The disaggregated effects of policies for food security: the Pakistani case

The UN Sustainable Development Goals prioritize food security as one of their cornerstones. The Government of Pakistan has made food security a top priority in its 2022–2026 national defence policy, thus adding balanced dietary requirements to economic goals. This study aims to provide decision-makers with purpose-specific tools to evaluate the effects of fiscal policies from different perspectives, including food security. Using the SAM-based CGE model specifically developed for Pakistan, the study analyses three scenarios and evaluates the changes in GDP and its components, income distribution and food access in both aggregated and disaggregated terms. The database includes calories consumed by food item and households’ groups, differentiated by location and source of income. Then the model formalizes the main relations among consumption and calories and gives back signals on the potential shifts occurring in the consumption and nutritional patterns within the economy resulting from policy actions.