Alternative food-security indicators: revisiting the frequency and severity of 'coping strategies'

Recent research on the multi-factorial nature of food security has provided a wealth of analytical insight, but measurement problems remain a major ch allenge, not only for research, but particularly for targeting, program man agement, monitoring and evaluation. Building on an approach suggested in a 1996 article, this paper constructs a series of alternative food-security i ndicators based on the frequency and severity of consumption-related coping strategies. These alternative indicators are then compared with more stand ard measures, including a consumption benchmark, a poverty benchmark and a nutritional benchmark using data from the 1997 Accra Urban Food and Nutriti on Study. Against these more traditional indicators, the coping strategy in dicators are best at ruling out cases-that is, minimizing the risk of class ifying a food-insecure household as food-secure. They also help to identify sources of vulnerability and the trade-offs made with other basic needs to acquire sufficient food. The measures outlined here are much less time-con suming and less expensive in terms of data collection and analysis, and the refore perhaps offer a pragmatic alternative to food and livelihood program managers. However, the comparative analysis of conventional benchmarks wit h the coping strategies indicator reveals some shortcomings with the benchm ark indicators as well-a sign that perhaps the indicators of food security proposed here are both alternative and complementary measures. (C) 1999 Els evier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.