The Determinants of Market Participation and Its Effect on Food Security of the Rural Smallholder Farmers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces, South Africa

High crop productivity has the potential to improve the food and nutrition security status of not only smallholder farmers but also households in general. However, smallholder farmers operate in a dynamic environment whereby their crop production is affected by various factors that hinder it from lessening food insecurity and malnutrition in rural areas. The study investigated the determinants of crop productivity and its effect on household food and nutrition security status in South Africa. This study employed a quantitative research method. A total of 1520 households were selected using the multi-stage stratified random sampling technique. Out of the total sample size of 1520, 386 were crop producers, 176 producers were from Mpumalanga province, and 210 producers were from the Limpopo province. Most of the smallholder farmers do not have access to the irrigation system, mechanization, and agricultural inputs. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale showed that most smallholder farmers were food insecure, with 78% of the farmers in each province found to be food insecure. The results from Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) showed that in the overall sampled population, 50% of smallholder farmers had highly diverse diets. Only 50% of the smallholder farmers had high dietary diversity in each province. Irrigation systems and involvement in crop production had a positive influence on the crop productivity of smallholder farmers. The results from the Conditional Mixed Process (CMP) model showed that ownership of livestock, harvest, and disability in the family negatively impacted smallholder farmers' food security status while household size had a positive effect on the food security of smallholder farmers. The results also showed that social grants, agricultural assistance, and harvest had a negative impact on the nutrition status of smallholder farmers. While household size had a positive impact on the nutrition status of smallholder farmers. Factors such as irrigation systems and involvement in crop production influenced crop productivity. Household size influenced the nutritional status of smallholder farmers while harvest size affected the food security status. There is a need to encourage more households to get involved in farming. Government and nongovernmental organizations need to support smallholder farmers with agricultural productive resources like irrigation systems to improve their crop productivity.

In Dodoma Region, Tanzania, the adoption of grain post-harvest management technologies remains low despite their importance for food security. This study, conducted in Kongwa and Chemba Districts between December 2022 and March 2023, analyses effects of using grain post-harvest management technologies and household food security. The specific objectives were to determine household food security status, analyse postharvest management technologies used for maize and sorghum, compare household food security status based on grain post-harvest management technologies used, and determine effects of grain post-harvest technologies and other factors on chances of being food secure. Data were collected from 384 households using a questionnaire, a key informant interview guide, and a guide for focus group discussions. They analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics software to compute descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed that 52.1% of households were food insecure based on grain consumption, and 43.5% were food insecure based on the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Use of improved post-harvest technologies varied across activities, but no significant food security differences were found between users and non-users of improved postharvest technologies. However, food security was significantly different between households whose heads had different levels of education, between households which had different farm sizes, and between smaller and larger households. Binary logistic regression results showed mixed results that household size had significant negative effect on the chances of being food secure, based on amounts of grains consumed but that it had insignificant positive effect on the chances of being food secure, based on HFIAS. Tractor use and group membership had positive significant positive effects on the chances of being food secure, based on amounts of grains consumed. Processing grains and years of schooling had significant positive effects on the chances of being food secure, based on HFIAS. It is concluded that working on the variables that had significant negative effects on the chances of being food secure—household size, age of household head, and land ownership could help increase chances of smallholder farmers being food secure. Such chances could also be increased by keeping up the variables that had significant positive effects on the chances of being food secure—tractor use, being members of farmer groups, improved grain processing means, and education (formal and non-formal). It is recommended to Kongwa and Chemba Districts to promote the use of postharvest technologies analysed and others that are relevant so that more farmers can use them, thereby improving food security. Farming households should join farmer groups, and the agricultural extension service should increase provision of education to farmers on why and how to use the technologies and collaborate with suppliers of the technologies so that they could supply them at more reasonable prices.

