Household Livelihood Strategies Research Articles

Nutrition profiles of farm households across different farming systems in Ethiopia: Unpacking the determinants and implications for nutrition‐sensitive interventions

AbstractTackling nutrition insecurity remains a critical challenge in developing countries. In the predominantly rain‐fed and smallholder‐based farming systems of Ethiopia, production diversity and livelihood strategies of the farm households vary across geographic areas. However, the effects of household socioeconomic characteristics, production diversity, and household incomes on nutrition profiles in distinct settings have been inadequately understood. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine the association of farming system type, sources of income, and household wealth status with household nutrition profiles in three remote locations such as Mennisa, Welmel Tiqa, and Agam Wuha that represent root crops‐based farming, maize‐based semi‐pastoral farming, and teff‐based cereal farming systems, respectively. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques was employed. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select a total of 265 smallholder households for the structured survey interviews. Standard statistical tests and Tobit regression analyses were performed after determining the wealth category of each household. Results revealed a diversity of income sources used by each of the farm households with average values of 9 in Mennisa, 10 in Agam Wuha, and 11 in Welmel Tiqa, with the contributions of each income source varying by household wealth category and location. As expected, expenditures on food significantly exceeded those on non‐food categories for poor households and vice versa for rich wealth households. The average total food variety score (FVS) for Welmel Tiqa was twice that for Agam Wuha, confirming the need for site‐specific nutrition profile assessments. Despite the observed differences in household nutrition profiles among wealth categories and locations, the apparent intakes of vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and calcium were consistently below the population‐level estimated average requirements across all locations. The number of adequately consumed nutrients by farm households was negatively associated with family size, age of household heads, livestock holdings, wealth categories, and irrigation use, and positively associated with crop production diversity, income diversity, and FVS. The negative association between irrigation use and nutrition security was likely due to the focus on producing crops with a high market value on land under irrigation, coupled with ineffective allocation of generated income for enhancing household nutritional outcomes. Therefore, programs that include irrigated agriculture investments should consider adopting a more integrated nutrition‐sensitive interventions, including consideration of locally adapted nutritious crops, such as orange‐flesh sweet potato, to address critical deficiency of Vitamin A, nutrition training coupled with development of recipes and cooking demonstrations, and marketing and promotion for nutritious crops.

Strategi Nafkah Rumah Tangga Petani Padi Lahan Kering di Desa Kragan, Kecamatan Gondangrejo, Karanganyar

This research was conducted with the aim of uncovering daily life, the livelihood strategies implemented, and the sustainability of livelihood strategies for the lives of dry land rice farmer households in Kragan Village. This research was conducted using descriptive qualitative methods with a case study approach. The research location was determined purposively in Kragan Village, Gondangrejo District, Karanganyar Regency. Determination of informants was carried out using purposive sampling and snowball sampling. Data validity uses triangulation of sources and techniques. The research results reveal that (1) On-farm households predominantly utilize financial capital in the form of personal capital. On-farm and non-farm households predominantly utilize human capital. On-farm, off-farm and non-farm households predominantly utilize financial capital in the form of loan capital. (2) Based on the livelihood strategy implemented, dry land rice farming households in Kragan Village are classified into 3, namely on-farm farming households, on-farm and non-farm farming households and on-farm, off-farm and non-farm farming households. (3) The livelihood strategies of on-farm farming households include consolidation, while the livelihood strategies of on-farm and non-farm farming households, and on-farm, off-farm and non-farm farming households include survival.

Gender Livelihood Strategies among Farmers’ Household in Kano State, Nigeria

Gender-based livelihood continues to be one of the most prevalent issues facing Nigerian households, with implications in virtually every industry. This study accessed the gender-based livelihood strategies of farmers’ households in Kano State, Nigeria. The research was conducted in Kano state, four Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kano State were selected using a multi-stage sampling procedure, and 215 farmers were randomly selected from 717 households in the LGAs. In addition, 80 households, of which 20 were randomly selected from each LGA, were interviewed about their means of subsistence. A combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques was used to gather information for the study. Both descriptive statistics and the Harvard Analytical Framework were used to analyse the collected data. The results revealed that the average age of farmers in Kano State was 35 years, the majority (89.3%) were married, with an average household size of 9 people, and 55.8% had informal education. The majority of productive activities were carried out by men and boys; both men and women carried out activities that generated income; and more than 70 percent of reproductive activities were carried out by women, as revealed by the household's livelihood strategies. It further revealed that women had limited access to resources and that the majority of resources were under the control of males in the study area. Men dominated access to and control over the resources that were available. It is recommended that women be encouraged to devise legal means for accessing and controlling resources in order to improve their livelihood status.

