Level Of Household Food Security Research Articles

Knowledge and perception of cereal farmers and extension agents on fungicide use in northern Ghana.

Agricultural pesticide use in sub-Saharan Africa has doubled over the past three decades, with a greater relative increase for fungicides. As pesticide inputs continue to rise, so does the potential for the development of resistance. Here, we report on a survey conducted to understand pesticide resistance awareness, pesticide-use knowledge and practices of growers and agricultural extension officers (AEOs) in the cereals growing-belt of northern Ghana, with emphasis on fungicides. The results may inform development of strategies for improving pesticide literacy including resistance awareness, extension services and crop protection outcomes. The survey revealed a low level of pesticide-use knowledge for AEOs and growers. This was more so for growers with low education, predominantly women. Education level (and indirectly gender) influenced perceived effectiveness of fungicides and levels of adoption of cultural and agrochemical best practices. Only 28% of growers and 11% of AEOs practiced crop and fungicide rotations, respectively. More than half (53%) of the respondents indicated that fungicides used in northern Ghana are not effective. Given the low level of pesticide literacy of AEOs and growers, training programs on best practice for the use of pesticides, with targeted initiatives for female growers, would improve crop protection outcomes and safety. The limited adoptions of crop rotation and repeated use of fungicides with the same active ingredients, along with >50% of respondents reporting 'fungicides not working' suggest the potential presence of fungicide resistance cases in growers' fields in the Northern region of Ghana. Further work is needed to determine the incidence of resistance in the region. It is recommended that a key policy priority should focus on understanding broader agrochemical-use practices, crop losses and household-level food security in the presence of resistance risks. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Food security and livelihoods in protracted crisis: the experience of rural residents in Syria’s war zones

Food insecurity is an increasingly pressing and grave issue in contemporary Syria. The ongoing crisis has severely affected agriculture in a country which used to be food-producing and self-sufficient. This study addresses the factors that impact household-level food security in Syria. Our analysis is based on 1,381 household surveys using a structured questionnaire in 12 governorates of the country. We followed a two-stage least square regression (2SLS) approach to analyse the interconnected factors of food security. We use three different indicators to capture different dimensions of food security: the Food Consumption Score (FCS), the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), and the Reduced Coping Strategy Index (rCSI). Our findings underscore the vital role of aid programs and post-crisis remedial assistance in bolstering farmers' resilience and enhancing their food security. Despite adverse constraints generated by the prolonged crisis, continued reliance on agricultural activities continued having a positive contribution to food security. Female-headed households experience higher food insecurity than their male-headed counterparts (MHHs). However, Female-headed households excel in nutritional diversity. Both results should be approached carefully due to data limitations. Addressing the repercussions of conflict-induced food insecurity requires mitigating the effects of the proximity of conflict zones and reducing disruptions in food value chains. Future research should consider how food security relates to gender and intra-household gender inequalities during protracted crises.

Determinants of household-level food and nutrition security in wheat farmers of Arsi Zone, Ethiopia

Determinants of household-level food and nutrition security in wheat farmers of Arsi Zone, Ethiopia

Household food security and dietary diversity in south-eastern Nigeria.

The aim of this study was to investigate household food security (access) level and the dietary diversity of households in the Nsukka Local Government Area in South-eastern Nigeria. From 20 local communities of Nsukka, 390 women were randomly sampled from the women's group and asked to complete a survey that determined the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale scores and the Household Dietary Diversity Scores (HDDS). The descriptive results indicated a high level of food insecurity with 82.6% households reporting various degrees of food insecurity. Over half of the sampled population experienced insufficient food quality. They either ate unwanted food (65.9%), limited variety (63.1%), or unpreferred food (64.6%). Some households experienced insufficient food intake by going a whole day without food (38.2%), go to sleep hungry (45.1%), or have no food of any kind (49%). The analysis of variance showed no significant difference (p = 0.428) in the food security level of households headed by males as compared with those headed by females. Approximately 53.6% of households fell at or below the average HDDS; males headed 48% of these households, while females headed 64%. The chi-square test indicated factors associated with household food security including age, education, work status and income, whereas the gender of the household head, household size and marital status were not significantly associated. Public-private partnerships, nutrition orientation and food intervention programs could improve food security in this area.