Many industries, big and small, including agriculture, are being affected by the 4th industrial revolution. The inclusion and adaptation of digital technology in agriculture can advance market participation and improve food security of smallholder farmers in developing countries. In Eswatini, rural households primarily participate in farming as a means of improving their livelihoods. However, there is still a research gap on the scope on the impact of digital technology in agriculture on market access and household food security among smallholder vegetable farmers in Eswatini. This study sought to assess the role of digital technology in agriculture among smallholder farmers in accessing markets and household food security in Eswatini. The study was conducted at Ntfonjeni and Sidvokodvo community in Eswatini. A mixed method approach was employed in the study. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 100 active long-term smallholder vegetable farmer. They were interviewed face to face using a questionnaire. Moreover, two extension officers were interviewed as key informants to understand their perception regarding the awareness and adoption of smallholder vegetable farmers on using digital technology when accessing markets. The data was analysed using SPSS version 28. Descriptives statistics revealed that there were more male famers (56%) compared to female farmers (44%), cabbage was the most grown vegetable. Moreover, results indicated that a normal phone (23.58%) was the most owned digital tool among farmers and phone calls were the common means used by farmers when advertising. Most farmers sold their produce at farm gate and the most common market were the local community members. Farmers received most of their market information from other agricultural cooperative members and through extension officers through phone calls. In addition, majority of, the farmers (36.7%) indicated that that they did not receive training on digital marketing. Mobile money was the most used digital platform for money transaction among smallholder farmers. Furthermore, most farmers received their farm credit from micro finance institutions, particularly Fincorp. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HHFIAS) score revealed that 24% farmers were food secure, 39% farmers were moderately food insecure, 31% farmers were mildly food insecure and 6% were severely food insecure. It was concluded that the use digital technology on market access had less impact on household food security. The policy makers and supporting organizations should develop programmes aimed to empowering social capital and human capital assets of the farmers through designing a ‘Siswati’ digital marketing platform. Campaigns that promote using of the digital platforms should create an awareness amongst vegetable farmers. Moreover, vegetable farmers should be educated on the benefits and operation of digital technology platforms used for marketing and its benefits. Extension officers must ensure that vegetable farmers are not only trained on growing marketable vegetables but also understand the benefits of consuming a more diverse diet to improve their food insecurity status. KEYWORDS: Digital technology, market access, smallholder farmer, food security.

With the onset of the coronavirus crisis, disruption of the domestic food supply chain, loss of revenue, and payments that affect food production have led to severe tensions and food security risks in many developing countries. The rural communities are more at risk of food insecurity due to less access to healthcare and social inequality. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security and food diversity of rural households. The sample included 375 household heads living in the rural areas of Khorramabad county, which was determined using a three-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using standard Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) questionnaires. The results showed that the food security situation of rural households has deteriorated, and consumption of some food groups changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the multinomial regression model showed that gender, level of education, monthly income, number of employed members, nutrition knowledge, employment status, livestock ownership, and access to credit were significantly associated with the food security of households during the COVID-19 pandemic. The household head's gender, level of education, monthly income, nutrition knowledge, employment status, livestock ownership, and access to credit were significantly associated with dietary diversity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the findings, providing emergency food assistance and cash payments to food-insecure households can reduce the risk of food insecurity in rural households. It is suggested that government policies focus on identifying vulnerable households in rural areas, especially female-headed households, low-income households, and households without a wage income.

Smallholder farmers and pastoralists produce the largest proportion of food consumed in sub-Saharan Africa. However, they remain among the food insecure populations. This paper explores the food (in)security among smallholder farmers and pastoralists using a sample of 175 households in three agro-food value chains of wheat, dairy, and beef in the north-west Mt. Kenya region. The study seeks to answer if a farmer’s participation in a particular agro-food value chain determines his/her food security situation. We use the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and two Poisson regression models, parsimonious and full, to assess the household food security status and determinants of food security among the smallholder farmers and pastoralists. The results show that 61% of the households were either mildly, moderately, or severely food insecure. Households in the beef value chain experienced relatively higher incidences of food insecurity compared to households in the wheat and dairy value chains. The HFIAS scores revealed a wide gap between households with minimum and maximum score. Household size, income and income-related variables (ability to save and borrow to meet family needs), transport assets, membership in farmers’ associations, and household energy were significant in determining household food security, while access to credit and to extension services was not. Strategies that focus on boosting smallholder farmers’ incomes, building strong and resilient farmers associations to improve inclusive and equitable value chains have the potential to get smallholder farmers out of recurrent food insecurity.