Household Livelihood Strategies and Forest Resource Use in Rural West Bengal, India

The economic contributions of forest resources to the well-being of rural households are enormous. However, the level of forest benefits and degree of forest reliance vary across households. Drawing on a sustainable livelihood framework, this article explores how these forest resource uses correlate to the choice of livelihood strategies of rural forest-dependent households with a specific focus on the increased income of households, filling income shortfall, coping with shocks and livelihood diversification. Data were collected from 407 rural forest-dependent households in West Bengal, India. Based on the share of forest income in total household income, households were classified into different livelihood strategy groups. One-way ANOVA was run to test the income differences among these groups. The forest extractive strategy was found least income-generating of all livelihood strategies. Multinomial logit regression was carried out to identify the asset-based explanatory variables that influence livelihood strategy choices and forest dependency of the studied households. Analyses show that households’ differential access to or endowment of livelihood assets determines the choice of a rural household’s livelihood strategy and that forest resource uses of the households are livelihood strategy driven. Asset-poor households should be given opportunities to pursue livelihood activities with higher economic returns. JEL Classifications: Q23, Q56, Q57

A study of the promotion mechanism of digital inclusive finance for the common prosperity of Chinese rural households

Common prosperity is a social policy goal pursued by the Chinese government and an ideal social status for humanity. On the basis of three theoretical hypotheses, this study involved the analysis of county-level digital inclusive finance data and rural survey data. The Hierarchical Linear Model was employed to empirically analyze the impact and mechanism of digital inclusive finance on the common prosperity of rural households. The results indicate that the county-level digital inclusive finance index, as well as its depth and coverage, can significantly and directly promote common prosperity. Furthermore, it was found that household livelihood strategies are one of the regulatory mechanisms, and digital inclusive finance significantly promotes common prosperity through factors such as opportunities for migrant work, property income, business livelihood models, and agricultural livelihood models. In addition, financing methods are also important adjustment mechanisms, and digital inclusive finance significantly promotes the common prosperity through digital tools and loan availability variables. Our research provides favorable evidence for the cross-level interaction effect of county-level digital inclusive finance on the common prosperity of rural households.

The role of social capital in shaping livelihood for rural Vietnamese households.

This study explores the role of social capital in the livelihoods of rural households in Vietnam, examining both direct and indirect impacts. The author uses a revised sustainable livelihood framework to analyze social capital, focusing on bonding-bridging and linking forms. The study applies quantitative methods to a secondary dataset from a rural household survey, including entropy-weighted indicators, cluster analysis, and SEM models. The findings suggest that social capital has complex and significant impacts on household livelihood strategies. Bridging and linking social capital promotes non-agricultural and wage-based strategies, while bonding social capital drives transfer-based strategies. The study highlights the importance of social capital as a complementary resource to other livelihood capitals, such as financial, human, and physical capital. These results have important implications for policy implementation aimed at supporting rural households and their livelihoods, especially regarding social capital's interaction with other livelihood capitals. By understanding the complex relationship between social capital, other livelihood capitals and livelihood strategies, policymakers can design more effective policies that harness the potential of social connections to support rural households.

Impact of community forestry program on rural livelihood strategy under socioeconomic transition: A case study in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar

Livelihood diversification is a common strategy to adjust to economic and environmental shocks and reduce poverty. This paper compared the livelihood strategies of community forest user group households with non-community forest households as a case study in the central dry zone in Myanmar. Employing data from field surveys with a sample size of 189 households through stratified sampling, scores were given for five livelihood assets with 18 decision variables, and sectoral classification of livelihood diversification was applied. Results suggested that the community forestry program ensured the secure use of local people's land rights and significantly contributed to the daily needs of community forest user group households. In addition, the community forestry program provided working capital to its members through working on natural assets such as agroforestry, livestock, and off-farm (jaggery). Social, natural, and human assets play an essential role in the diversification patterns of local people under rural transition. This analysis showed that the community forest user group households faced three entry barriers which are weakness in social networking, high mobility of its members, and an insecure financial support system to move to Community Forestry based small business.

