Agro-export specialization and food security in a sub-national context: the case of Colombian cut flowers

Abstract

Export-oriented development is largely premised on the spread and intensification of non-traditional agricultural exports (NTAEs) destined for northern markets. While developing countries have become leading suppliers of NTAEs, there has been limited attention to the impacts of agro-export specialization on food security at the sub-national scale. This article examines the impact of agro-export specialization on food security in flower-producing municipalities in the savanna of Bogota region in Colombia1. I argue that current trends in domestic food production at the regional and municipal scales and purchasing power of individual households associated with trade liberalization and NTAEs pose a threat to food security at the sub-national scale.