Effects of Social, Cultural and Economic Factors on Consumption of Edible Insects for Household Food Security

Abstract

Edible insects have been identified as a possible sustainable food source not only because they are rich in proteins and other nutrients required by the body, but they can also cheaply and sustainably support the hungry, the malnourished and the poor. Indisputably, people have been slow to embrace the consumption of edible insects across the globe and narrowly in Siaya County of Western Kenya. Few studies have been conducted to provide information on low uptake and consumption of edible insects in the county, especially pertaining to social, culture and economic factors. A multistage random sampling technique was used in the selection of the respondents in this study, followed by a systematic data collection using a digital questionnaire coded and configured in ODK Collect. A descriptive study design was adopted whereby a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on key variables. Additionally, a key informant interview guide was also used to collect data mainly for triangulating information received from the respondents on enabling and limiting factors (social, cultural, and economic variables) on the consumption of insects as a household food security source. Descriptive statistic such as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations and graphics were used to report the analysis and visualization of the collected data. An ordinal regression model was used to assess the effects of social, cultural, and economic factors on the consumption of edible insects in the county. It was found that there was no significant association between formal education and insect consumption, family size and insect consumption rate or between age and insect consumption. However, the findings revealed that economic activities of the participants do influence the consumption of insects in households, although the land owned by respondents did not significantly influence the consumption of insects. Insect consumption in the region of study, was also impacted by the cultural beliefs and values of the respondents.