Natural resource extraction and ethnic inequality in Dak Lak, Vietnam

AbstractNatural resource extraction is an important livelihood strategy for poor rural households in developing and emerging countries. Despite the sharp decline in poverty in Vietnam, inequality still exists between the ethnic majority and minority. This paper aims to analyze the impact of natural resource extraction on ethnic inequality. We use panel data from Dak Lak in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition shows that ethnic differences in extraction are due to different group characteristics and different returns to these characteristics. Endogenous switching regressions find that extraction has heterogeneous effects on consumption across extracting and non-extracting households, and between majority and minority households. Treatment effects suggest that extraction sustains the consumption of extracting minority households because their consumption would decline if they stopped extracting. Our results indicate that it is important to improve the natural resource base and the ability of minorities to cope with shocks.

Do female labor‐migrated households have lower productivity? Empirical evidence from rural rice farms in Bangladesh

AbstractThe labor movement from rural areas and the remittance flow from migrants is a common household livelihood strategy in rural Bangladesh. While migration can offer economic benefits through remittances, it can be a source of hardship for migrants and their families due to societal culture. This study examines the differences in farm productivity and technical efficiency between female and male labor migrants by focusing on female and male laborers who have lived away from their homes for 6 months or more within the country and its reflection on farm production. Using data on 2271 rice plots from Bangladesh Integrated Households Survey in 2018, we estimate plot‐level stochastic meta‐frontier approach for households with female‐labor migrants and male‐labor migrants separately emphasizing technological difference and heteroskedastic technical efficiency. The empirical result shows that the female‐labor migrants' farms have 10.3% lower production frontier (maximum frontier yield) and 6.1% higher technical efficiency than male migrants' farms, indicating that they have 4.2% lower productivity. Lower production frontier reflects lower management ability and less attention to farm practice. Moreover, the study reveals that female‐labor migrants' farms are closer to the meta‐frontier, suggesting smaller technology gaps. However, some farmers failed to achieve the highest possible output in relation to the meta‐frontier, indicating that farmers can boost their production by adopting and disseminating new rice production technology.

Crop diversification as a household livelihood strategy under environmental stress. Factors contributing to the adoption of crop diversification in shrimp cultivation and agricultural crop farming zones of coastal Bangladesh

Environmental stressors, potentially aggravated by climate change, pose significant challenges to households whose livelihoods rely primarily on crop production in agriculture or aquaculture, particularly in countries of the Global South. In this context, diversified farming systems, or crop diversification, have been discussed as one adaptation strategy of smallholder farming households to reduce their livelihood vulnerability and increase farm resilience. In coastal Bangladesh, livelihoods based on cultivation of shrimp, prawn, fish, paddy (rice) and other crops are likely to become more vulnerable with accelerated sea level rise, extreme flooding events, cyclone activity, river bank erosion and salinization. While crop diversification in Bangladesh is still low overall, it has been increasing. To understand the factors driving the uptake of diversified cropping in different farming production contexts and allow for policy measures addressing regionally specific needs, we explore the (relative) impact and significance of relevant factors contributing to the adoption of crop diversification practices for (i) shrimp cultivation and (ii) agricultural crop farming zones. We specifically include variables representing subjectively perceived risks to study their role in climate change adaptation. Our findings are based on a quantitative household survey (n = 1188) in nine purposefully selected unions across the Bangaleshi part of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta to capture the diversity of the region. Our results show that the prevalence of crop diversification measures is relatively high in the shrimp cultivation zone, but relatively low in the agricultural crop farming regions. In sum, the results show that even though direct economic factors seem to be (still) more important for diversification decisions, our study also suggests that perceived environmental threats and changes can have a favourable influence on crop diversification and should hence be included in studies investigating causes for land use changes. Yet, there are significant differences with regard to the influence of specific factors on the likelihood to diversify in the two respective zones. We conclude that greater uptakes of agriculture and aquaculture diversification could represent a promising and more sustainable approach for smallholders in coastal Bangladesh given appropriate supportive institutional conditions and measures that address specific needs of local communities. A “one-size-fits-all” approach to pushing crop diversification is unlikely to produce adequate and sustainable results.

