Food Prices and Poverty

Headey, Derek D.

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: food crisis;    food prices;    poverty reduction;    food security;    agricultural supply response;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-7898
RP-ID  :  WPS7898

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Do higher food prices help or hinderpoverty reduction? Despite much debate, existing researchhas almost solely relied on simulation models to addressthis question. In this paper World Bank poverty estimatesare used to systematically test the relationship betweenchanges in poverty and exogenous changes in real domesticfood prices. The paper uncovers indicative evidence thatincreases in food prices are associated with reductions inpoverty, not increases. A likely empirical explanation isthe relatively strong agricultural supply and wage responsesto food price increases, and the fact that the majority ofthe world's poor still heavily rely on agriculture oragriculture-related activities to earn a living.