Publication: Food Insecurity and Conflict : Applying the WDR Framework
Loading...
Files in English
13,297 downloads
Published
2011-08-02
ISSN
Date
2012-06-26
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Delineates the link between food insecurity and conflict, addressing both traditional (civil and interstate war) and emerging (regime stability, violent rioting, and communal conflict) threats to security and political stability. National governments, intergovernmental organizations, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) all work to address food insecurity and break the vicious cycle between food insecurity and instability. Increased food prices, especially in 2007-08 due to biofuel and energy prices and demand outpacing supply, lead to heightened tensions and enhance fragility. Food assistance and rebuilding social capital along with institutional reform that supports market development allows communities to develop social cohesion. Regional and global reserves, international support, and food transfers all contribute to solutions but all have negative factors as well as positive, especially because none of them can stabilize food prices and adequately address climate change effects. During transition and peacebuilding phases, food assistance plays a critical role and should not be phased out too quickly.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Brinkman, Henk-Jan; Hendrix, Cullen S.. 2011. Food Insecurity and Conflict : Applying the WDR Framework. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9106 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Food Insecurity and Conflict(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2010-08-02)This paper provides a synthetic overview of the link between food insecurity and conflict, addressing both traditional (civil and interstate war) and emerging (regime stability, violent rioting and communal conflict) threats to security and political stability. In addition, it addresses the various attempts by national governments, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society to address food insecurity and, in particular, the link with conflict. It begins with a discussion of the various effects of food insecurity for several types of conflict, and discusses the interactions among political, social, and demographic factors that may exacerbate these effects. It then discusses the capabilities of states, international markets, intergovernmental organizations, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to break the link between food security and conflict by focusing on mechanisms that can shield both food consumers and producers from short-term price instability. Finally, it discusses projected trends in both food insecurity and conflict and concludes with some brief comments on policies that can build resilience in light of projections of higher and volatile food prices and a changing climate.Publication Food Security and Conflict(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-10-22)Finds that food insecurity has clearly contributed to outbreaks of social unrest or worse, while conflict has induced situations of food insecurity. The factors of population growth, competitive pressure on land and water use, climate change, and price volatility tend to increase stress, raising the risk of civil unrest or conflict. The most fragile countries often have the least capability to respond, falling victim to the vicious circle of conflict and food insecurity. Food aid, including insurance options for agricultural commodities, limits immediate food insecurity impacts of conflict and continues to alleviate even greater harm to innocent people. Such aid can also assist in better transition to longer-term agricultural productivity growth and local market development, especially in rural areas that tend to be poorer; however, it is not possible to significantly reduce conflict on a sustained basis without significant new investment and partnerships in key areas of agriculture and rural development.Publication Conflict Relapse and the Sustainability of Post-Conflict Peace(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2011)Finds civil wars and their recurrence fall into three patterns: (1) the 'conflict trap,' meaning once a country experiences one civil war, it is significantly more likely to experience additional episodes of violence as shown by a 57 percent recidivism rate from 1945-2009; (2) the dominant form of armed conflict in the world today is recurring civil war; and (3) concentration of civil wars in a few regions, especially in the poorest and weakest states of sub-Saharan Africa. Renewed wars result primarily from factors such as grievances based on economic under-development and ethnic and religious differences, and opportunities for rebellion created by rebel recruitment, money and supplies, and constraints on state capacity. Political institutions are the key to explaining why some countries can escape the conflict trap while others cannot. How the war ends--whether by ceasefire or comprehensive peace treaty--appears not to matter, although the government's ability to credibly commit to a peace agreement likely affects its ability to avoid repeat civil war.Publication CDD in Post-Conflict and Conflict-Affected Areas : Experiences from East Asia(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2011)Describes the World Bank's experience of using community-driven development (CDD) in conflict-affected and post-conflict areas of the East Asia and Pacific region and provides a framework for assessing the CDD's success in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. When beneficiaries manage project resources, communities see more efficient and effective fund use with 'spillover' impacts: building local institutions and leadership, enhancing civic capacity, improving social relations, and boosting state legitimacy. CDD operations effectively address local economic deprivation even in areas of high conflict although CDD projects cannot alone cannot be responsible for major infrastructure reconstruction. Overall, CDD�s effect on aggregate levels and impacts of violent conflict, whether it is localized violence or larger-scale violent unrest has not been fully studied; however, when projects work well, and have functioned in areas for a number of years, they can have indirect conflict impacts, affecting social relations and behavior in ways that may make communities more robust to dealing with local problems and preventing future conflict escalation.Publication Demographic and Health Consequences of Civil Conflict(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2011)Explains that the well-being of individuals and families in conflict and post-conflict states is a key condition for sustainable peace and long-term development, and matches within countries the differences in scale and intensity of civil conflict with the needs of the affected populations. After a steady post-Cold War decline, the number of ongoing civil conflicts in poor countries increased for the first time to 30 in 2007, according to the Uppsala Conflict Data Programme (UCDP). These conflicts subject the civilian population, including women and children, to arbitrary violence and to systematic and long-term deprivations of food and public health services. The size and profile of this population, its essential demographic data, and its health and nutritional status are needed information to help set priorities for interventions both during and after the conflict. The top priorities include infant health, maternal care, food and nutrition, and basic sanitation. Development programming for post-conflict countries should be based on accurate and timely evidence to justify the priorities selected.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Business Ready 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-03)Business Ready (B-READY) is a new World Bank Group corporate flagship report that evaluates the business and investment climate worldwide. It replaces and improves upon the Doing Business project. B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The analysis centers on 10 topics essential for private sector development that correspond to various stages of the life cycle of a firm. The report also offers insights into three cross-cutting themes that are relevant for modern economies: digital adoption, environmental sustainability, and gender. B-READY draws on a robust data collection process that includes specially tailored expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys. The 2024 report, which covers 50 economies, serves as the first in a series that will expand in geographical coverage and refine its methodology over time, supporting reform advocacy, policy guidance, and further analysis and research.Publication World Development Report 2006(Washington, DC, 2005)This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.Publication Argentina Country Climate and Development Report(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Digital Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-13)All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.