Publication: Monitoring Food Insecurity and Vulnerability in Yemen: Results from the Yemen Mobile Phone Monitoring Survey - Round II
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2023-08-24
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2023-08-24
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The World Bank carried out a second phone survey to monitor food insecurity and vulnerability in Yemen. The survey, implemented between January and March 2023, aims to provide an update on the welfare of Yemeni households. The survey draws on a probability sample of 1,455 respondents, 711 of whom are based in rural areas, while 467 and 277 are living in urban and semi-urban areas respectively. Most of the respondents are male (1,116 men versus 339 women). The results show that around 43 percent of households have inadequate food consumption, among whom 20 percent experience poor food consumption. A relatively large proportion of households live on an unbalanced diet composed mainly of staple starches. Disparities in food insecurity are significant and relate to characteristics such as displacement and employment status. Notably, food security has improved, particularly in Houthi-controlled areas. The share of households with poor or borderline food consumption scores decreased from 50 to 43 percent between Round 1, implemented in August-September 2022, and Round 2, conducted between January and March 2023. In Round 1, we found that households in Houthi-controlled areas were worse off in terms of food security compared to their counterparts in IRG-controlled areas. This changed in Round 2, where food security is better in Houthi controlled areas. This improvement could be explained by the easing of restrictions on fuel at Al Hodeida port in early 2023, a decrease in international wheat prices, and potentially the introduction of price caps for food items in Houthi controlled areas since December 2022.
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“World Bank. 2023. Monitoring Food Insecurity and Vulnerability in Yemen: Results from the Yemen Mobile Phone Monitoring Survey - Round II. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/40266 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
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