The role of remittances, institutional quality, and economic growth in achieving sustainable food security in Somalia

Food security plays a critical role in sustaining human well-being and economic stability, as reliable access to sufficient, nutritious food supports health, productive livelihoods, and communities’ ability to cope with shocks, especially in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Empirical evidence on this topic remains scarce, particularly for least developed and fragile countries such as Somalia. In response to this gap, this study examines the effects of remittances, institutional quality, economic growth, and foreign direct investment on food security in Somalia, using time-series observations spanning 1990–2022. The study employs Kernel Regularized Least Squares (KRLS) and the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bound test method. The results show that remittances, economic growth, and institutional quality have statistically significant effects, while foreign direct investment does not exhibit a significant relationship with food security. In addition, the study reveals that remittance and institutional quality hinder food security in Somalia. In contrast, economic growth improves food security in Somalia. The study suggests policy reforms that strengthen food security in Somalia by complementing remittances with effective social protection, locally delivered institutional support, and inclusive economic growth linked to job creation and domestic food production.