Livelihood strategies of farming households in forest fringe communities of Niger State, Nigeria

Livelihood strategies of farming households in forest fringe communities of Niger State, Nigeria

Analysis of the Impact of Livelihood Capital on Livelihood Strategies of Leased-In Farmland Households: A Case Study of Jiangxi Province, China

In the context of the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, the industrialization of agriculture and rural areas is rapidly increasing, and more and more capable people in rural management are actively leasing land to develop modern agriculture, broaden diversified livelihood channels, and pursue sustainable development. We used leased-in farmland households as an entry point, focusing on the development of rural industries and the choice of livelihood strategies to fill a gap in the existing literature. Based on sustainable livelihood theory, we constructed a sustainable livelihood analysis framework for leased-in farmland households using the survey data of 283 leased-in farmland households in Yudu County. A livelihood capital indicator system was constructed, and the entropy value method and other measurement methods were used. Firstly, we analyzed and comprehensively evaluated the livelihood capital and livelihood strategies of leased-in farmland households in Yudu County, Jiangxi Province. We then used binary logistic regression models and polynomial logistic regression models to analyze the influence of the differentiation in leased-in farmland households’ livelihood capital on the choice of livelihood strategies and their transformation and conducted robustness tests on the relevant findings. Different types of livelihood capital have different effects on agriculture-led livelihood strategies. Natural capital and physical capital have significant positive effects on agriculture-led livelihood strategies, but financial capital, human capital, and social capital have negative effects. Natural capital has a significant negative effect on the pluriactivity strategy, while physical, human, and social capital have insignificant effects on it. For off-farm livelihood strategies, natural capital and financial capital have insignificant effects, physical capital has a significant negative effect, and human capital and social capital have a significant positive contribution.

The impact of farmland transfer participation on farmers' livelihood choices – an empirical study of the effectiveness of the 2014 Three Property Rights Separation reform

PurposeFarmland transfer choice is strongly associated with the livelihood strategies of rural households. The 2014 Three Property Rights Separation (TPRS) reform has legalized farmland transfer practices in rural China, hence stimulating the farmland transfer market at the national scale. This paper aims to determine the extent to which rural family livelihood strategies are influenced by their participation decision in farmland transfer practices. Further, the authors examined the effectiveness of the TPRS reform on the impact of farmland transfer participation on rural household livelihood strategy choices.Design/methodology/approachBased on the sustainable livelihood approach (SLA) using data from a national rural household survey, the authors employ the logit model and the propensity score matching (PSM) method to estimate the impact of household farmland transfer participation. Its interaction effects with household livelihood capital on their livelihood strategy choices and diversification level are also investigated. The difference-in-difference (DID) model is employed to assess the effectiveness of the TPRS reform.FindingsThe results indicate that the participation in transferred-out farmland could improve rural households' non-agricultural livelihood strategies. While the participation in transferred-in farmland could improve the probability of rural families' engaging in pure-agricultural (PA) or agricultural-dependent (AD) livelihood strategies, the TPRS reform can attract specialized farmers to increase their farm size through the market solutions and encourage small farmers to leave their farmland to engage in more off-farm work.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on farmers' livelihood by exploring the role of farmland transfer decision and the effectiveness of 2014 TPRS reform through the SLA approach.

Livelihood strategies of farmers in Loksado District, Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency, Indonesia

This research was conducted in Loksado District, Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency, South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Demographic changes and land use changes that occurred in Loksado District resulted in a decrease in the area of farmland. This condition gave rise to changes in the conditions of field farmers in meeting household needs. This study aimed to analyze the livelihood strategies farm farmer households in Loksado District applied. This research is based on the application of qualitative research. Informants in this study were shifting cultivation farmers from the Dayak Meratus Tribe in Haratai Village, Loksado Village, and Loklahung Village, Loksado District, which was selected by snowball sampling. The results of this study indicate that there are three livelihood strategies for farm household farmers: accumulation, consolidation, and survival. The dominant strategy base is agricultural diversification to meet household needs. The selection of household livelihood strategies is related to the socio-economic conditions of the household, the use of resources (the condition of assets owned, domestic workers of working age), and job diversification.

