The Measurement and Causes of Food Security in Rural Areas:Based on Micro Household-level Panel Data

The food security situation in rural areas is constantly changing,so it is impossible to describe the dynamic characteristics of food security from the single point static perspective. According to food security identification results in rural areas in 2004,2006and 2009,this paper divides food security levels of rural households into four groups,namely food security,temporary food security,temporary food insecurity and chronic food insecurity,and analyzes the characteristics and causes of food security in rural areas and the swing mechanism of different food security statuses.It arrives at the following results:firstly,food security in rural areas taking energy and protein intake security as the benchmark is not optimistic and the percentages of population concerning chronic food insecurity are 23.24% and 27.40% respectively;secondly,economic growth can improve food security in rural areas,but with economic growth,food security levels in some rural areas reduce,showing that economic growth with the coordination of fiscal and tax systems, income distribution and so on plays a more effective role in food security in rural areas;thirdly, low income and greater physical activities lead to poorer food security in rural areas,and dynamic identification and group classification of food insecurity group are the key to the increase in food security in rural areas;fourthly,future focus on food security lies in a solution to dual pressures on malnutrition and over-nutrition,and the advocacy of scientific,healthy and frugal diet and consumption ideas.