Climatic shocks and food security among agricultural households in Togo

Abstract

Abstract The general objective of this paper is to analyse the effect of climate shocks on the food security of agricultural households in Togo. The generalized ordered logit model and the fixed-effects ordered logistic regression were applied to data from the EHCVM, (2018) and QUIBB, 2011 and 2015 conducted by INSEED in Togo. The Food Insecurity Experience Scale and the food consumption score are used as food security indicators. The study results reveal that climate shocks positively affect moderate and severe food insecurity among agricultural households. However, farm households that have experienced climate shocks but report being wealthy, possessing social capital, or having access to agricultural credit have a low probability of being food insecure in Togo. The study suggests policies to strengthen the resilience of farm households to climate shocks to improve their food security. JEL code: O12, Q54, Q18