Diverse farmer livelihoods increase resilience to climate variability in southern Colombia

Climate variability affects agricultural production systems and rural communities, generating risks to food security and increasing rural poverty. Therefore, improving the capacity of rural households to adapt to climate variability has become one of the greatest challenges for international and national institutions. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of rural households’ livelihood strategies with regard to their vulnerability and adaptation to climate variability. We systematically selected 162 rural households from 10 municipalities in the department of Huila (Colombia). Households were grouped according to their livelihood strategies, using 13 variables representative of their productive characteristics. Subsequently, three indices related to climate vulnerability were determined: a. exposure (climate variability between 1990 and 2012), b. sensitivity, and c. adaptive capacity. For the latter two, the community capitals framework was used. Using the three indices above, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s proposed vulnerability index was determined. We found seven livelihood strategies: i. Cattlemen-Cocoa Farmers, ii. Livestock-Cocoa Farmers, iii. Employees-Cocoa Farmers, iv. Cocoa Farmers, v. Diversified Farmers, vi. Landlords-Cocoa Farmers and vii. Coffee Farmers. Degree of vulnerability to climate variability was related to the livelihood strategy of rural households: those best endowed with capitals and with the most diverse livelihood strategies were the least vulnerable (Cattlemen-Cocoa Farmers and Livestock-Cocoa Farmers). While it is necessary to maintain a balance between capitals in the process of adapting to climate variability in rural households, at the community level it is essential to strengthen political capital, which will make it possible to construct and reinforce strategies for adapting to climate variability.

Livelihood options of landless rural households in Tigrai Region, Northern Ethiopia: evidence from selected districts

BackgroundThe livelihood of rural households in Ethiopia, like in most developing countries, largely depends on land resource. However, nowadays most rural households are denied access to arable land in the highland of Ethiopia due to high population growth and shortage of arable land. Landlessness is, therefore, becoming a serious social and economic problem in the rural highland areas of Ethiopia in general and Tigrai region in particular. This study, therefore, intends to explore the choice of livelihood strategies of landless rural households and assess the challenges and opportunities of the livelihoods of landless rural households in selected districts of Tigrai region.MethodsThis study is conducted in three randomly selected districts of Tigrai region, namely, Kilte-Awlaelo, Degua-Tembien, and Hintalo-Wajerat districts. For the purpose of this study, two Tabias were randomly chosen from each districts. Then, afterward, both primary and secondary data sources were consulted to address the specific objectives of this study. The primary data were collected from 258 randomly selected households and six focus group discussions. This study used Multivariate Probit and Negative Binomial Regression to analyze factors influencing the choice of livelihood strategies and the number of livelihood options adopted by the landless rural households, respectively.ResultsThis study finds that the livelihood sources of the landless rural households in the study area include farm (90%), non-farm (72%), and off-farm (41%) economic activities. The result of the Multivariate Probit regression indicates that household head characteristics, human capital, social capital, physical capital, financial capital, and institution-related factors were significantly influencing the choice of livelihood strategies of the landless rural households. The results of the negative binomial regression model, on the other hand, assert that household head-related factors, social capital, and institution-related factors were significantly influencing the number of livelihood options adopted by the landless rural households. This study affirms that stone or sand selling, dairy farming, poultry production, animal fattening, and bee keeping are the major opportunities to improve the livelihood of the landless rural households. Moreover, this study also identifies that shortage of arable land, youth unemployment, lack of access to infrastructure, poor land administration, and lack of access to financial capital were the major challenges facing the landless rural households.Concluding remarksThis study concludes that all stakeholders efforts to address the problem of landlessness need to be geared to enhance access of landless rural households to different livelihood capitals, such as human, social, financial, physical, and natural capitals. Moreover, rural township and village enterprises could enhance the access of landless rural households to market and job opportunities.

Migration and Farmer Household Livelihood Strategies: Factors Influencing the Decision to Migrate

West Java is one of the provinces in Indonesia with a high percentage of poor farmer’s households. Furthermore, migration is often associated with economic conditions and is carried out by farmer’s households as a livelihood strategy to cope with poverty and vulnerability. This research aims to describe the migration carried out by farmer’s households and to analyze the factors influencing the decision of members to migrate. This study relies on longitudinal data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey in 2007 and 2014 to evaluate the migration phenomenon that occurred from 2007 to 2014. The respondents are members of farmer’s households in West Java Province, a total of 615 individuals, including 89 migrants and 526 non-migrants. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were used to answer the research objectives. The results showed that respondents’ age, perceived current living conditions, and ability to meet children’s needs significantly and negatively affect the decision to migrate; meanwhile, crop failure significantly and positively affects the decision to migrate. In the face of limited financial resources and vulnerabilities, farmer households allocate productive human resources to migrate and earn a living outside their village. Further research can be directed to provide a broader picture of migration carried out by farmer households by analyzing macro conditions that affect their livelihood. The government can play a role in formulating an economic and social reintegration strategy. Hence, the remittances obtained by migrants can ensure sustainable livelihoods and contribute to agricultural development.

