The Impact of Remittances on Food Security Status in the Global South

Abstract

International remittances to developing countries attract increasing attention because of their rise in volume and their impact on the recipient countries. Receiving remittances from outside the country has become a household coping strategy that might reduce poverty, alleviate hunger, promote better diets and increase productive investments. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the link between receiving remittances and the food security status in the Global South countries. This is the first study that examines the association between food security and receiving remittances by using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) for individuals in the Global South. Data were obtained from the 2017 Gallup World Poll (GWP), which interviewed face-to-face 68,463 individuals in more than 60 countries. We have found a significant association between receiving remittances and food security. In the unadjusted logistics regression, irrespective of geography, severe food insecurity was significantly related to not receiving remittances (OR=1.532; P= 0.000). Although receiving remittances seems to positively affect the food security status of individuals in the GS, the association might not apply to all countries in the analyzed sample.