By Amber Liskey - Senior Analyst, Navanti Group, LLC
Embroiled in an ongoing civil war since 2015, the food security situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate. According to food security experts, around two-thirds of the population are food insecure and in need of food and livelihood support. A recent 2020 FEWS NET Food Security Outlook Update classified much of the country as crisis-level food insecure (IPC Phase 3); without the presence of humanitarian aid, many of these areas would slip into emergency-level food insecurity. Furthermore, the Ta’izz governorate was found to have the largest number of people in a crisis or emergency food insecurity situation, at nearly 600,000.
To better understand the larger food security context on the ground in Yemen, a case study was conducted using structured interviews with six female primary food preparers in poor households[i] in both urban and rural areas of Ta’izz governorate. Interviews were conducted from December 10 – 16, 2020.
Methodology
Qualitative data was combined to form a composite narrative and quantitative data was averaged across households. Qualitative interview questions related to the household's ability to access food, the decision-making processes around meal planning, and effects of conflict and displacement on food access. Quantitative interview questions required respondents to provide daily food quantity and cost by item, in Yemeni riyals (YER) per kilogram. This information was then used to calculate the average daily food intake in grams and total cost per food group. Furthermore, grams were converted to calories using the same caloric multipliers as used by the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) Minimum Food Basket (MFB) to estimate daily caloric intake per person. Public data available from the World Food Program (WFP) was used to calculate inflation rates, wage rates, and the change in the cost of staple goods since the start of the conflict.
Key Findings
- All households interviewed had difficulty attaining three full meals each day for all family members; family members often had to eat any leftovers from lunch for dinner or skip meals altogether. Adults members typically ration food so the children can eat.
- Options to buy food on credit have dwindled as most households no longer have the ability to pay back debts.
- The most reliable period of access to food is during Ramadan when charitable giving typically increases. However, access to food generally drops off again after the holiday season and in the winter months after the end of the rainy season, which typically runs from mid-April to August, when the fall’s harvest is exhausted.
- Life has become more expensive over time. On average across the governorate, wage rates have increased only 50-60% since 2016 while the inflation rate increased 127%, meaning the cost of living has increased at a greater rate than the value of wages. In addition to inflation, primary income earners often go days or even weeks between work.
- Food prices have risen in conjunction with the increasing inflation rate, making it progressively difficult for households to afford basic food items. Most items have nearly doubled in price since 2015 while the cost of rice has nearly tripled.
The estimated average cost of food per person per day was around 223 Yemeni riyal (YER) or just $0.25 USD per day using a parallel exchange rate of 885 YER/USD,[ii] accounting for all food and non-food ingredients such as gas for cooking (figure 1). The estimated caloric intake per person per day on average was around 1,332 calories.
Figure 1. Average meal expenditure per person per day (YER)
Source: Navanti
Note: Total average meal expenditure per day per person is 223 YER. Wheat, rice, beans, oil, sugar, and salt were categorized according to the Minimum Food Basket (MFB) definition, while all other items were categorized separately.
Figure 2. The portion of diet by food type (% by weight in grams)
Source: Navanti
Note: Grains account for the majority (64%) of the average total amount of food consumed each day per person by weight in grams. Notably, vegetables make up nearly a third of the total cost, but only around 10% of the total food eaten.
[i] Poor households here refers to roughly the poorest 20% of the population, those who have difficulty paying for all essential needs including purchases for education, health, and livelihoods.
[ii] This rate of 885 YER/USD reflects the parallel market exchange rate of the Yemeni riyal new edition as of December 2020. The parallel market exchange rate of Yemeni riyal (new edition) is subject to continuous and sometimes extreme fluctuations in value.
