From Migration to Meals: How Remittances Improve Household Food Security in Rural Indonesia

In light of growing global concerns over rural poverty and food insecurity, this study addresses an urgent need to understand how remittances can contribute to improving household food security in developing economies. This research is the first to empirically examine the impact of remittances on food security outcomes using data from 600 rural households in Indonesia and employing a Conditional Mixed Process (CMP) model to ensure unbiased estimation. The results show that remittances significantly enhance household food security by increasing dietary diversity and reducing food insecurity. Additionally, household characteristics, such as dependency ratio, bank account ownership, gender of the household head, household size, and enterprise ownership—strongly influence the likelihood of receiving remittances. These findings emphasize that remittances can serve as a critical financial buffer for vulnerable households, particularly in rural areas with limited access to formal financial services or social protection mechanisms. While the data is drawn from Indonesia, the implications extend to other remittance-receiving countries facing similar socioeconomic challenges. Strengthening the infrastructure for remittance transfers, promoting financial inclusion, and ensuring that remittances are used for enhancing household resilience can amplify their developmental impact globally. Policymakers and development practitioners should recognize remittances not only as private flows but also as potential instruments for achieving food security and well-being, especially in the face of global shocks such as climate change, pandemics, and economic crises. This study provides timely and policy-relevant insights for leveraging migration-finance linkages to promote sustainable rural development worldwide.