Food security is an intricate issue which includes diverse aspects as well as many linkages. In Bangladesh, food security is tried to be achieved by increasing the production of rice both by employing modern agricultural technology as well as by increasing the area under rice production. Despite the impressive gains in increasing domestic food grain production, problems of food and nutrition security still remain. Bangladesh is yet to achieve comprehensive food security that resolves the problems of inadequate food intake and chronic malnutrition among those who are poor and vulnerable. The main objective of this paper is to the contribution of different factors behind household food security status of 180 households in three Northern districts of Bangladesh. The study area was chosen because relatively little energy consumption data are available concerning this geographical area. The study used both primary and secondary data. Food security status of each household was assessed on the basis of the food security line using the daily calorie intake recommended by FAO. This method has proven to be efficient in measuring food security at household level. Additionally, the use of a logistic regression model identified the factors that plays crucial role in determining the food security status of the households. Results from the food security index revealed that more than 60 percent of households were with food insecurity. In addition, we found that total monthly household income, age of household head, education level of household head, household size, farm size, gender of household head, livestock ownership and quantity of cereal production had significant influence on food security status at the household level.

The United Nations (UN) presented the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030 (UN 2016), and goal number two of the SDG is to end hunger and achieve food security and goal five is gender equality. The study assessed the effect of household headship on food security in the Philippines and identify significant factors and assess the gaps. The household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) was used to evaluate household food security (n = 13,672), which was cross-examined with the households' socio-demographic and health and sanitation characteristics using descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses. From the survey, most of the households are headed by a male (84%), and only around 26% are food secure. Initially, the female-headed household had a 1.34 times higher likelihood of food security than the male-headed household, but upon considering the confounding effect and possible effect measure modification of other risk factors, male-headed households had 20% higher odds of food security. The study revealed that there was an overestimation of the magnitude of the association between food security and the gender of the household head if the confounders were not controlled. Confounding parameters that affected this result are occupation, type of cooking fuel, and type of flooring material. The gender-based gaps are mostly connected to employment; implicitly embedded are culture and income. This study adds to the body of knowledge on how the gender of the household head affects household food security as an empirical basis to refine government household food security interventions and maximize their impacts.

BackgroundSustainable Development Goal 2 aims at ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture. Whilst some smallholder farmers are aware of this goal, others are not. The question that arises is whether or not awareness translates into food security. Therefore, this study assessed whether or not smallholder farmers’ awareness of Sustainable Development Goal 2 improves household food security in the Northern Region of Ghana.MethodsThe study used cross-sectional primary data collected from two districts and two municipalities in the region. An endogenous switching regression treatment effects model with ordered outcome was used to estimate the effects of smallholder farmers’ awareness of Sustainable Development Goal 2 on household food insecurity level.ResultsThe age of household head, distance of households to the regional capital, membership of farmer-based organizations, access to e-extension, education, and ownership of radio are the key drivers of farmers’ awareness of Sustainable Development Goal 2. The results from the endogenous switching regression treatment effects model with ordered outcome showed that households who are aware of the second goal are more food secure than their counterparts.ConclusionsIt is therefore prudent for stakeholders promoting and championing Sustainable Development Goals to educate farmers on goal 2 as their awareness of the goal is critical to achieving food security.

In South Africa, food security at the household level is an issue still needing empirical attention. This study conducts an empirical analysis on the effect of household size, income of household head, gender of household head, location of the household, and distance from food markets on food security in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. A binary logistic regression model is estimated to analyze determinants of food security from 900 households randomly selected from three townships of Gauteng Province, South Africa. Data was collected using a survey questionnaire, with food security measured by the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. This study shows that the income of the household head promotes food security while household size and location of the household contribute to food insecurity. Our results also show that the gender of the household head is essential in maintaining sustainable levels of food security. Furthermore, it was found that the distance from food markets neither makes households food secure nor insecure. This study validates that matriarchal households exhibited comparatively greater food security than male-headed households. The findings of this study are essential in formulating policy on food security in low-income areas.

