Rural versus urban food security in Bangladesh

Abstract

ABSTRACT Within contemporary global food security discourse, the difference in food security issues between rural and urban households has received scant attention. Since urban and rural livelihoods and lifestyles are different, we hypothesized that the determinants of food security between rural and urban households could also be different. This study is one of the first attempts to thoroughly examine the difference in food security between rural and urban households in Bangladesh. Using recent field survey data from Bangladesh, and applying the binary logistic model, firstly, we find that rural households are likely to be more food secure than urban households. Secondly, this study finds that the determinants of food security vary between rural and urban households. Hence, policymakers and administrators must understand the specific community-level conditions so that they can identify which of the key variables must be addressed in the development of programmes to improve food security both in rural and urban areas.