[N(poster)] ポスターセッション

英語

[1O12] The Role of Remittances in Household Food Security: Insights from Food Consumption Scores and Livelihood Coping Strategies in Myanmar

*Niang Phyo Thandar¹、JOSHI Niraj Prakash¹ (1. Hiroshima University)

キーワード：

Remittances、Food Consumption Score、Livelihood Coping Strategy Index、Myanmar、Socio-economic Shocks

Recent socio-political and economic shocks in Myanmar, including displacement, instability, and the COVID-19 pandemic, have increased household vulnerability to food insecurity, making remittances from migrant family members a crucial source of support. This study examines the impact of remittance inflows on household food security in Myanmar, measured by two complementary indicators: the Food Consumption Score (FCS) and the Livelihood Coping Strategies Index (LCSI). The FCS is used as a binary indicator of poor/borderline consumption (less than or equal to 38.5), which is the threshold suggested by the World Food Program (WFP). The LCSI is categorized into four groups, namely, No coping, Stress, Crisis, and Emergency, based on the WFP classification, reflecting the severity of livelihood-based coping strategies employed by households during food shortages. Using the 5^th round of Myanmar Household Welfare (MHWS) survey data, the analysis investigates whether households receiving remittances experience improved dietary diversity and reduced reliance on coping strategies during periods of food stress. To address potential selection bias, propensity score matching (PSM) is employed to compare remittance-receiving households with observationally similar non-receiving households on key demographic and socio-economic factors. Results consistently show that remittance-receiving households are significantly less likely to experience low food consumption, indicating a 9.6 percentage point reduction in the probability of low food consumption compared to comparable non-recipient households. However, remittances have no significant effect on households’ coping strategies. Heterogeneity analysis by conflict exposure shows that remittances enhance food security and income in conflict-affected households, highlighting their role in mitigating vulnerability while underscoring the need for complementary interventions to strengthen adaptive coping mechanisms. These findings offer important policy insights, suggesting that facilitating efficient remittance channels and supporting migrant households can strengthen nutrition and reduce reliance on negative coping strategies.