The project explores how external debt shapes food security and nutrition outcomes in African countries. It investigates how debt stock, servicing burdens, and creditor composition influence different dimensions of food security and child nutrition.

The project highlights nonlinear debt effects, sectoral transmission channels and the role of governance in determining whether borrowing supports or undermines resilient food systems.

Focus area

• Debt structure & macroeconomic pressures: We distinguish between debt stock and servicing burdens, and how each affects food systems.
• Food security & nutrition outcomes: We examine how external debt stock and servicing impact food availability, affordability, quality, safety, and child stunting.
• Creditor composition & financing conditions: We investigate how multilateral, bilateral, and private loans differently shape food security outcomes.
• Transmission channels & sectoral impacts: We analyze the role of agricultural performance and public investment in mediating debt effects.

Key objectives

• Assess how external debt stock and servicing affect multiple dimensions of food security and child nutrition.
• Examine how debt servicing versus stock, and multilateral versus bilateral/private loans, shape outcomes.
• Analyze how debt influences food security through agricultural productivity and public investment.
• Evaluate how impacts vary across income levels, infrastructure, and food import dependency.
• Determine levels at which debt shifts from beneficial to harmful for food systems.
• Explore how fiscal management, transparency, and institutional quality mediate outcomes.
  

External funding

Partial funding from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) External link, opens in new window..