Absolute cost advantage

At any given level of quantity produced, the incumbent firm has lower costs of production than the new firm. This cost difference is due to extra knowledge gained over time, endowment of natural rights, possession of patents, cost of capital to new firms, and many other factors.

Access

Access by households/individuals to adequate resources (entitlements) for acquiring appropriate foods for a nutritious diet.

Accessibility

One of the four pillars of food security and describes a household's ability to physically, economically, and socially obtain a necessary amount of food on a regular basis by purchasing, bartering, borrowing, or receiving food aid or gifts.

See Availability.

Acute food insecurity

Food security at a specific moment in time, regardless of causes, context, or duration. Severity is defined by assessing the degree to which households can meet basic survival needs and maintain their normal livelihoods.

Agroclimatology

A field in the interdisciplinary science of agrometeorology, in which principles of climatology are applied to agricultural production systems. Its origins relate to climate’s foremost role in plant and animal production.

Agroecology

The study of agricultural ecosystems and their components as they function within themselves and in the context of the landscapes that contain them.

Analogue year

A year in history that shares key characteristics with the current year and can, therefore, help to support assumptions about how the current year may progress. In food security analysis, analysts commonly use analogue years in relation to climate and seasonal forecasts. Information about current atmospheric and oceanic conditions/patterns helps identify similar years that may suggest likely precipitation and temperature behavior. Analysts can also use analogue years to examine other issues, such as market behavior and food prices.

Anomaly

Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected. There are different types of anomalies:

• Difference from average: This is the actual observation minus the long-term average. Difference from the average is useful for quantifying deficits and surpluses in the same units as the original observation. 0 = no difference; positive means above average; negative means below average.

• Percent of average: This is the actual observation divided by the long-term average and multiplied by 100 (to convert to percent). The percent of average is useful for relatively quantifying deficits and surpluses. 100 = same as average; >100 means above average, <100 means below average.

• Standardized anomaly: This is the difference from the average divided by the standard deviation. Seasonal forecast maps may present the standardized anomaly. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI, a commonly used drought measure) uses a standardized anomaly.

Arbitrage

Taking advantage of a price differential. The two most common types of arbitrage related to food security are spatial arbitrage (where commodities are moved from areas or markets with lower prices to areas or markets with higher prices, and the difference exceeds the transfer costs) and temporal arbitrage (where commodities are obtained, stored and sold at a point in the future when prices are expected to be higher and the difference exceeds the costs associated with the temporal transfer.

Assembly market

A market where smaller quantities of a commodity are accumulated or aggregated, usually from different farmers and small-scale traders. Assembly markets facilitate marketing and the movement of commodities as well as reduce the costs of marketing. They can also enable sellers of smaller surpluses from more remote locations to reach distant buyers.

Assumptions

For the purpose of scenario development, assumptions are judgments about the anticipated type, magnitude, and timing of future events or conditions. Assumptions are the product of an analysis of current conditions (e.g., rainfall pattern to date), past experiences (a reference period or how a similar series of events unfolded, such as a previous drought), official or unofficial estimates or projections, qualitative or quantitative data, and/or expert judgment. Assumptions can be made at any level of analysis (i.e., household, village, market, district, national, regional, or international). Assumptions form the basis of a scenario and support and reasonably limit its scope.

Atmospheric circulation

The flow, or movement, of a fluid (e.g., liquid or gas) in or through a given area or volume.

Availability

1. One of the four pillars of food security. The total amount of food present in a country or given area by means of domestic production, imports, food stocks, and food aid.

2. Availability of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality, supplied through domestic production or imports (including food aid).