Rural Household Food Security Research Articles

Difference of Socio-Economic Characteristics based on Food Security Levels in Urban and Rural Poor Household in South Sulawesi

Backgorund; Nutritional problems arise due to the problem of food security at the household level, namely the ability of households to obtain food for all household members. This reflects the lack of accessibility of households to obtain food, one of which is caused by poverty. Many factors can affect household food security. Aim; This study aims to analyze differences in socio-economic characteristics based on the level of food security of poor urban and rural households in South Sulawesi as measured by the HFIAS Method and the modified Maxwell Method. Method; This study used a cross sectional design. Sampling using purposive sampling with a sample size of 170 households. Data analysis performed was bivariate analysis with t-independent test and chi square test. Results; The results showed that the variables that had differences between food-security and food-insecurity household groups as measured by the HFIAS method were household size (p = 0,000), while variables that had differences between household groups were food-security and food-insecurity (0.029) and household size (p = 0.000). Conclusions; Household size variables have differences between food-security and food-insecurity household groups as measured by the HFIAS method and the modified Maxwell method. Household size is an important variable that affects the level of household food security.

The Interface Between Entrepreneurship as a Climate Change Mitigation Strategy and Improved Rural Household Food Security and Food Systems Sustainability in South Africa

The worst and most direct impacts of climate change will fall disproportionately on livelihood systems and vulnerable populations that are already poor and food insecure. The highly vulnerable are communities dominated by farming, with limited livelihood diversification and adaptive capacity at household level. During the past three years, rural enterprises were established in six provinces of South Africa to increase access to food and to create income streams for farming communities in rural areas as part of the broader rural development strategy. This study sought to determine the impact of smallholder agricultural entrepreneurship through sweet potato and indigenous vegetable production on improved access to food, income generation and job creation. Return on Investment and Logistic regression analysis were used to analyse the data collected from 186 project beneficiaries. The results of the study indicated that enterprise development intervention impacted positively on household income, job creation and formal market access. The logistic regression model showed a significant relationship between productivity and access to formal markets (P < 0.001), educational level (P < 0.0001) and access to training (P < 0.002) at the 1% significance level. Sustainable establishment of these enterprises must be ensured through infrastructure support, capacity building and adapting to changes in cultivation practices intended to cope with climate change.

The Role of Informal Local Institutions in Food Security of Rural Households in Southwest Ethiopia

Among sub-Saharan countries, Ethiopia is known for its dominant informal institutions and chronic problem of food insecurity. However, the role of local institutions in households' food security in Ethiopia is less understood. Thus, the aim of the study was to identify local informal institutions and their roles in household food security. Mixed methods research was used to collect and analyse data relating to membership in local institutions and their food consumption. A logit model was employed to identify the role of local institutions in households' food security. The result showed that 45.1 per cent of households were food insecure. Rural households' membership in Iddir, Equib, Debo and Jarsumma strongly helped them escape food insecurity. On the one hand, participation in women's associations and Jiga did not significantly contribute to their food security. On the other hand, Dado was found to reduce their food security. We conclude that the programmes and policies that target food security should provide support to those informal institutions that successfully contributed to hunger reduction.

Effect of Rural-Urban Migration on Food Security of Rural Households in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State

This study investigated the effect of rural-urban migration on food security of rural households in Kwande local government area of Benue State, Nigeria. Using multistage sampling technique and a semi-structured questionnaire as instrument, data for the study was collected from a sample of three hundred and eighty four (389) rural dwellers in the state. The study revealed the major causes and determined the effect of rural-urban migration of the food security of Kwande local government area and suggested measures to reduce the rate of rural-urban migration. Given that the F- statistics of 98.094 is significant at 1% level of significance, it implies that the computed F- value was higher than the F-tabulated value of (1.94) at 5% level of significance and (2.51) at 1% level of significance. Therefore, and the alternative hypothesis which states that factors such as search for job, quest for skill acquisition, search foe better education, quest for marriage, insecurity, social amenities, and natural disasters are the determining factors of rural urban migration was accepted. Therefore, the study concluded that reduction rural-urban migration and improvement in food security are dependent on these factors. Based on the effects of rural-urban migration, it was recommended that government/policy makers come up with policies that would lead to increased rural development and farm mechanization.

