The impact of remittances on food security status of households of university students: the evidence from the Republic of Moldova

Bc. Tereza Šiftová

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Despite that remittances represent an important financial resource for rural households with the potential to relieve credit constraints, the empirical evidence regarding the effect of remittances on the food security status is limited in European countries. In Moldova, the annual fee for higher education occupies up to 70 % of annual average disposable income, therefore we assume that the attendance of university by students can affect the consumption patterns of their family and may lead to a greater dependence on their own production or remittances. Therefore, the thesis aims to identify the level of food insecurity among households of university students and to analyse the factors affecting food security status. The survey was conducted in September 2018 among 103 households of university students. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) as an indicator was used for analysis. In total, 47 % respondents suffer from a certain level of food insecurity. More than 14.5 % of households were classified as mildly food insecure, 15.5% as moderately food insecure and 16.5 % as severe food insecure. In order to find determinants of the level of food insecurity of household of university students, an ordered and binary probit regression model was used. Results revealed that with a higher monthly household’s income experienced a lower level of food insecurity, but those household, receiving food from migrant members experience higher level of food insecurity.

Keywords

Moldova, remittances, nutrition, youth, migration

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 15. 5. 2020

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Ing. Tereza Pilařová, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / field:
Tropical Agriculture / International Development and Agricultural Economics