Table 1 Variables used as dependent and independent variables in the study

Dependent variable

 Food loss

% of total food production

Measures of food loss across food products, stages of the supply chain, and countries reported in various literature

[20]

Independent variables

 GNI per capita

International $

Per capita values for gross national income

[60]

 Agriculture share of GDP

% of GDP

Contributions of the agricultural sector to GDP

[60]

 Employment in agriculture

% of total employment

Share of working age persons who were engaged in the agricultural sector to total employment

[60]

 Education

Years

Average number of years of education received by people ages 25 and older

[23, 51, 52]

 Access to electricity in rural area

% of rural population

Percentage of rural population with access to electricity

[60]

 Mobile cellular subscription

Per 100 people

Subscription to a public mobile telephone service that offers voice communication, both prepaid and postpaid

[60]

 Political stability and absence of violence

Index (low value = less stable; high value = more stable)

Perceptions of the likelihood that the government will be destabilized by violent means, including politically-motivated violence and terrorism, that might have implications for national food security

[21]

 Export volume index

Index (low value = less export; high value = more export)

Measures of export volume of individual countries on a constant price basis

[60]