Does Escaping the Multidimensional Poverty Line Improve Family Food Security? Evidence from Rural Vietnam

This study explores the relationship between poverty alleviation and food security among 407 rural Vietnamese households from 2016 to 2018. Using dietary diversity scores and food expenditure metrics, results reveal that poverty alleviation leads to modest increases in dietary diversity and per capita food expenditure. Escaped poverty households improved dietary diversity by 0.166 points and increased food spending by 85,600 VND ($3.63 USD) per person monthly. The findings suggest that stable wage employment and access to essential services are critical to enhancing food security alongside poverty reduction.

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