Mitigating food insecurity through sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF): fresh global evidence

The shocks experienced between 2020 and 2022, specifically the COVID-19 epidemic and the surge in commodity prices, have highlighted a precarious scenario for the resilience of the global food system. This paper examines the determinants of global food security using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) across a panel of 74 developing and developed countries from 2011 to 2022. The study employs Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) to analyze the impact of SLF’s vulnerability context (internal conflicts, inflation), livelihood assets (credit to agriculture, social globalization), transforming structures and processes (regulatory quality), and livelihood strategies (labor force participation) on the global food security (livelihood outcome). Credit to agriculture, social globalization, and labor force participation were found to be the strong positive determinants of food security across countries. The study’s findings reveal important interactions between the components of the SLF, highlighting the complex interplay between livelihood assets and transforming structures and processes. Based on these findings, the study recommends policies to enhance agricultural credit access, improve regulatory frameworks, and promote social globalization to achieve food security.