Urban Household Food Security Research Articles

Urban food security and socioeconomic sustainability: A multidimensional perspective

This study examines urban household food security through the simultaneous use of two quantitative measures. A sample of 445 household data was analyzed. Using principal component analysis, the urbanicity index categorizes households by level of urbanization. About 39% of households had diverse diets (DD), and 75% spent above the required food expenditure plan (FEXP). The Food insecure (FIS) was in low urban category (LUC) on both measures, while the food secure ones were in middle urban category (MUC). Multinomial logit regression analysis shows that income and urbanicity index influenced the probability of a household being in any of the food security groups.

Appreciating the Resilience and Stability Found in Heterogeneity: A South African Perspective on Urban Household Food Security

Urban food security has long been viewed as secondary to rural food security in Africa, and with the migration of large numbers of individuals from rural to urban settings, it has become crucial to place more focus on urban food security. More so, in Southern African peri-urban areas, where high unemployment rates amongst the youth exist. Often, the interventions toward reducing food insecurity in urban settings are taken from those previously designed for application in the rural context. In this study, we aimed to measure the status of food security and identify the factors driving and constraining household food security amongst peri-urban households in Tembisa, South Africa, with the purpose of gaining an in depth understanding of the drivers of urban food insecurity within peri-urban communities. In order to accomplish this, FANTA's Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), which measures levels of food security and the Household Dietary Diversity Scale (HDDS), which measures the level of nutritional intake of households was applied. Food prices of the formal and informal markets were monitored over a period of 6 months. A significant decline in household food access over a 4-year period (2013–2016) was observed in addition to low-quality diets. The most commonly used coping methods during periods of low income included borrowing either money or food from friends and neighbors, this was done in conjunction with various other coping strategies. Much of the declining food access was attributed to the inflation of food prices, the lack of employment, lack of formal employment and a high number of household members to breadwinner ratios. High reliance solely on financial capital remains a limitation to the livelihood of urban households. Informal markets are an imperative driver of food security in these peri-urban communities and provide improved food price stability, temporal, and geographical food access through less volatile food pricing, compared to formal markets. Furthermore, government initiatives such as social grants and school feeding schemes have proven to be critical in reducing the vulnerability to food insecurity of most households.

Urban Household Food Security: An Assessment of the Correlates of Micronutrient-Sensitive Dietary Diversity

Urban Household Food Security: An Assessment of the Correlates of Micronutrient-Sensitive Dietary Diversity

Food security, poverty and household resilience to COVID-19 in Burkina Faso: Evidence from urban small traders’ households

Analyses of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security of urban households and their resilience are increasingly receiving scholarly interest. In Burkina Faso, urban households whose primary activity is trade were the most immediately impacted by COVID-19 due to the closure of markets. The objective of this research was to analyze the effect of income loss due to COVID-19 on food security and poverty among urban small traders’ households by considering their resilience capacity. A survey was performed on 503 households of small traders operating in 5 markets in Ouagadougou. Objective and subjective indicators of food security were calculated, as well as several indices of resilience capacity. A simple logit model and ordered logit model were used for the socioeconomic analysis. Three main results emerge. First, COVID-19 has increased the likelihood of households being food insecure due to their lower food consumption scores. Second, estimates show that COVID-19 has reduced households’ incomes by increasing their likelihood of entering poverty. Finally, at all levels of analysis, households with adaptive capacity were able to adjust to the shock, but social security was not a mitigating factor. Implications in terms of economic policies are discussed.

Preparing for COVID-19: Household food insecurity and vulnerability to shocks in Nairobi, Kenya.

An understanding of the types of shocks that disrupt and negatively impact urban household food security is of critical importance to develop relevant and targeted food security emergency preparedness policies and responses, a fact magnified by the current COVID-19 pandemic. This gap is addressed by the current study which draws from the Hungry Cities Partnership (HCP) city-wide household food insecurity survey of Nairobi city in Kenya. It uses both descriptive statistics and multilevel modelling using General Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) to examine the relationship between household food security and 16 different shocks experienced in the six months prior to the administration of the survey. The findings showed that only 29% of surveyed households were completely food secure. Of those experiencing some level of food insecurity, more experienced economic (55%) than sociopolitical (16%) and biophysical (10%) shocks. Economic shocks such as food price increases, loss of employment, and reduced income were all associated with increased food insecurity. Coupled with the lack of functioning social safety nets in Nairobi, households experiencing shocks and emergencies experience serious food insecurity and related health effects. In this context, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a major negative economic impact on many vulnerable urban households. As such, there is need for new policies on urban food emergencies with a clear emergency preparedness plan for responding to major economic and other shocks that target the most vulnerable.

