After adjustment. How economic change impacted on food security in rural Nicaragua

Structural adjustment in Nicaragua began in 1988 in the wake of a major economic crisis. The package of adjustment measures included restrictions on government credits for farmers and removal of controls on food prices and crop tariffs. Growing signs of poverty and food insecurity have since emerged in rural communities. Research recently commissioned by Oxfam, which supports development programmes in many such communities, explores the relationship between adjustment and food security. The researchers asked: What are the factors that have influenced the viability of peasant agriculture, especially that most crucial source of livelihood for the average peasant farmer, basic grain production?