A Multidimensional Assessment of Food Security in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: System Performance and...

Food security systems are central to nutritional health and Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2), yet existing assessments have paid limited attention to cross-dimensional coordination within food security systems. This study assessed both system performance and coordination in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) during 2019-2021.

Based on a multidimensional 25-indicator framework, the entropy-weighted Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) approach was used to evaluate system performance. Spearman's rank correlation and Bland-Altman agreement analyses against the SDG 2 Index and the Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) were used to examine the validity. The coupling coordination degree (CCD) model was used to assess coordination across the four dimensions of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability.

Among all included LMICs, composite scores ranged from 0.103 to 0.698. Regionally, Europe and Central Asia showed the strongest overall performance (mean = 0.54), whereas Sub-Saharan Africa exhibited the lowest levels (mean = 0.27). The dimensions of access and stability were identified as the principal global bottlenecks of overall food security system development. The proposed index correlated positively with the SDG 2 Index (R = 0.662, p < 0.001) and inversely with the U5MR (R = -0.769, p < 0.001). The coupling degrees were consistently high but exceeded coordination levels across regions, indicating that strong interdependence among dimensions did not necessarily translate into balanced or synergistic system development.

Food security systems in LMICs are constrained by weaknesses in the access and stability dimensions, as well as by insufficient cross-dimensional coordination. Strengthening them requires integrated, cross-sectoral strategies that enhance both system performance and interdimensional coordination.