Analysing the contribution of urban agriculture towards urban household food security in informal settlement areas

ABSTRACT Rapid urban growth due to unprecedented rural–urban migration is putting pressure on urban food systems. The general impression is that households engaged in urban agriculture experience improved nutritional status, higher health standards and provide towards income and employment. However, empirical research findings are limited and inconsistent. This study provides empirical knowledge on the urban agriculture–food security nexus. Data was gathered from a sample of 220 households comprising of those with small household (backyard) garden projects funded by the Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape, South Africa, and a control group. Propensity score matching was used to determine the contribution of urban agriculture to household food security. The findings indicated that households engaged in urban agriculture were benefiting from dietary diversity and the generation of income through the production of various food products. There was, however, no indication of a significant positive contribution of urban agriculture towards food security.

Food Insecurity and Associated Factors Among Households in Areka Town, Southern Ethiopia

Background : Food insecurity among poor urban households in low income settings is a major public health concern. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of food insecurity and associated factors among households in Areka town, Southern Ethiopia. Methods: A community based cross-sectional survey was conducted among a total random sample of 309 urban households in Areka town, Southern Ethiopia, from March to April, 2015. Data was gathered using an interviewer administered and pre-tested structured questionnaire. The data was entered into Epi Info version 3.5.3 and exported to SPSS version 20.0 for analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between independent and outcome variable. Multivariable analysis was used to identify factors associated with household food insecurity after controlling possible confounders and statistical significance set at p- value < 0.05. Result: The magnitude of household food insecurity was 69.6 % (95% CI = 64.1, 75.2). Household food insecurity severity status was categorized as mild for34.3%, (95% CI = (29.4, 39.8)], moderate for31.7%, (95% CI = (26.1, 37.0)], and severe for 3.6%, (95% CI = (1.9, 5.8)] households respectively. Being a poor household [(AOR = 3.13, 95% CI = ( 1.42, 6.91)], lack of formal education among household heads [(AOR = 4.70, 95% CI = (1.82, 12.12) ] , households whose monthly food expenditure was <500 ETB [ (AOR =6.9 , 95% CI =1.45, 32.9)] and between 500- 1500 ETB [ (AOR = 2.70, 95% CI =1.48, 4.91)] , and household head’s age ≥ 50 years [(AOR = 2.11, 95% CI = (1.12, 3.95)] were significantly associated with urban household food insecurity. Conclusion: The prevalence of urban household food insecurity was high in the study setting. The older age group and lack of formal education by head of the household, household poverty and less monthly household expenditure for food consumption was factors that significantly contributed to urban food insecurity. Therefore, an integrated feasible urban food security interventions should be emphasized at all levels by all relevant stakeholders targeting the urban poor households to ensure urban household food security. Keywords : Areka town, Southern Ethiopia, Household Food insecurity. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/88-02 Publication date: April 30 th 2021

The geography of agriculture participation and food security in a small and a medium-sized city in Ghana

The debate about the contribution of urban agriculture to urban household food security has not considered the possible differential effects by geography of production activities, focusing either on urban household’s participation in agriculture irrespective of where the activity takes place, or restricting participation to production within urban and peri-urban areas, or more narrowly, production within build-up urban spaces. Using a sample of 2004 households in a small and a medium-sized city in Ghana, this article contributes by disentangling urban household’s participation in agriculture by geography of production activities and the implications for the food security of urban households. We find no evidence from our sample that participation in agriculture in general matters for the food security of urban households. However, urbanites who produced food in both urban and rural areas had better food security in the medium-sized city.

Linking the Sustainable Development Goals through an Investigation of Urban Household Food Security in Southern Africa

Background: It has been theorised that there are a network of relationships linking the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whereby achieving one SDG may have spillover effects for other SDGs. This discussion is relevant to the multidimensional stressors experienced by poor urban households in Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: We evaluate whether variations in the gender of a household head (SDG 5), education level of a household head (SDG 4) or household wages (SDG 8) are predictive of household food security (SDG 2) among over 6000 poor urban households surveyed in eleven cities in Southern Africa. These comparisons are made using regression analysis and machine learning techniques while controlling for, and comparing against, the contribution of household size, the age of the household head, and the number of household dependents to household food security prediction. Results: Of the variables investigated, our study finds that household wages and the education level of the household head are important predictors of food security among the surveyed households. This investigation also identifies a potentially indirect relationship between the gender of the household head and household food security when other variables are controlled. Conclusions: These findings suggest a predictive relationship between SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) while highlighting a curious indirect relationship between SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 2 among poor urban households in Southern Africa. By understanding these relationships, it may be possible to chart efficient policy pathways towards SDG achievement in Southern African cities

Urban household food security in China and Mozambique: a gender-based comparative approach

ABSTRACTInternational comparison of development indicators is a perennial challenge in global development studies. The challenge is especially difficult when measuring urban household food security using experience-based metrics that are influenced by countless contextual factors. This article presents a gender-based analysis of household food security surveys conducted in Nanjing, China and Maputo, Mozambique. The analysis demonstrates the value of a gender lens for understanding the intersecting household characteristics associated with urban food insecurity. While Maputo had much higher food insecurity overall, our analysis leads to nuanced insights into shared and divergent connections between gender inequality and food insecurity in both cities.