Nonfarm employment and household food security: evidence from panel data for rural Cambodia

Nonfarm employment has been increasingly important in improving food security of rural households in the developing world. In this paper, we (1) determine the factors explaining the participation in nonfarm employment and nonfarm income of rural households by employing a two-part random effects econometric model, and (2) examine the effects of nonfarm employment on rural household food security indicators by combining the propensity score matching with the difference-in-differences approach. We used a panel dataset of 561 households in 30 villages of Stung Treng province in Cambodia collected in 2013 and 2014. Our sample was divided into two groups, households with nonfarm employment, and households without nonfarm employment. Our findings show that (1) nonfarm employment contributed about 32% to total annual household income for the whole sample and 57% for the households with nonfarm employment; (2) participation in nonfarm employment and nonfarm income were significantly influenced by the education level of household heads, numbers of motorbikes and mobile phones, conditions of roads to the villages, farmland size, number of income shocks, and the distance from home to the nearest market; (3) there was no significant difference in terms of food availability between households with and households without nonfarm employment but the former have improved food access, utilization, and stability. We suggest that promoting rural education, improving road conditions, and empowering rural households to cope with income shocks would contribute to developing nonfarm employment and consequently improve food security of rural households.

Economic performance on small holder Ettawah cross breed goat farming at Malang Indonesia.

ABSTRACTGoat production is an integral part of farming systems in Indonesia and can play an important role in improving livelihood and food security in rural households. This study aimed to assess the economic performance of goat production in Malang regency, East Java Province of Indonesia. Data were collected from a total of 42 farmers using a survey based on structured questionnaire. Indicators for the economic performance of goat production were profit (P), breakeven point (BEP), margin of safety (MOS) and revenue -cost ratio ((R/C ratio). Farmers were classified into three strata, stratum-1 (0.6-1.0 AU, n=15), stratum-2 (1.1-1.5 AU, n=14), and stratum-3 (1.6 -2.1 AU, n=13). Data included primary information (i.e. production cost, revenue) that obtained by survey method using structured questionnaire, whereas the related institution has supplied secondary data. Descriptive technique with applying economic formulation namely, profit, BEP, MOS and R/C ratio were employed to analyze the data. Results show that feed (concentrate and forage) cost shared the highest costs (expenses ranged from 59.36% to 71.15 %.) of the total production costs. Total variable costs per animal unit were lowest (69.57%) in stratum-1 than those in stratum-3 (80.51%) and stratum-2 (80.79%). Stratum-1 therefore, consider as the best BEP of IDR 346, 694/AU during one month period. The monthly revenue per Animal Unit of stratum-2 (IDR 1,038,945) was slightly different compared to sratum-3 (IDR 978,884), with the lowest one (IDR 824,765) come from stratum-1. Hence, stratum-3 ECB for goat enterprise represented as the best feasible farming with monthly profit of IDR 613,768/AU. Likewise, this farming also executed an efficient enterprise on the basis of 62.64% of MOS and 2.68 of R/C ratio. Overall, high feed cost was the major problem that affected goat economic production. Therefore, improvement of feed use efficiency is recommended.

Functions, motives and barriers of homestead vegetable production in rural areas in ageing China

Homestead vegetable production is vital in ensuring food security and balanced nutrition in rural households in less-developed countries, especially for the elderly. However, reports of this process in China are lacking. The roles, motives and barriers of homestead vegetable production in households of the elderly in rural China are unknown. Therefore, this study analyses these factors using a detailed survey of 298 elderly households (Luoning: 74, Yima: 81, Wuzhi: 78 and Lankao: 65) located in the midstream of the Yellow River in central China. Homestead vegetable production is popularised in elderly households because of its affordable labour, accessibility and low cost, as well as the leisure and relaxation it provides. Thirty-eight vegetable species are planted in the area in which more species are planted on plain terrains than those of hilly area. Household heads with high education tend to plant diverse vegetable species. The number of vegetable species planted decrease with increasing distance from the market and age of household heads. Vegetable shortage exists during the off-season, and overproduction occurs during in-season, especially for households located in hilly-gully areas. Poor facility support (i.e. water sources and mulching films), limited market opportunities and lack of knowledge, information and advisory services are the main reasons. Significant gaps between overproduction during in-season and vegetable shortage during off-season in the results emphasise the need to create a village-level vegetable selling network, to incorporate homestead vegetable production into the service scopes of the agricultural extension and technology service and to build a network of indigenous knowledge for promoting homestead vegetable production.

