ECUADOR
Ecuador has experienced dynamic migration flows since the turn of the 21st century. It has been the first destination of Colombian migrants and asylum seekers since the early 2000s, and the third destination of Venezuelans in South America since 2018. In all, 2.5% of the 16 938 986 people living in Ecuador are foreign-born, of which 51.4% are women. The majority of migrants live in the three most populated provinces: Pichincha, Guayas, and Manabí, where their predominant source of income is in the informal economy. Since the late 2010s, Ecuador has faced major challenges in terms of growing unemployment, informality, and poverty, as well as increasing insecurity. The deterioration of living conditions has prompted a spike in out-migration. By 2020, it was estimated that 1.13 million Ecuadorians lived abroad. In 2022, remittances reached 4.4 billion US dollars and contributed 4% of the country’s GDP. Following the worsening of living conditions, food insecurity has grown in Ecuador since 2016. In 2021, moderate to severe food insecurity reached 36.8%. Between 2019 and 2021, the prevalence of food insecurity for women was 7.2% higher, and it impacts urban more than rural areas, where its growing incidence in recent years has been linked to the contraction of household income.
Photo by Alejandro Alfaro M on Unsplash
RESEARCH on ECUADOR
MiFOOD PAPERS
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Migración en contexto de pandemia: las respuestas políticas en el Ecuador
Venezuelan migration is the largest exodus in the contemporary history of Latin America, characterized by complex issues, including precarious living conditions in Venezuela. Ecuador is a main destination country for Venezuelan migration. Leading up to and during and beyond the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ecuador faces a socioeconomic crisis, limiting its capacity to address the needs of the migrant population. This article presents a review of the literature and examines actions and campaigns of the Ecuadorian state and international ...
Venezuelan Migration, COVID-19 and Food (In)Security in Urban Areas of Ecuador
The forced migration of nearly 6 million Venezuelans is a global issue that is transforming urban contexts, particularly in Latin America. Ecuador is the third main recipient country of displaced Venezuelans. The lack of State migration policies and the deteriorating economic situation throughout the region have had significant impacts on migrants. While food security and migration have been studied extensively in Latin America, their intersection remains under-explored. Through a systematic review and focus group research, this exploratory study analyzes the ...
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Beyond Informality: Migrants in the Popular Food Economy in Quito
Drawing on a broad notion of informality, conceptually linked to the category of the popular, this study aims to examine the case of Ecuador, in order to understand how migrants are inserted in the informal food market in Quito. We are interested in establishing a dialogue with the popular economies approach, to interrogate different types of labor arrangements and commerce in which migrants find employment, which have in common the lack of a contract, and of access to social protection ...
Assessing and Mitigating the Food Insecurity Consequences of COVID-19 Public Health Measures on Marginalized Refugees and Migrants in Canada, Latin America and Africa
Strategies to mitigate the public health impacts of COVID-19 have led to a secondary pandemic of global food insecurity. Our project will ‘scale up’ our First Round CIHR Grant on the negative impacts of COVID-19 on household food security in Wuhan and Nanjing, China to three additional cities: Quito (Ecuador), Cape Town (South Africa) and Kitchener-Waterloo (K-W) (Canada). This CIHR-funded project will have a particular focus on the food insecurity experience of marginalized immigrant and refugee populations during the pandemic ...
Assessing and Mitigating the Food Security Consequences of COVID-19 in China, Ecuador and South Africa
The proposed research will identify the immediate and longer-term impact of COVID-19 on household food security in cities, and will assess and improve fast-evolving social and policy countermeasures to enhance food security. Our research objectives are to: 1) Investigate the immediate food security challenges resulting from quarantine measures, unstable food supply, and fear of shopping in affected cities; 2) Assess how COVID-19 has impacted food security by longitudinal comparison with the baseline survey data collected through Hungry Cities Project; and ...
Assessing and Mitigating the Food Insecurity Consequences of COVID-19 on Marginalized Refugees and Migrants in Quito, Ecuador
The project examines the linkages between food insecurity and migrants, particularly refugees from various origins in the context of Quito, Ecuador. The research project will adopt mixed methods, including a survey, in-depth and key informant interviews, and focus group studies in the city of Quito. More specifically, it examines the levels and determinants of food insecurity among migrants and refugees in Quito. It evaluates the levels and determinants of all four dimensions of food security: availability, access, utilization and stability. ...
Assessing Household Food Security in Quito, Ecuador
The project aims to evaluate the status of household food security and how food security and household food practices have been shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic in Quito, Ecuador. It will employ a representative survey approach to generate a city-wide dataset for a comparative study with other cities in the Hungry Cities Partnership. It also provides baseline information for investigating the food (in)security of marginalized populations, particularly refugees and migrants, in the city of Quito during the pandemic.
BOOK CHAPTER
None available
POLICY AUDITS
Impacts of COVID-19 Policy Measures on Migration and Food Security in Ecuador
The COVID-19 pandemic had profound effects on Ecuador, exacerbated by pre-existing weaknesses in the public health system, economic austerity policies, and social inequalities. The reliance on containment measures, combined with insufficient social support, resulted in severe economic and social decline. Migrants, already a vulnerable group, were further marginalized during the pandemic, facing exclusion from social protection programs and increased food insecurity. This report examines the impacts of COVID-19 policy measures on migration and food security in Ecuador, focusing on urban ...
RESEARCH BRIEFS
The Food Security of Venezuelan Migrant and Refugee Families with Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ecuador
This research brief examines the structural challenges faced by Venezuelan migrant families with children and adolescents in accessing food in Quito, Ecuador. Our survey of 788 migrant and refugee families found that the prevalence of informal employment, the unequal distribution of household chores between genders, the breakdown of community and family support networks, as well as the lack of access to health and education, are all impacting their rates of malnutrition and food insecurity, especially families with children. This report ...
THESES
None available