ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Food Policy and Economics
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1600096
This article is part of the Research TopicBreaking the Cycle: Exploring the Interplay of Conflict, Hunger, Poverty, and Food Insecurity in Africa and Other Regions, and Implications for PolicyView all articles
Insights into determinants influencing food security in the IGAD region of Eastern Africa
Provisionally accepted
- IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Center, Nairobi, Kenya
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Background: Food security in the IGAD region of Eastern Africa is affected by a complex interplay of climatic and non-climatic factors. This study explores the major determinants of food security in the region, including extreme climate events (droughts and floods), land use, population growth, food production, market dynamics, and political and economic stability.Methods: The study employed a combination of descriptive and analytical approaches. Climatic data were derived from CHIRPS (1981–2023) to assess drought and flood patterns using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). Non-climatic data, including population statistics, land availability, food production, trade data, and price trends, were sourced from FAOSTAT. The graphical data illustration, correlation analysis was conducted to examine the temporal patterns and relationships between food security determinants and outcomes such as cereal production, food prices, and undernourishment. Results: Findings reveal that droughts and extreme wet conditions significantly impact food security outcomes across IGAD countries. Rainfall and arable land showed the strongest positive correlation with cereal production. However, despite vast land resources, countries like Sudan and South Sudan have not fully utilized their agricultural potential. Population growth, unbalanced trade policies, and limited investment in agriculture contribute to high food prices and undernutrition. The correlation analysis indicates that economic stability and population dynamics are key influencers of food production and accessibility. Urban-rural population imbalances and policy gaps further exacerbate food insecurity risks.Conclusions: This study highlights the urgent need for a multi-sectoral and regionally coordinated approach to enhance food security in the IGAD region. Strategies should focus on climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable land management, inclusive economic policies, and food system innovations. Regional cooperation, targeted investments, and context-specific policy interventions are essential to reduce vulnerability and achieve sustainable food security.
Keywords: Food security, Food insecurity, determinants, IGAD region, East Africa
Received: 26 Mar 2025; Accepted: 13 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Omay, Bahaga and Fidar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Paulino Omoj Omay, IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Center, Nairobi, Kenya
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