Determinants of Rural Household Food Security and Coping Up Mechanisms in the Case of Woliso Woreda Western Ethiopia

Determinants of Rural Household Food Security and Coping Up Mechanisms in the Case of Woliso Woreda Western Ethiopia

Impact of Livelihood Diversification on Rural Household Food Security: Evidence from Goncha-Siso-Enesie Destrict of Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

Despite some improvements in recent years, widespread poverty and food insecurity remain the main challenges in Ethiopia. Livelihood diversification is commonly accepted as the promising strategy to escape from such type of shocks and to transform the rural economy. Ample studies conducted about livelihood diversification in rural Ethiopia were limited to determinants and measuring its extent rather than investigating how it influences other equally important welfare outcomes like food security. In light of these, this study attempted to analyse the impact of livelihood diversification on rural household food security in Goncha-Siso-Enesie district, Amhara Regional State of Ethiopia. For this purpose a survey was conducted on 250 respondent households which were selected by stratified random sampling method. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the data. To a large extent, impact of livelihood diversification on household’s food security has been analyzed by using propensity score matching (PSM) econometric model. Descriptive statistics result pointed out that rural households combined non-farm and off-farm activities instead of relying on-farm only. Result from PSM also suggests that livelihood diversification brought a positive significant impact on household food security. Finally, policy implications were made according to the finding of the study.

Rural Livelihood Strategies and Household Food Security of Farmers Surrounding Derba Cement Factory, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Abstract This study examined the livelihood strategies and food security situation of rural households around Derba Cement Factory by taking a randomly selected sample of 215 heads of farm households from three rural kebeles. A mixed research approach was employed to triangulate concurrently collected data through household survey, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Informed by the sustainable rural livelihood framework, descriptive statistics were used to describe rural households’ livelihood strategies and challenges they faced while inferential statistics was employed to explain households’ food security situations with different livelihood combinations. While mixed farming was found to be the mainstay of the household economy, small-scale irrigation and extracting forest products were also used as supplementary economic activities. More than a half of the respondents (52.5%) reported at least one non-farm activity. Land shortage was identified as a major constraint to expand crop production and this was further aggravated by the activities (e.g. querying leading to displacement) of the Derba Cement Factory. This further affected household labor allocation and natural resources utilization. The result of household food (in) security access scale indicated that 59% of the respondents have experienced food access insecurity in 2016. However, respondents who combined agriculture and non-farm activities appeared relatively more food secure than those engaged in agriculture alone or in non-farm activity only. Overall, households with multiple livelihood strategies had diverse food entitlements to maintain sustainable food consumption. Yet, necessity induced diversification was found to affect food access security of households. This calls for inclusive policies and strategies that integrate rural non-farm activities to subsistence farming in order to assure sustainable livelihood in rural communities.

Climate Smart Agriculture Practices in Semi-arid Northern Ghana: Implications for Sustainable Livelihoods

Achieving food security and livelihood development among vulnerable households in the semi-arid regions is challenged by water scarcity and climate change. To alleviate the challenges of water scarcity and climate change impacts, farmers are adopting different climate smart agriculture (CSA) practices. However, there is limited knowledge on the contribution of CSA practices to livelihoods of farmers in semi-arid northern Ghana. Therefore, this paper explored CSA practices adopted by smallholder farmers and assessed the contribution of dry season farming to livelihoods in rural semi-arid Ghana. Using data from 100 households, farm income, household food security and subjective wellbeing (SWB) were compared between dry season farmers and non-dry season ones. The findings showed that socio-economic factors hindered the utilisation of practices with high start-up cost such as rain water harvesting. Farmers also adopted other practices based on the benefits, ease of use and geographical context. Comparing dry season farmers and non-dry season ones, the results showed that dry season farming had great potentials of improving income, food security (66%) and wellbeing (P>0.01) of rural households in semi-arid Ghana. However, adopting CSA practices only without instituting programmes to address other socio-economic challenges faced by smallholder farmers will yield minimal impacts. Complementing CSA initiatives with poverty alleviation programmes will effectively contribute to improved livelihoods in resource poor communities.

