A consumption-oriented approach to measuring regional food self-sufficiency

Abstract

Food security is usually identified as a desirable outcome depending on a variety of factors such as food availability, access and distribution. Food self-sufficiency is one of the key factors when it comes to evaluate food availability. Furthermore, food selfsufficiency is not only a national concern but also relevant on a sub-national scale. A consumption-oriented approach is proposed to measure the degree of self-sufficiency on a regional scale. In our proposal, exports are subtracted from domestic supply to assess the share of domestic production in domestic consumption. By doing so, the distortions caused by regional specialization in export crops are avoided. Due to its increasing relevance in consumption patterns, the food industry is included as a separate group of food items. Owing to their small size, high density of human activities, specialization in tourism, and remoteness from the European continent, the Canary Islands are an interesting laboratory for illustrating the advantages and shortcomings of measuring food self-sufficiency on a local scale.