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The effect of formal education on food security in Togo

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Abstract

Human capital is a critical factor in the development and well-being of an individual. To assess this critical role, this paper proposes to analyze the effect of formal education level on food security status at the individual level in Togo. The Food and Agriculture Organization's Food Insecurity Experience Scale is used to capture food security in this study. The chi-square test and probit model are used. The results of the study show that about 36% of the respondents were in food security; 49% were in moderate food insecurity and 14% were in severe food insecurity. We found that, whatever the respondent's level of education, there was a positive effect on the respondent's food security. Compared to respondents with a primary level of education, having a college degree increases the probability that the respondent is in food security by 10.3%. This probability increases to 17.9% when the respondent has a high school education level. Finally, the study shows the existence of significant heterogeneity in the determinants of food security according to the gender of the individual. To this end, any policy aimed at investing in the formal education of the Togolese population while favoring vulnerable groups is desirable, particularly for women.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from GWP at worldpollparters@gallup.com, upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the symposium organized by FASEG of the University of Lomé (Togo) in April 2022 and benefited the constructive comments from symposium participants. The authors would like to thank the editor and the reviewers for their comments, which helped us to improve this paper. We also thank GWP for making the data available for this research. Finally, the authors thank Mr. Koffi Géraud TOZO for his contributions.

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This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Recherche en Economie Appliquée Et Management Des Organisations (CREAMO), University of Lomé (Togo), 01 BP: 1515, Lomé, Togo

    Kodjo Théodore Gnedeka

  2. Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Economiques Et de Gestion (LaRSEG), University of Kara (Togo), Kara, Togo

    Kwami Ossadzifo Wonyra

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  1. Kodjo Théodore Gnedeka
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Fig. 6
figure 6

The ROC curve for the probit model

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Table 5 Tests and criteria for model selection
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Table 6 Test of Hosmer and Lemesbow, (1980)
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Table 7 estimation of coefficients and marginal effects of logit and probit model
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Gnedeka, K.T., Wonyra, K.O. The effect of formal education on food security in Togo. Environ Dev Sustain (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04997-5

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