RURAL HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY IN KUDUS CENTRAL JAVA

Evidence of previous studies indicated that food security is a common problem in most areas of the world. This study aims to determine the proportion of food consumption expenditure on total of rural household expenditure, rural household food security conditions, and factors influencing food security of rural households in Kudus District. To estimate the factors influencing food security, a series of models is created. Pooled least square regression is used to estimate the factors. This study indicate that the average proportion of food expenditure on total household expenditure is 56.4%. Food vulnerability is the highest category of food security conditions of rural household in Kudus District which reached an average level of energy consumption is 113,42% with food expenditure proportion equal to 73,15%. Based on analysis there are eight factors from ten factors used by researchers have influenced household food security in terms of energy consumption, while there are seven factors that affecting food security seen from household protein consumption. The analysis of the factors influencing food security in rural household in Kudus District shows that side jobs have two contradictory impacts reviewed from energy and protein consumption. This research also finds out that eggs real price does not have any influence toward rural household food security in Kudus District.

Influence of socio-demographic factors on mobile phone adoption in rural Bangladesh: Policy implications

Access to information and communication technology (ICT) has been considered crucial to alleviate poverty and improve food security of rural households. The mobile phone is an ICT that is widely used by rural households in developing countries. This study examines the determinants of mobile phone adoption using survey data of vulnerable rural households in Bangladesh, a developing country; the study empirically assesses the income hypothesis of mobile phone adoption in particular. Four alternative specifications of the model are developed to test the stability and robustness of the estimates. The study finds rural households have heterogeneous access to ICT such as radio, TV, computer and the Internet except mobile phone. Our estimated Gini coefficient indicates high income inequality among the rural households. The model results suggest that household income positively influences mobile phone adoption. However, the impact is not statistically significant. Other factors such as respondents’ age, education and farm category are statistically significant influences on mobile phone adoption. An increasing use of mobile phones is likely to enhance the sharing of valuable information among rural households for the better management of their livelihoods and improved farming decisions.

Agricultural Market Liberalization and Household Food Security in Rural China

AbstractIn the 1990s, prior to its accession to the World Trade Organization, China dramatically reduced market distortions in agriculture. We use a panel of 6,770 rural households from 1989 to 2000 to ask whether agricultural market liberalization affected rural household food security as measured by the share of calories from non‐staples. Given that not all households may be able to take advantage of new market opportunities, we focus on the distributional effect of market liberalization. Unlike most previous research on the effects of liberalization, we consider the effects of liberalization on both farm and off‐farm income. We find that liberalization primarily improves household food security by increasing off‐farm income, and the effects vary greatly by initial food security status and producer types. While many households benefit from liberalization, some food‐insecure households producing import‐competing products have lower food security as a result of agricultural market liberalization.

Gender relations in changing agroforestry homegardens in rural Ethiopia

Agroforestry homegardens have been the dominant farming practice in the southern part of Ethiopia, delivering multiple products important for food security and livelihoods of rural households. This traditional farming is based on the labour force of both men and women in the household, however, with unequal rights to access and control over land and farm products. Since the 1990s the traditional agroforestry homegardens have been gradually changing from self-subsistence farming towards mainly commodity production of cash crops, dominantly khat. This study examines how the formal and customary institutions address the gender relations in the changing agroforestry homegardens. Based on a review of 22 legal documents, 24 key informant interviews, semi-structured interviews in 40 households and eight focus group discussions in the Sidama zone we identified that customary institutions restrict women's access to land, market and trading, decision-making process at the household and community levels. We conclude that while international and national legal documents recognize women's contribution, and their human/civil rights, in practice rural women are still disadvantaged.

