Making progress towards food security: evidence from an intervention in three rural districts of Rwanda.

Vincent Nsabuwera,Sven G Hinderaker,Mohammed Khogali,Bethany Hedt-Gauthier,Peter Drobac,Mary Edginton,Marie Paul Nisingizwe,Antoinette Habinshuti,Jean De Dieu Tihabyona,Samuel Sembagare,Benoit Sikubwabo

doi:10.1017/s1368980015002207

Abstract

Determining interventions to address food insecurity and poverty, as well as setting targets to be achieved in a specific time period have been a persistent challenge for development practitioners and decision makers. The present study aimed to assess the changes in food access and consumption at the household level after one-year implementation of an integrated food security intervention in three rural districts of Rwanda. A before-and-after intervention study comparing Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) scores and household Food Consumption Scores (FCS) at baseline and after one year of programme implementation. Three rural districts of Rwanda (Kayonza, Kirehe and Burera) where the Partners In Health Food Security and Livelihoods Program (FSLP) has been implemented since July 2013. All 600 households enrolled in the FSLP were included in the study. There were significant improvements (P<0·001) in HFIAS and FCS. The median decrease in HFIAS was 8 units (interquartile range (IQR) -13·0, -3·0) and the median increase for FCS was 4·5 units (IQR -6·0, 18·0). Severe food insecurity decreased from 78% to 49%, while acceptable food consumption improved from 48% to 64%. The change in HFIAS was significantly higher (P=0·019) for the poorest households. Our study demonstrated that an integrated programme, implemented in a setting of extreme poverty, was associated with considerable improvements towards household food security. Other government and non-government organizations' projects should consider a similar holistic approach when designing structural interventions to address food insecurity and extreme poverty.

Highlights

Food Consumption Score (FCS) improved after the intervention, with acceptable FCS increasing from 48 % to 64 % (Fig. 1)
The present study has shown potential for the Food Security and Livelihoods Program (FSLP) to change the livelihoods of poor people in rural Rwanda
We recommend that other government and non-government organizations consider such integrated activities in the future, when designing food security interventions aimed at uplifting the very poor

Summary

Methods

Study design This is a before-and-after intervention study, comparing food access and consumption scores at baseline and following the 12-month implementation of an integrated food security intervention. Sources and collection Two internationally developed measurement tools, the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and the Food Consumption Score (FCS), were used to evaluate the programme (Boxes 2 and 3). Both have been validated internationally[12,13]. The study met the criteria for studies of routinely collected data approved by the Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) Ethics Review Board (Geneva, Switzerland), and was approved by the Ethics Advisory Group of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France

Results

Discussion

Conclusion

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