The food security of residents and refugees of Ukraine after the Russian invasion

Abstract

In this paper, survey evidence is used to examine the food security impacts of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. We focus on both residents of Ukraine and those fleeing to one of the wealthiest countries in Europe, Switzerland. Our questionnaire was sent to both Ukrainian residents and migrants to Switzerland between October 2022 and February 2023. 80% of respondents (n = 1267) indicated that they faced some form of food insecurity, most commonly an inability to eat balanced meals and/or running out of food without being able to buy more. Yet the incidence of more severe forms of food insecurity, including cutting and skipping meals for multiple months, eating less than needed, and feeling hungry without eating, affected more than 20% of the surveyed populations in both countries. Food insecurity for both residents of Ukraine and refugees in Switzerland is significantly more severe for households who perceive themselves to have below average income. In Ukraine higher food insecurity is identified in the conflict's frontline regions and among larger households with less domestic food production. In Switzerland, women report lower access to many coping mechanisms (producing, trading, or borrowing food). This study underscores the urgent need for improved food programs in conflict zones as well as countries that host refugees, particularly where domestic food prices are very high and language barriers reduce income opportunities.

Keywords: Displacement; Migration; Nutrition; War.

Fig. 1

Overall food security outcomes for residents of Ukraine (UA) and Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland (CH). Panel (a) indicates the percentage in each region who reported any food insecurity. In panel (b), the boxplots show the mean and standard deviation across individual respondents (1 = high or marginal food security, 2–4 low food security, 5–6 very low food security), whilst panels (c) and (d) show these data as histograms for Ukraine and Switzerland, respectively. Panel (e) shows the mean score food security score by Ukrainian regions with frontline areas indicated by a yellow circle and panel (f) by Swiss canton with the scale shown on the right. Areas in white had no respondents.

Fig. 2

Responses to six questions underlying the food security index for residents of Ukraine (UA) and Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland (CH).

Fig. 3

Coefficient plots with a 95% confidence interval for the demand side predictors of the food insecurity index in UA (a) and CH (b). Higher coefficients indicate a positive relationship with food insecurity. Coefficients overlapping with zero are not significant. Gender indicates female headed households. Food Aid, Own Production, and Frontline are all yes/no. Income and Household size are continuous variables.