Linking Food Security with Household’s Adaptive Capacity and Drought Risk: Implications for Sustainable Rural Development

In spite of green revolution and rapid economic growth, India’s vast population still suffers from hunger and poverty, especially in the rural areas. Moreover, drought adversely affects India’s economy by declining agricultural production and purchasing power. It also escalates rural unemployment which ultimately affects household food security. Our study investigated the food security of drought prone rural households in a broader context by linking the dimensions of food security with dimensions of climate change vulnerability. We used the primary data of 157 drought prone rural households of Odisha state in India for analysis. This study employed polychoric principal component analysis to construct an aggregate food security index. An ordered probit model was used to estimate the determinants of food security. The FSI showed that three-fourth of the respondents were facing food security issues with varying degrees. The estimates of ordered probit model indicated that joint family, education, migration and health insurance are key variables that determine food security, whereas drought adversely affected food security of rural households. Overarching strategies are required to effectively address food security issues in the wake of increased drought risk. This study provides an insight for policy makers in India and in similar south Asian countries who must consider food security in the light of drought.

Drivers of Food Security of Vulnerable Rural Households in Bangladesh

Despite improvements in food production, many rural households in Bangladesh are still food insecure, and this requires urgent policy intervention if the situation is to improve. This article examines the factors influencing food security of vulnerable rural riverine households in Bangladesh. The results reveal that riverine households’ lack of access to many basic necessities and services, such as food, safe drinking water, education and health, results in increased vulnerability to food insecurity which could lead to an unfortunate vicious cycle of poverty. Model results indicate that household heads’ education, household size, adoption of livestock and access to non-farm earnings also affect food security. More importantly, evidence suggests that access to improved health care also needs policy support in parallel with improved access to food to achieve and sustain long-term food security in Bangladesh. JEL: D130, E230, Q540, Q180

Drivers of Live Cattle Price in the Livestock Trading System of Central Cameroon.

Livestock production and trade are critical for the food security and welfare of rural households in sub-Saharan Africa. In Cameroon, animal trade consists mainly of live cattle commercialized through livestock markets. Identifying the factors contributing to cattle price formation is critical for designing effective policies for sustainable production and for increasing food availability. In this study, we evaluated the influence of a range of individual- and market-level factors on the price of cattle that were sold in all transactions (n = 118,017) recorded over a 12-month period from 31 livestock markets in the main cattle production area of the country. An information-theoretic approach using a generalized additive mixed-effect model was implemented to select the best explanatory model as well as evaluate the robustness of the identified drivers and the predictive ability of the model. The age and gender of the cattle traded were consistently found to be important drivers of the price (p < 0.01). Also, strong, but complex, relationships were found between cattle prices and both local human and bovine population densities. Finally, the model highlighted a positive association between the number of incoming trading connections of a livestock market and the price of the traded live cattle (p < 0.01). Although our analysis did not account for factors informing on specific phenotypic traits nor breed characteristics of cattle traded, nearly 50% of the observed variation in live cattle prices was explained by the final model. Ultimately, our model gives a large scale overview of drivers of cattle price formation in Cameroon and to our knowledge is the first study of this scale in Central Africa. Our findings represent an important milestone in designing efficient and sustainable animal health management programme in Cameroon and ensure livelihood sustainability for rural households.

Rural Household Food Security Status: The Case of Laelay Maichew Woreda, Tigray

The study was conducted in Tigray, Laelay Maichew woreda to assess the food security status of rural households. Different concepts and empirical findings are profoundly organized and presented. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The analysis was made from primary and secondary data. Multi-stage random sampling method was employed to select respective agro-ecologies, Administrative kebeles, and households. Primary data were gathered using survey questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and observation. 150 (107 male, 43 female) households were used for the survey. While secondary data were collected from different published and unpublished materials. Data were analyzed using Household Food Balance Model (HFBM) and descriptive statistics. GIS is also used for mapping the study area. The result of HFBM analysis indicates that 22.7% of the households achieved the daily recommended calorie intake/adult equivalent/ day (2,100 kcal) while, 77.3% of households are found to be below the daily recommended calorie intake. The average calorie intake of the households covers only 56.2%. Based on the household head, female-headed households are found to be more food insecure than their male counterpart. So, the government should exhaustively work on promoting irrigation, providing credit, and subsidizing the farmers in the area of the agricultural sector to solve the problem of food insecurity. Moreover, the government should give due emphasis to female-headed households to empower them economically.

The Effect of Traditional Home Gardening on Rural Household Food Security in the Lowland Areas of Southern Lao PDR

The Effect of Traditional Home Gardening on Rural Household Food Security in the Lowland Areas of Southern Lao PDR