Does participation in livelihood education programs impact household food security? A comparative study in rural Uganda

Food and nutrition security projections from global to household levels show that the future requires multifaceted approaches to achieve desired goals. In Uganda, the government has tried several strate­gies to promote food production, including a public-private partnership with Iowa State Univer­sity through its Center for Sustainable Rural Liveli­hoods. In this comparative study, we surveyed 454 households to explore whether participation in livelihood education programs (LEPs) impact household food security. We also determine which LEPs and household characteristics influence food security. Overall, 46.3% of the surveyed house­holds were food secure, while the remaining were insecure or extremely insecure. Significantly, 51.0% of LEP participants were more food secure, com­pared to 35.5% of nonparticipants. Specific LEPs including agronomy and postharvest technologies, and livestock integration significantly influence food security, but less so for programs on nutrition and infant feeding, water supply and public health, complementary services like therapeutic porridge and assistance with immunization, and income innovations. Multinomial logistic regression analy­sis revealed that the household characteristics of keeping livestock and the number of meals eaten during periods of scarcity, influenced households having more food security than insecurity or extreme insecurity. Households participating in LEPs, having larger acreage of land, and having clean water and sanitation facilities were more food secure. The time taken to fetch water, days of ill­ness of male adults, and belonging to community social groups, also influence the level of household food security. Based on these findings, we recom­mend that households should participate in LEPs to build their capacity to manage crop and live­stock production, and also to acquire knowledge of nutrition and feeding, public health, and income innovations.

Household Size and Household Food Security in Ngetta Ward, Lira City, Northern Uganda

Purpose: The study examined the effect of Household size/family size on Household food security in Lira city East Division. Specific issues that were studied are; the impact of average household size on household food security, the level of household food security and the effect of household size on household food security ‟household food security and whether household size affects household food security.
 Methodology: A purposive sampling and simple random sampling method for the study was used to select houses in each cell for the distribution of the questionnaire. Questionnaires and interview guide served as the main tools for data collection. The study targeted a sample population of 300 respondents out of which 60 participants were drawn from the small family and the other 240 from the large family in the study area.
 Findings: The findings indicated that, large family size puts an extra burden on food consumption and is more likely to experience food insecurity in contrast to households with a small and average family size. Large households, with more young or school-going children, also tend to fall below the poverty line and vulnerable to food insecurity. The results further revealed financial problems, lack of parental care and poor heath as the challenges faced by large families.
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: This study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between household size and household food security so that policy makers can plan for an ever growing human population especially in the rural and peri-urban areas. The study recommends the need for intensive education on population related matters for parents and various incentives packages to families with smaller sizes.

Enhancing Food Security and Nutrition through Social Safety Nets: A Pathway to Sustainable Development

In this cross-sectional study, an investigation was conducted by collecting primary data from 379 household heads to examine the impact of social safety nets on household-level food security in the Torghar district of Northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The comprehensive analysis encompassed the univariate, bivariate, and multivariate levels. The bivariate analysis revealed issues and shortcomings related to access to social safety nets, particularly within the Zakat system. These issues included corruption and nepotism, which hindered poverty alleviation strategies and the well-being of vulnerable households. Additionally, complex bureaucratic procedures and regulations impeded social interventions, and political factors posed a substantial obstacle. At the multivariate level, the study identified the specific factors contributing to food insecurity. Respondents from extended family systems, individuals aged between 46 and 55 years, and those with religious education were found to be more vulnerable to food insecurity. While social safety nets held promise for addressing food sustenance challenges among local low-income citizens, the negative impacts of political involvement, favoritism, and nepotism were evident and required urgent attention. These findings emphasize the need for coordinated efforts among the government, social safety net officials, and community to identify and rectify these existing issues. Fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility regarding the role and implementation of social safety nets towards achieving food security is crucial to enhancing their viability and effectiveness, ensuring continuous support for those in need.

