Food Insecurity among Small-Scale Farmers in Poland

Agnieszka Poczta-Wajda,Michał Borychowski,Sebastian Stępień,Agnieszka Sapa

doi:10.3390/agriculture10070295

Agnieszka Poczta-Wajda, Michał Borychowski + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10070295

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Journal: Agriculture	Publication Date: Jul 14, 2020
Citations: 18	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Poznań University of Economics and Business

Abstract

The problem of food insecurity is generally associated with developing countries, but at the household level it also occurs in developed countries, especially in socially vulnerable groups, such as small-scale farms. However, the issue of food insecurity in developed countries, especially at the household level, is rather neglected in the scientific literature. This study was conducted to fill this gap and examine the level of food insecurity among small-scale farms in Poland. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 710 small-scale farms in Poland. The incidence and degree of food insecurity was measured with the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). The study found that about 43% of the respondents were exposed to food insecurity, including almost 9% to severe food insecurity, which is well above the average for the entire Polish population. By applying cross-tabulation and the zero-inflated Poisson regression model, the study found that the higher age and secondary or higher education of the farm manager, having children in the household and higher land productivity have a statistically significant negative influence on households’ food insecurity (i.e., decreased HFIAS score). On the contrary, family size of five or more and production type “permanent crops” and “dairy cows” have a statistically significant positive influence on households’ food insecurity (i.e., increased HFIAS score).

Highlights

Food insecurity means a situation in which “people do not have adequate physical, social or economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” [1] (p. 8) and is generally associated with developing countries
Prevalence of Food Insecurity by Household Characteristic Based on Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) Category
This is in line with the fact that, in contrast to less developed regions, in developed countries, food insecurity is more commonly characterized by chronic compromises in dietary quality [20]

Summary

Introduction

Food insecurity means a situation in which “people do not have adequate physical, social or economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” [1] (p. 8) and is generally associated with developing countries. The problem of deficiency of food security is global and is most noticeable and harmful at the household level, in the developed countries. The initial phase is worry about having enough food, the one appears as dietary changes and the final one means the decrease in food consumption by adults followed by children. Such a track is visible both in developing and developed countries [4]. Assessment of the household food insecurity, its level, locations, circumstances and determinants is crucial to solve the problem of hunger and achieve food security for all people and meet the second.

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Conclusion