8.2 Chronic and acute food insecurity
In your own community you might have become aware of households with food insecurity. There are two forms of food insecurity; chronic and acute. Chronic food insecurity is commonly described as the result of overwhelming poverty indicated by a lack of assets (means of living). Acute food insecurity is usually considered to be more of a short-term phenomenon related either to manmade or unusual natural shocks, such as drought. While the chronically food insecure population may experience food deficits relative to need in any given year, irrespective of the impact of shocks, the acutely food insecure require short term assistance to help them cope with unusual circumstances that impact temporarily on their lives and livelihoods. Both chronic and acute problems of food insecurity are widespread and severe in Ethiopia.
Table 8.1 depicts the types of households that are vulnerable to chronic and acute food insecurity in rural and urban settings within Ethiopia.
| Rural | Urban | Others | |
|---|---|---|---|
Chronic | Resource poor households Landless or land-scarce households Poor pastoralists Female-headed households Elderly, disabled and sick Poor non-agricultural households Newly established settlers | Low income households employed in informal sector Those outside the labour market Elderly, disabled and sick Some female-headed households Street children | Refugees Displaced people |
Acute | Resource poor households vulnerable to shocks, especially drought Farmers and others in drought prone areas Pastoralists Others vulnerable to economic shocks (eg. in low potential areas) | Urban poor vulnerable to economic shocks, especially those causing food price rises | Groups affected by temporary civil unrest |
What segments of the population are vulnerable to chronic food insecurity?
You may have thought of a number of people who are particularly vulnerable to chronic food insecurity, such as those who are not in work, the elderly, sick and disabled, female-headed households, and street children. People living in low income households, with informal employment are also very vulnerable.
8.1 Household food security