Determinant of under nutrition among under five children in Ambo town during covid 19 pandemic in 2020. A community-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundAbout 8 to 44% of all child mortality in Africa is associated with undernutrition. To alleviate this problem, it is necessary to determine the magnitude and determinants of undernutrition during Covid 19 pandemic. However, there is scarce evidence in an urban setting like Ambo town. Therefore, this study assessed the magnitude and factors associated with undernutrition among under-five children in Ambo town, west Ethiopia.Methods and patientsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Ambo town from March 01–30, 2020. The child and mother/caregiver socio-demographic characteristics, child illness and health care utilization, and child feeding practice-related data were collected using the standardized tool adopted from similar studies conducted in Ethiopia. Anthropometric measurements of the child were made using a calibrated scale. A systematic sampling technique was employed to select 363 mothers/caregivers of the child as a source of data. Nutritional status indices were generated using ENASMART software. After testing for collinearity, variables with a p-value < 0.25 in binary logistic regression were interred to backward multiple logistic regressions at a level of significance of p < 0.05.ResultsA total of 363 participants were included in this study providing a 100% response rate and providing the following result. The mean (+ SD) age of children was 28.85 (+ 14.17) months and that of mothers/caregivers was 28.12 + 48 years. This study found 16.00%, 25.30%, and 19.00% of the study participants were underweight, wasted, and stunted respectively. Decisions making on major food purchases, who usually care for the child, the age at which the child starts complimentary food, late introduction of complementary food were positively associated with wasting. Diarrhea, birth weight, child age, age at which the child starts complimentary food, consumption of milk and milk product, and who usually care for the child were significantly associated with being underweight. Consumption of milk and milk products, household food security level, and birth weight were independent determinants of stunting.ConclusionThis study identified a high prevalence of undernutrition, especially wasting. Childbirth weight, age, diarrhea, feeding practice, household (HH) food security, Decision making on major food purchases, late introduction of complementary food were found to be the potential determinants of undernutrition. Thus there should be an effort to improve the nutritional status of children in the study area by focusing on these factors.

PERAN KEARIFAN LOKAL DESA ADAT PENGLIPURAN DALAM KETAHANAN PANGAN RUMAH TANGGA PASCA PANDEMI COVID-19 SEBAGAI DESA WISATA BERBASIS MASYARAKAT

Penglipuran Tourism Village is one of the Traditional Villages developed in Indonesia which is located in Bali, in its management the Traditional Village is very concerned about the environment and local wisdom, as well as the concept of community-based development. The majority of people's goods are artisans and related to tourism, this has led to a reduction in working hours during Covid-19, so this has also had a negative impact on family income. During the post-Covid-19 pandemic, the Penglipuran indigenous village community was visited by tourists again and the economic system was better than during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the economic system was not as stable as before the pandemic, this was shown by the level of household food security, where people still there are those who carry out Food Coping Strategy at Level I as much as 80% and Level II as much as 20%, the Coping Strategy Level, and do not carry out drastic steps or food fulfillment mechanisms or Coping Strategy at Level III, Penglipuran Village Indigenous people as a Food Security Tourism Village based on the mechanism of fulfilling food needs or Food Coping Strategy at the household level.

Determinants of Poverty in Malawi: Evidence from the Fifth Integrated Household Survey 2019

This study uses the 2019 Malawi Fifth Integrated Household Survey with 2,688 data to determine poverty factors in Malawi. Households’ subjective assessment of poverty having six levels is used with an ordered-probit model since it can easily catch deprivation in various aspects of people’s lives and complement the income-based poverty measurement for farmers in developing countries. Furthermore, consumption poverty using the annual per capita consumption value is compared with subjective poverty with a multinomial logit model. A partial proportional odds model is used as it rejects the parallel lines assumption. The overall results indicate that subjective and consumption poverty determinants overlap. But subjective poverty is more associated with household assets, natural disasters, aid, financial inclusion, food security, marital status, and education level than consumption poverty in Malawi. Policy support for continuing and developing subsidy programs for food, agricultural input, and life convenience is suggested since ongoing programs equally treat a variety of households and increase possibilities to escape both subjective and consumption poverty. Also, a rural extension program that provides asset management education is expected to draw overall welfare for vulnerable households. Finally, female welfare should be improved by reducing the wage gap and diversifying its welfare programs to improve the social perception of female labor.

Exploring U.S. Food System Workers' Intentions to Work While Ill during the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey.

With "stay at home" orders in effect during early COVID-19, many United States (U.S.) food system workers attended in-person work to maintain national food supply chain operations. Anecdotally, many encountered barriers to staying home despite symptomatic COVID-19 illness. We conducted a national, cross-sectional, online survey between 31 July and 2 October 2020 among 2535 respondents. Using multivariable regression and free-text analyses, we investigated factors associated with workers' intentions to attend work while ill (i.e., presenteeism intentions) during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 8.8% of respondents intended to attend work with COVID-19 disease symptoms. Almost half (41.1%) reported low or very low household food security. Workers reporting a higher workplace safety climate score were half as likely to report presenteeism intentions (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37, 0.75) relative to those reporting lower scores. Workers reporting low (aOR 2.06, 95% CI 1.35, 3.13) or very low (aOR 2.31, 95% CI 1.50, 3.13) household food security levels had twice the odds of reporting presenteeism intentions relative to those reporting high/marginal food security. Workplace culture and safety climate could enable employees to feel like they can take leave when sick during a pandemic, which is critical to maintaining individual and workplace health. We stress the need for strategies which address vulnerabilities and empower food workers to make health-protective decisions.

