Household Resilience to Food and Nutrition Insecurity in Central America and the Caribbean

Latin American and Caribbean countries, affected mainly by extreme climatic events, are heterogeneous in farming practices and the relevance of critical determinants of resilience. This paper fills the knowledge gap and informs on the application of the Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis version II (RIMA-II) for Resilience on Food and Nutrition Security (RFNS) indicators in five vulnerable countries in Central America and the Caribbean: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. Already-collected information on food consumption and social and economic dimensions, depicting key determinants or pillars as defined by RIMA-II methodology, is the basis for developing several models on RFNS. These findings are baselines for subnational territories and country-specific inputs for monitoring and enhancing Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) indicators. This paper fills three critical gaps in the literature on resilience. It presents cross-country data-driven evidence, highlighting consistencies and discrepancies by analyzing data on otherwise unexplored Latin American and Caribbean countries. It suggests the country-specific approach of resilience measurement for heterogeneous contexts. In addition, it provides policy indications to support the role of farm diversification in promoting household resilience.

Automated summary

This study applies the Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis version II (RIMA-II) to study food and nutrition security in five vulnerable countries in Central America and the Caribbean, providing baselines and policy recommendations for monitoring and enhancing FNS indicators.