Demand management of food systems in Asian and Near Eastern countries : a synthesis

There is no simple explanation for this performance. This paper explores a number of possible factors which might account for an underlying common structure of aggregate food demand in these countries. The influence of food prices and per capita incomes is shown to have a consistent influence on aggregate food demand, but these factors alone do not explain a large portion of the observed differences in food consumption. Other factors, such as the initial degree of calorie poverty and the changing share of urban dwellers in the total population, are also important. Finally, five case studies, which explore different approaches to food system demand management in Pakistan, India, Egypt, Thailand, and Indonesia, are briefly summarized. (Author abstract)