Household Food Security of Cocoa Farmers (Theobroma Cacao L) on Former Coal Mine Land in Sawahlunto City

An overview of the food security vulnerability of cocoa farmer households on former mining lands is able to provide recommendations in efforts to increase the income that can support the welfare of farmer households and increase regional farmer food security. The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of cocoa farmer household income and cocoa farmer household expenditure and the level of food security of cocoa farmer households in ex-mining areas in Talawi District, Sawahlunto City. With a sample of 39 respondents selected by simple random sampling and data analysis using a quantitative approach. This study shows the results that the average household income of respondents is IDR 3,082,821 per month. Whereas for the average respondent household food expenditure is Rp.1,426,282.05 or 59.94% of total household expenditure, the respondent's household non-food expenditure is Rp.953,384.62 or 40.06% of total household expenditure ladder. Judging from the proportion of household expenditure to total expenditure, the results show that the level of household food security is 23.08% of households are food secure and 76.92% of households are food insecure. Households should improve food expenditure patterns by paying attention to and diversifying the amount and type of food they will consume.

Does plate waste matter?: A two-stage cluster survey to assess the household plate waste in the Philippines

BackgroundPlate waste is an urgent global public health problem. Gaining better knowledge of the quantity and patterns of plate waste among households may give critical insights into resolving the greater problem of unnecessary plate waste. The study was conducted to determine the amount of plate wastage across food security levels of households and evaluate possible factors associated with plate waste.MethodsThis investigation analyzed the data from the 2018 Expanded National Nutrition Survey. Food weighing, food inventory, and food recall were the methods used to collect household food consumption and plate waste. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale was used to identify levels of food security among households.ResultsThe present study has revealed that the average household plate waste of rice was 49.6 g ± 4.7; meat, fish, & poultry was 7.5 g ± 0.5; and vegetable was 6.7 g ± 0.3. Rice (58%), vegetables (18%), and meat (9%) were the top 3 most wasted foods among Filipino households. Test showed that there was a significant difference in the wastage of rice (p < 0.001), corn (p < 0.001), vegetables (p < 0.05), fish (p < 0.001), meat (p < 0.001), and fats and oils (p = 0.001) across household food security levels. Households with the highest consumption of rice was 1.24 (CI: 1.06 – 1.46) times more likely to have rice waste compared to those households with the lowest consumption. Households with a female household head was 0.82 (CI: 0.78 – 0.87) times less likely to have plate waste of rice and rice products compared to those with male household head. The odds of rice wasting of household in urban areas was 0.83 (CI: 0.77 – 0.89) times higher in contrast to rural areas. The odds of rice wasting was 1.38 (CI: 1.15 – 1.66) times higher for households in the rich quintile compared to the poorest quintile. Household with highest vegetable consumption were 3.56 (CI: 2.51 – 5.03) times more likely to have vegetable waste compared to those with the lowest consumption. Households with 5 members were 1.13 (CI: 1.01 – 1.27) times more likely to have vegetable waste. The odds of wasting vegetables was 1.50 (CI: 1.14–1.97) times greater among households in the richest quintile compared in the poorest quintile. Families with the highest fish, meat & poultry consumption was 1.38 (CI: 1.01 – 1.91) times more likely of having fish, meat & poultry waste than households with lowest consumption. Fish, meat, and poultry plate waste was 0.81 (CI: 0.68 – 0.96) times less likely in households with 5 members or less than in households with more than 5 members. Compared to households in the lowest quintile, those in the middle quintile were 1.55 (CI: 1.01 – 2.38) times more likely to throw away fish, meat, and poultry. The odds of wasting fish, meat, and poultry was 2.26 (CI: 1.35 – 3.79) times higher for those in the richest than those in the poorest quintile.ConclusionsFindings suggest that plate waste is indeed a public health problem that should be addressed. Future research studies should explore the nutrient losses that might stem from plate wastage in order to have a more accurate approach when it comes to the development of strategies and interventions aimed at reducing household plate waste.

