Exploring the dynamics of Food Security in the Karantina Neighborhood in Relation to the Beirut Port Explosion

Abstract

In 2020, prices of food and all commodities, increased drastically, due to the deterioration of the national currency, the Lebanese Lira, and this increase in prices directly affected households’ purchasing power and access to food. On August 4th, 2020, a massive explosion hit the Port of Beirut, destroying Lebanon’s capital, killing over 200 people and wounding more than 5,000. Now, three years after the devastating port explosion, the impact of the economic crisis still echoes more than ever before. With the lack of urgent economic reforms and an uncaring corrupted government, more Lebanese and refugee families are being pushed further into poverty, with nearly three million in Lebanon needing humanitarian assistance. This research aimed to assess the food security status of the permanent residents of Karantina neighborhood after the Beirut port explosion in Lebanon. It examined whether the food and nutrition security situation of the permanent residents of Karantina improved after the explosion, with all the assistance received, and whether the improvement lasted in the long-term. A sample consisting of 100 randomly selected households, or 33% of the Karantina population, was surveyed. A questionnaire was administered, including five parts: the socio-demographics of the Karantina population, the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) to study food security, the Food Consumption Score (FCS) to study diet diversity and quality, the Livelihood Coping Strategies, and the assistance received after the explosion. The data was gathered during three time points, six months before the explosion, six months after the explosion, and two years after the explosion. The results showed that the percentage of food secure households decreased from 71% six months after the explosion, to 2% two years after the explosion. And the percentage of households with acceptable food consumption, decreased from 96% six months after the explosion, to 30% two years after the explosion. There has been a significant decrease in people's incomes and employment status two years after the explosion, in addition, the percentage of people who were in debt also significantly increased. 95% of the population were adopting crisis coping strategies, making them more vulnerable to future shocks. All the households received food assistance six months after the explosion, and 76% received cash assistance, however, these stopped after 6 months to 1 year after the explosion. Household size, debt, the head of the household’s educational attainment and employment, increased income, and receiving cash assistance were all positively correlated with being food secure and having acceptable food consumption score. In conclusion, the assistance received by the permanent residents of Karantina after the explosion was associated with better food security and food consumption score at the time of the incident but not with long term food security and food consumption. This is explained by the deterioration of the economic situation in Lebanon since 2020, the multiple crises that affected the country, disabled the Karantina population from being able to cope properly. Most of the households fell deeper into poverty in 2022, many lost their source of income, most of them were falling into debt and this worsened their food security status.