Urban Shocks: The Relationship Between Food Prices and Food Security in Lesotho

The 2008 Food Price Crisis is estimated to have affected millions, forcing households into deeper poverty and food insecurity. However, nationally aggregated surveys demonstrate a remarkable degree of heterogeneity in the food insecurity impacts of high food prices. This investigation uses household survey data collected from the city of Maseru, Lesotho, during the 2008 Food Price Crisis to determine whether the impact of food prices was associated with household food insecurity. The investigation found that, while going without food due to food prices was associated with reduced dietary diversity, there was a much stronger association between food price impacts and reduced food access.