EFFECTS OF SUGARCANE GROWING ON FOOD SECURITY AMONG SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN PROXIMITY TO KINYARA SUGAR LIMITED IN MASINDI DISTRICT, UGANDA

Over the years, the Ugandan government had been promoting agricultural commercialization to become a middle-income economy by 2020. In 2012, the president remarked that if all the 40 million acres of arable land were put to full potential, everyone would be richer. Sugarcane commercialization, in the form of contract farming, has been praised as one of the preferred instruments to promote it, leading to the emergence of large and medium sugar corporations in Uganda’s countryside. The study aims to provide insights into the commercialization process of smallholder agriculture through sugarcane contract farming (CF) and the implications on land rights, labor relations, and rural livelihoods, taking Uganda’s Bunyoro sub-region as a case. The effect of commercial agriculture in the face of global change is critical to support strategies that ensure food security and alleviate poverty among households. The author assessed the effects of commercial sugarcane cultivation to household-level food security among smallholder farmers in Masindi District, Bunyoro sub-region, Western Uganda. Land use changes are motivated by quick commercial gains rather than sustained food production; a situation that influences food security. Majority of households cultivate few crop varieties, lack adequate and nutritious foods, and have inadequate income to purchase food to meet their needs. Inadequacy of food within some commercial sugarcane-cultivating households suggests that generating income does not necessarily increase food security. To cope with food insecurity, households offer labour in exchange for food, borrow food, ration food, and at times steal. This is exacerbated by increasing food crop failures, large family sizes, trade in food items, and declining availability of food and land for food production. Commercial sugarcane cultivation is

Identifying nutrition-sensitive development options in Madagascar through a positive deviance approach

Context-adapted interventions are needed to alleviate the burden of food and nutrition insecurity on resource-poor rural households in southeastern Madagascar. The Positive Deviance approach implies identifying locally viable development solutions by focusing on particularly successful, innovative individuals. To identify promising practices that could be promoted as part of food and nutrition security (FNS) interventions in the Atsimo Atsinanana region of southeastern Madagascar, positive deviance was searched among smallholder farmers. Positive deviants are defined as households with overall optimal performance across four aspects of FNS: household-level food security, women’s diet quality, child’s diet quality, and low diarrhea incidence. To identify positive deviants, a two-step procedure was followed. Based on quantitative survey data from 413 rural smallholder households (mother-child pairs) with a child aged between 6 and 23 months, each household’s four performance scores were adjusted by removing the average effects of household resources. Then, households with Pareto-optimal performance were identified regarding the four aspects. Subsequently, 16 positive deviants were revisited and positive deviant practices were identified through in-depth interviews. A set of practices were validated through focus group discussions with local nutrition and agriculture experts. Positive deviant practices include the adoption of agricultural innovation, such as new cash crops, as well as nutrition-sensitive market behaviors and reliance on off-farm activities. In addition, some ethno-cultural factors help to explain positive deviance. These diverse positive deviant practices may serve as examples and inspiration for locally grounded development interventions targeting FNS in southeastern Madagascar.

Increased mineral fertilizer use on maize can improve both household food security and regional food production in East Africa

CONTEXTDespite recent improvements in living standards, a substantial proportion of farm households in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is food insecure, and increasing crop productivity could help address this problem. OBJECTIVEWe estimated the effect of increasing maize yields with mineral fertilizer on household food security and on regional and national maize supply in two East African countries - Uganda and Tanzania. METHODSWe estimated maize yield response to nitrogen (N) fertilization with a machine learning model trained on 15,952 observations of maize responses to fertilizer across SSA. Together with spatial price data, we used this model to quantify the profit-maximizing N fertilizer input for a nationally-representative sample of 4188 agricultural households in the two countries. We computed a food availability indicator for all households. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSThe mean profit-maximizing N input was 82 kg/ha in Tanzania, but it was much lower in Uganda (24 kg/ha) mostly because of less favorable prices. The profit-maximizing N input was above the reported N input for 95% of the households in Tanzania and for 43% of the households in Uganda. It was predicted to increase the food availability ratio of food insecure maize growers by 95% in Tanzania, and by 25% in Uganda. The administrative regions where maize supply could increase most were not the same as the regions where the increase in household-level food security was largest. With increased fertilization, food insecure maize growing households (35% in Tanzania and 42% in Uganda) could only contribute about 20% of the overall increase in maize supply, whereas the 20 to 30% food secure households that have a larger area planted with maize could contribute >60%. SIGNIFICANCEOur study makes two key contributions: i) a substantial increase in national maize supply is more likely to come from already food secure households with relatively large farms, while food insecure households with small farms may nevertheless increase their household-level food security through maize intensification, and ii) high potential areas to increase maize domestic production do not necessarily match with areas where there is immediate scope to improve household-level food security.

Probit Estimation Model: Influence of Socio-Economic Factors on the Probability of Farmers’ Household Food Security Level

Summary Food security is one of the global strategic issues in a country’s development. This research conducted in Bone Regency, Indonesia, analyzes the influence of socio-economic factors on the probability of food security in farmer households. The research method used is quantitative with cross-sectional data and model analysis with ordered probit estimation with the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method. The research location was chosen by purposive sampling, considering that this location is still classified as food insecure based on the Bone District Food Security and Vulnerability Atlas (FSVA) Report. The sampling technique was accidental sampling, with 84 farmer households. The findings indicate that the probability of the food security level of farmer households is positively influenced by certain socio-economic conditions, including household income and education level, while other socio-economic factors, such as the age of the household head and the number of family members, have no significant effect. Special attention to variables that have no significant effect is expected to increase the chances of food security in farmer households. There is a need to provide and support access to information on the importance of food security and economic opportunities for many family members. Likewise, food support is protection against food insecurity for household heads who are no longer at productive age.

Status and drivers of households’ food security status in climate-sensitive coastal areas of Bangladesh: A comparison between the exposed and interior coasts

ABSTRACT Farming in coastal areas has unique challenges as climate change threatens coastal people’s livelihoods and food security. Therefore, household food security remains a major concern, especially in Bangladesh’s climate-sensitive coastal districts. This study compared the food security status and identified the factors influencing households’ food security in the exposed and interior coasts of Bangladesh. A total of 750 households (exposed coast: 375 and interior coast: 375) were surveyed from six coastal areas. The Food Consumption Score (FCS), descriptive statistics, and a set of econometric models were used to achieve the objectives. Around 20% of households in the exposed coast were in the borderline category of FCS. The FCS of the interior coast households was significantly higher than the exposed coast households. The analysis results revealed that a 1 USD increase in the price of rice per kg would decrease the likelihood of being in the food secure category by more than 40%. Households who engaged in homestead gardening had a 4.30% and 9.15% higher likelihood of being in the food secure category in the interior and exposed coasts, respectively. Access to credit increased the likelihood of being in the food secure category by 7.15% in the exposed coast area. Economic status-related factors, such as higher farm and non-farm incomes, also increased the likelihood of being food secure in both coastal areas. To improve the household-level food security in coastal areas, location-specific sustainable farming practices, non-farm employment opportunities, rice price stabilization, agricultural training, and capital availability are warranted.

Perspectives on the Village Savings and Loans Association Activities and Household Food Security in Uganda

The study examined various perspectives on Voluntary Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) activities and household food security in Uganda. Specifically, the study examined the effect of VSLA on household food Availability, established the contribution of VSLA on household food Access, and determined the effects of VSLA on household food Stability. The study adopted a literature review approach to collect information. The results suggest a positive relationship between VSLA activities and household food security in Uganda. It further reveals that VSLA activities affect food availability, food accessibility and food stability. It is concluded that if the government of Uganda can improve on the quality of VSLA activities, the level of household food security will improve. This study contributes to the understanding of the association between VSLA activities and household food security in the country. Therefore, for improved household food security, it is encouraged that the leadership of Local Governments focus more attention on mobilising local communities to join VSLA groups so that they can access affordable capital to increase their level of production, which can translate into sustainable household food security in the long run.

Collaborative Management of Rice Field for Household Food Security: The Case of Santri Tani Sukabumi Regency

The collaborative rice field management that has been carried out in Ciracap Village, Ciracap District, Sukabumi Regency, aims to achieve the level of food security of farmer households. The stakeholders have roles as capital providers, facilitators, and off-takers. This study aims to analyze the extent to which the effectiveness of collaboration can provide positive changes to the level of food security of farmer households in Ciracap Village. This research started from February to August 2021, using mixed methods. The data collected was obtained based on a survey method with a questionnaire instrument for quantitative methods, as well as observations and in-depth interviews for qualitative methods. Quantitative data were processed using a multivariate test with MANOVA analysis, while qualitative data is processed by data reduction, data presentation, and data verification. The results showed that the collaborative process of rice field management was based on a high level of trust between the closest stakeholders. However, based on the administrative data that is not on field conditions, the effectiveness of the collaboration process on the level of household food security is less effective. The effectiveness of collaboration tends to be weak because the program implementation has not yet fully guaranteed the fulfillment of food for farmer households. This is indicated by the socio-economic conditions of farmers that have not changed positively because the quality and quantity of rice production are not in line with the target.