast, H. (2023). Factors associated with Afghan household food security pre- and post-Taliban regime. Journal of Public Health Policy, 44(4), 551–565. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-023-00439-0