Livelihood Strategies and Their Determinants among Informal Households in Calabar, Nigeria

The purpose of investigating livelihood strategies is to seek patterns that can be acted upon in order to improve livelihood prospects. This paper assesses household livelihood strategies and their determinates by asking (1) how urban households manage and mobilise resources and (2) how they combine assets—emphasising the existing strategies they adopt and their outcomes. Using a mixed-method cross-sectional design, four informal settlements were surveyed. Household questionnaires were developed and used to collect data from 425 households in Calabar, Nigeria. A total of 45 interviews, non-participant observation, and 2 focus groups were conducted. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 26, IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) and presented using tables. The qualitative data were collected, coded and analysed using NVivo 1.2 (QRS International). Fundamental context-related livelihood strategies in asset building are identified, and the diverse approaches and constraints that emerged are analysed. The result shows that households diversify their assets with strategies which are complex and diverse. This ranges from the extension of spaces and sub-letting a room to reducing their expenses (by spending less), borrowing from friends and relatives, and seeking help from community organisations. Others include pawning their belongings, engaging in home-based enterprises, and investing in children’s education, migration, and urban agriculture. Findings further indicate the ability of households to avoid or reduce their vulnerability and to increase their productivity depends on their initial assets and on their ability to transform them into income, food, or other necessities. This paper recommends ways of strengthening and supporting households’ strategies to cope with and reduce housing vulnerability.

Analysis of crab fisherman’s household structure and livelihood strategy after the Kendari Bay revitalization

The study determines the structure and strategy of livelihood and household welfare of crab fishermen after the revitalization of Kendari Bay. Determination of the research area is done purposively. The population and sample in this study were fishermen who persisted in using Kendari Bay as a location for catching crabs after the sedimentation and reclamation of Kendari Bay to meet family needs. The data analysis used is qualitative analysis to determine the strategy and structure of fishermen’s livelihood and quantitative research to assess household welfare by calculating fishermen’s income which will be compared with the regional minimum wage. The results showed that the livelihood structure of crab fishermen consisted of on-farm (fishery sector) as mud crab fishermen and non-farm (non-fishery sector) as construction workers, company workers, and the wages for ship work that were carried out erratically every month. The crab fisherman’s livelihood strategy is a double income pattern where the fisherman and his wife work in the non-fishery sector to meet their household needs and migrate by mobility or moving to other areas outside the Kendari Bay coast. The income of crab fishermen from catching crabs in Kendari Bay (fishery sector) is IDR2.379.859 and working in the non-fishery sector is IDR1.319.375. Hence, the total household income of crab fishermen is IDR3.699.234, higher than the minimum wage of Kendari City in 2022, IDR2.823.315, so the crab fishing households are still categorized as prosperous.

Climate Change Impacts and Challenges of Combating Food Insecurity in Rural Somkhele, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Climate change poses immense challenges for food security in most developing countries. The extent to which residents are able to reduce their impact on food resources and adapt to climate change will have implications for their livelihoods. Although climate change research has explored adaptation strategies to mitigate the negative effects on food security, empirical work on how climate change affects rural household food security in South Africa has been limited. This paper examines not only how climate change affects food security, but also residential challenges in combating climate change and food security. This paper focused on the Somkhele rural community located in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality of Northern KwaZulu-Natal, an area affected by water scarcity induced by climate change. A questionnaire was used to ascertain the views of 424 households on the impacts of climate variability on food security and the coping mechanisms and challenges involved in secure livelihoods. The results indicate that climate change has affected agricultural productivity and the use of water in households, especially since 2015. Food security is shaped by unemployment and a lack of financial capital. The local government did not assist with the required infrastructure to obtain water. Good governance and reflexive approaches are required to take into account household livelihood strategies and indigenous knowledge systems to ensure that support against the impacts of climate change is relevant