Household food insecurity in South African suburban low-income households is a major challenge. Research outcomes that will inform decisions on effective solutions towards reducing household food insecurity in South Africa are essential. The purpose of this study was firstly to determine the food security status of households and the skills of household members in Ward 60 of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Secondly, it was also to determine the association between the socioeconomic and demographic variables of the households and their level of food (in-)security. The study employed a mixed method of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, comprising a qualitative Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) methodology and a quantitative household food security survey methodology. A household food security survey was employed using a questionnaire that was based on the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). The questionnaire was used to collect data from 170 randomly selected households. The data analysis used the HFIAS score and logistic regression analysis. The results show 6.1% of households as food secure, 3.05% as mildly food insecure, 13.4% as moderately food insecure, and 77.4% as severely food insecure. The results also show that a significant unemployment rate, a reliance on social grants, and absence of income seriously impact the extent of household food insecurity. The results show a significant association between the household food security and the variables of unemployment, income, and gender. The regression analysis results suggest that gender, household size, age, employment, and household income influence household food security. The results of the household skills show that the households had a variety of skills. These results can help to inform decisions by the government, local municipalities, NGOs, and other stakeholders towards designing effective solutions for enhancing household food security.

Market participation by smallholder indigenous crop farmers holds significant potential for the alleviation of food insecurity and poverty amongst rural households. Smallholder farmers generally play a vital role in the production and marketing of indigenous crops in South Africa. However, smallholder farmers continue to remain among the food-insecure populations. This is more worrisome for indigenous crop farming households whose produce is far more limited in the market yet may contribute towards improving their food security status and livelihoods. This study analysed the impact of market participation of indigenous crops on the household food security of smallholder farmers in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa. A sample size of 209 indigenous crop producers were selected from a population of 1520 smallholder farmers. The study adopted a multi-stage stratified random sampling technique. The data were collected using both qualitative and quantitative research and were analysed using descriptive analysis, Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), and the Poisson regression model with the endogenous treatment model. The household size, marital status, household members living with HIV, and access to extension services were found to be positive and significant in determining household food security, whereas the disability of a household member was significant but negative. While the number of smallholder farmers involved in the production of indigenous crops is still limited, enhanced marketing of indigenous crops may improve the food security status of smallholder farmers. There is still a need for the government to channel its interventions towards the indigenous crop production sector, and this may include the provision of trained extension officers to assist smallholder farmers. Policymakers need to develop policies that support the production and marketing of indigenous crops. More awareness and promotion of indigenous crops are needed to encourage more smallholder farmers to adopt this farming practice. Further study of smallholder indigenous farmers across nine provinces of South Africa should be conducted to obtain deeper and broader insights into the role of these farmers on household food security.

Background: Achievement of food security has become one of the major challenges of most developing countries, including Zimbabwe. This study was designed to investigate the effect of agricultural commercialization on household food security. Methods: This study used cross-sectional data for the 2017/18 farming season collected from 165 smallholder farmer households in Zhombe north rural district in Zimbabwe. Instrumental variable regression model was applied for data analysis over the effect of agricultural commercialization. Agricultural commercialization was measured using the crop output market participation share (COMPS). Results: The results revealed that COMPS, household head age, household head gender, and income per capita had a significant positive influence on household food security. Conclusions: The results indicate that agricultural commercialization and socio-economic characteristics have a role to play in defining the household’s food security. Therefore, the findings recommend policies that would promote agricultural commercialization, which improve household food security in turn. The study recommends policymakers to promote agricultural commercialization, since it positively contributed towards household food security. In addition, young-headed, female-headed, and low-income earning households that were identified as the food insecure households.

South Africa has largely been characterized as food secure at the national level but food insecure at a household level. This paper explores the impact of value chain participation on food insecurity among smallholder farmers in Swayimane KwaZulu-Natal. Purposive sampling technique was used to sample 51 smallholder vegetable farmers who were value chain participants at various levels. The study uses the Household Food Insecurity Access scale (HFIAS) and the Instrumental Variable Poisson model to assess the household food security status and the factors that influence the food security status among the smallholder farmers. The results show that 66.7% of the farmers in the sample were food secure, 17.65% were mildly food insecure, 7.84% were moderately food insecure and 7.84% were severely food insecure. Value chain participation, age of the household head, marital status, formal education, farm income, lease rent on land, access to NGOs, access to agricultural agency, access to credit, access to television, access to extension services and access to an irrigation scheme were significant in impacting household food insecurity. The study concluded that participation in value chains was significant in reducing food insecurity among smallholder farmers in Swayimane and therefore, strategies focusing on enhancing value chain participation among farmers should be adopted along with interventions that enhance value chain participation among smallholder farmers. As empirically posited by the results of this study, the more households are involved in the vegetable value chain, the better the household food intake and food security they become.

