Measuring Local Food Systems’ Resilience: Lessons learned from Honduras and Nicaragua

The document outlines a systems-based approach to measuring food system resilience, moving beyond narrow food availability metrics to include supporting infrastructure and governance. Using the CRiSTAL Food Security tool across 20 communities in Honduras and Nicaragua, the authors identify key resilience drivers such as storage, energy, transport, and water management. It argues that participatory, iterative processes for developing indicators are essential for community buy-in and that these broad indicators should complement existing food security monitoring schemes.

• Food system resilience drivers are largely similar across different communities and countries, regardless of the specific local context of food security.
• Effective food security assessments must expand beyond food availability, access, and utilization to include the state of natural resources and supporting services like energy, storage, and transport.
• The CRiSTAL Food Security tool was used in 20 communities in Honduras and Nicaragua to identify resilience actions and develop tracking indicators.
• Diversification of income sources and diets is a critical strategy for increasing resilience and reducing vulnerability within the food system.
• Resilience depends heavily on institutional and governance factors, including participatory decision-making and the capacity of local organizations to manage risks.
• The process of developing indicators should be iterative and participatory to ensure relevance and avoid marginalizing vulnerable groups.
• System-based resilience indicators should be used to complement, rather than replace, existing food security monitoring schemes like famine early warning systems.

APA

Zamudio, A. N., Bizikova, L., & Keller, M. (2014). Measuring Local Food Systems’ Resilience: Lessons learned from Honduras and Nicaragua. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/measuring_food_resilience_honduras_nicaragua.pdf

Chicago

Zamudio, Alicia Natalia, Livia Bizikova, and Marius Keller. Measuring Local Food Systems’ Resilience: Lessons learned from Honduras and Nicaragua. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/measuring_food_resilience_honduras_nicaragua.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Zamudio |first1=Alicia Natalia |last2=Bizikova |first2=Livia |last3=Keller |first3=Marius |title=Measuring Local Food Systems’ Resilience: Lessons learned from Honduras and Nicaragua |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=September 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/measuring_food_resilience_honduras_nicaragua.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zamudio2014measuring, author = {Zamudio, Alicia Natalia and Bizikova, Livia and Keller, Marius}, title = {{Measuring Local Food Systems’ Resilience: Lessons learned from Honduras and Nicaragua}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/measuring_food_resilience_honduras_nicaragua.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }