CPEC and Food Security: Empirical Evidence From Pakistan

Among the various major issues, food insecurity is one with which Pakistan has to encounter with. According to a report by WFP (2017), about sixty percent of the population in Pakistan is food insecure, access to food is limited or uneven, and malnutrition is widespread. Having an emerging geopolitical prestige, it is expected that through CPEC, Pakistan can get a better foundation of infrastructural -and agricultural economic zones in collaboration with Chinese counterparts which may further support to perk up the food security. Accordingly, the study tries to examine the impact of various CPEC initiatives on food security of Pakistan. The data is randomly collected from stakeholders working in various government sector organizations of Pakistan. The results show that CPEC initiatives would tend to improve the food security status in Pakistan. The research may suggest that developing countries like Pakistan may use economic corridors such as CPEC as a strategic tool to improve the food security situation.