Unraveling the effect of gender dimensions and wood fuel usage on household food security: evidence from Ghana

Abstract

Food security discussions have heightened particularly with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 which focuses on hunger and malnutrition. This study investigates gender dimensions of food security and examines the role of wood fuel on households’ food security in Ghana. Data from the most recent round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS VII, 2016/2017) were used for this investigation. By employing the Exogeneous Switching Treatment Effect Regression to analyze food security, it was found that significant heterogeneities exist among different gender groups. The largest differences exist between male headed households and de jure female headed households. Further, this study finds that among female headed households, there remain substantial differences in food security. Wood fuel usage, household size and residing in the northern part of the country were found to reduce food security among households while education and income increase household food security. These findings are important for enhanced policy targeting to address food insecurity.