Analysis of Factors in Food Security by Neutrosophic Fuzzy Set with DEMATEL

Abstract

Food Security (FdS) is critical for sustainable development, poverty reduction and social stability. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, Zero Hunger, aims to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, promote sustainable agriculture” by 2030. Despite huge efforts and extensive research having been carried out to study the factors of FdS, the practices on improving the precision and accuracy have seemed absent in these studies. Thus, this study presents an integrated approach combining Neutrosophic Set (NS) and the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) to analyse the interrelationship among eight key factors affecting FdS. The aggregated values for the Decision Makers’ (DMs) evaluation were computed using the arithmetic mean. Subsequently, DEMATEL was applied to determine the causal relationships and the degree of prominence of the eight factors studied. The findings reveal that the factors such as Climate Patterns, Economic Access and Resilience to Shocks and Crises have a significant influence on the stability and sustainability of food systems. The proposed framework effectively handles uncertainty and interdependencies in Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM), offering valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders, who aim to enhance FdS strategies. This study has demonstrated the advantage of integrating Neutrosophic fuzzy set with DEMATEL in addressing the complexity of the MCDM process.