Land degradation and climate change are interconnected environmental pressing challenges that significantly contribute to declining agricultural productivity and worsening food insecurity in Ethiopia. To address these challenges, the Ethiopian government introduces climate-smart agricultural practices, including drought-tolerant and early-maturing crop varieties, small-scale irrigation practices, and efficient fertilizer use. This study examined the impact of climate-resilient crop intensification strategies on household food security, measured by household food consumption score (HFCS), household dietary diversity score (HDDS), and household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS). The data were collected from 411 smallholder farmers using structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The multistage sampling technique was employed to select study participants. Analysis techniques involved descriptive statistics, the food security index, the ordered probit model, and an endogenous switching regression model. The study reveals the multidimensional nature of household food security: 87.83% of households have better food access (HFCS), 56.45% have moderate dietary quality (HDDS), yet 70.8% experience food insecurity (HFIAS), highlighting persistent access challenges. Adopting all three climate-smart crop intensification strategies considered in this study, including maturing crop varieties, small-scale irrigation practices, and efficient fertilizer use, significantly improves household food consumption and dietary diversity while reducing food insecurity. Joint adoption of these strategies increases food variety by 90.5% and decreases food insecurity by 69.9%. Effective extension services, irrigation infrastructure, and viable crop varieties are crucial for enhancing adoption rates and improving food security. The findings of this study emphasized the importance of integrating multiple climate-smart agricultural practices to enhance food security in Ethiopia. By adopting a combination of drought-tolerant crops, small-scale irrigation, and efficient fertilizer use, smallholder farmers can significantly improve their household food consumption and dietary diversity while reducing food insecurity. It is recommended that smallholder farmers adopt a combination of climate-smart strategies to enhance crop productivity and food security, supported by strengthened extension services that provide implementation guidance.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the impact of participation in sustainable agricultural intensification practices (SAIPs) on household food security status in Northwestern Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilised the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) indicator for the measurement of food access data from 168 households in ten communities from the Northwestern region of Ghana for the analyses. Households were categorised into participating households (treatment) and non-participating households (control). The endogenous treatment effects model was employed to evaluate the impact of participation in SAIPs training on food insecurity access scale.FindingsThe results show that participation in SAIPs training lowers, on average, the household food insecurity access by 2.95 points, approximately an 11 per cent reduction in HFIAS score. Other significant factors found to influence household food insecurity access scale are age of household head, experience in farming, total acres owned by household, income level of the household and occupation of the head of the household.Research limitations/implicationsThe training programme of participation in SAIPs has massive implications for food security, rural economy and farmers’ livelihoods. However, due to the unique conditions prevailing in Northwestern Ghana, the findings of this research are limited in terms of their generalisability. Future research direction in the area of SAIPs trainings and impact study replications in all qualifying rural food production areas in Ghana, which are susceptible to household food insecurity, will provide a national picture of the efficacy of SAIPs trainings on household food insecurity.Practical implicationsA proven means to decrease natural resource degradation, increase crops yields, and increase subsistence farmers’ income, and food security is an important intervention to resolve the seasonal food shortage, which last for five months in a typical year for agro-food-dependent farming communities in Northwestern Ghana.Social implicationsEnsuring household food security improvement and environmental sustainability will help improve living standards of food producers and reduce the adverse social challenges associated with food insecure communities such as health problems due to food deficiencies, social inequalities, environmental pollution and natural resource degradation in Northwestern Ghana.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is the novel thought and approach to examine the impact of the SAIPs trainings on household food security in Northwestern Ghana using the household food insecurity access scale indicator. The study also examined the factors that affect household food security using the endogenous treatment model, which also evaluates the impact of the training programme on the outcome variable.