Food System Sustainability, Climate Resilience, and Child Stunting in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Integrated Multi-Country Analysis of SDG 2, 12, and 13 Pathways, 2015–2024
Abstract:
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) bears 60% of the global child stunting burden while simultaneously recording the world’s highest food insecurity rates, substantial post-harvest losses, and rising climate vulnerability. Despite strong theoretical linkages, no multi-country study has simultaneously quantified the joint effects of food security (SDG 2.1.2), food loss reduction (SDG 12.3.1), and climate resilience (SDG 13) on child stunting across all SSA countries. This study quantifies the independent and synergistic contributions of these SDG 2–12–13 indicators to stunting prevalence across 49 SSA countries (2015–2024) using seven nested OLS regression models (M1–M7), principal component analysis, and k-means cluster analysis. Results demonstrate that food insecurity (FIES_LAST) is the dominant proximal determinant of stunting, with a standardized coefficient of β=+0.653–0.762 maintained consistently across all seven models. Skilled birth attendance (SBA_LAST) is the most robust institutional determinant (β=−0.347 to −0.520). The parsimonious model M7 (FIES + SBA + FLI + LN_GDP) achieves R²adj=0.675 with the highest F-statistic of the series (F=22.294, p<0.001, N=42). Critically, interaction tests (M5, M6) reveal that neither climate risk (FIES×CLI: β=+0.125, p=0.179) nor governance (FIES×GOV: β=−0.079, p=0.473) significantly moderates the food insecurity–stunting relationship, suggesting mediation rather than moderation mechanisms. These findings call for integrated SDG 2–12–13 strategies coupling food access, post-harvest loss reduction, and maternal health investments.References:
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