A landscape design approach for urban household food security; assessing people’s attitudes and opinions towards residential landscape design for food production – a case of Lilongwe City, Malawi

A landscape design approach for urban household food security; assessing people’s attitudes and opinions towards residential landscape design for food production – a case of Lilongwe City, Malawi

Identification of production challenges and benefits using value chain mapping of egg food systems in Nairobi, Kenya

Commercial layer and indigenous chicken farming in Nairobi and associated activities in the egg value chains are a source of livelihood for urban families. A value chain mapping framework was used to describe types of inputs and outputs from chicken farms, challenges faced by producers and their disease control strategies. Commercial layer farms were defined as farms keeping exotic breeds of chicken, whereas indigenous chicken farms kept different cross breeds of indigenous chicken. Four focus group discussions were held with producers of these chickens in peri-urban area: Dagoretti, and one informal settlement: Kibera. Qualitative data were collected on interactions between farmers, sources of farm inputs and buyers of poultry products, simple ranking of production challenges, farmers' perception on diseases affecting chicken and strategies for management of sick chicken and waste products. Value chain profiles were drawn showing sources of inputs and channels for distribution of chicken products. Production challenges and chicken disease management strategies were presented as qualitative summaries. Commercial layer farms in Dagoretti kept an average of 250 chickens (range 50–500); while flock sizes in Kibera were 12 chickens (range 5–20). Farms keeping indigenous chicken had an average of 23 chickens (range 8–40) in Dagoretti, and 10 chickens (range 5–16) in Kibera. Commercial layer farms in Dagoretti obtained chicks from distributors of commercial hatcheries, but farms in Kibera obtained chicks from hawkers who in turn sourced them from distributors of commercial hatcheries. Indigenous chicken farms from Dagoretti relied on natural hatching of fertilised eggs, but indigenous chicken farms in Kibera obtained chicks from their social connection with communities living in rural areas. Outlets for eggs from commercial layer farms included local shops, brokers, restaurants and hawkers, while eggs from indigenous chicken farms were sold to neighbours and restaurants. Sieved chicken manure from Dagoretti area was fed to dairy cattle; whereas non-sieved manure was used as fertilizer on crops. Production challenges included poor feed quality, lack of space for expansion, insecurity, occurrence of diseases and lack of sources of information on chicken management. In Kibera, sick and dead chickens were slaughtered and consumed by households; this practice was not reported in Dagoretti. The chicken layer systems contribute to food security of urban households, yet they have vulnerabilities and deficiencies with regard to disease management and food safety that need to be addressed with support on research and extension.

FOOD SECURITY ANALYSISIN KOHGILUYEHAND BOYER-AHMAD PROVICE CASE STUDY: HOUSEHOLDS

Purpose and background : Since household food security is one of the goals of economic, social and cultural development programs in the country, it is important to estimate the level of household food security. This estimation is done through various indices such as Aggregate Household Food Security Index (AHFSI) 1. This index was first proposed by the FAO. Using this index, the present article tries to estimate the level of household food security in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province. Materials and methods : for Assessment of rural & urban household food security in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in south of Iran we used the AHFSI index by FAO. Accordingly, to calculate the AHFSI index in households of the province, we first calculated the Gini coefficient of expenditures distribution among the poor as an alternative for the distribution of energy and protein index among the poor. Afterwards, we determined the food poverty level based on the percentage of persons whose energy intake was below the needed 2300 calories. Finally, we calculated the food poverty depth, i.e. the relative food poverty gap. Findings : These results indicate that in total, given the situation of the three aforementioned elements, the overall food security index in urban communities of the province in terms of energy intake had a downward trend from 2004 to 2009 which decreased from 99% to 60% and again increased to 81% in 2011, but it was still lower than the level in 2004. So in rural communities the food security index in terms of protein intake, like in terms of energy intake, had a downward trend from 2004 to 2009 which decreased from 99% to 61% and again increased to 80% in 2011, but it was still lower than the level in 2004. Conclusion : In general, the results of the decomposable index of food security at the household level show that food security supply is at a high level in urban and rural communities in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province.

Planning for food secure cities: Measuring the influence of infrastructure and income on household food security in Southern African cities

This paper presents correlation and regression analyses designed to assess the respective relationships between the Household Food Insecure Access Scale/Prevalence (HFIAS/HFIAP) (as a measure of food access), the Months of Adequate Household Food Provisioning (MAHFP) (as a measure of food access stability) and (1) the Lived Poverty Index (LPI) (as an infrastructure access measure) and (2) household income. The data is drawn from a survey of 6453 households from 11 Southern African cities. The findings indicate that infrastructure access significantly predicted HFIAP and MAHFP scores. The regression analyses demonstrated that households with inconsistent or no access to a cash income, cooking fuel, medical care, electricity, or water had 11 times greater odds of being categorized as food insecure in the HFIAP and 8.5 times greater odds of having less than 12months of adequate food provisioning in the last year. Household income alone does not sufficiently account for these relationships. The correlation analyses demonstrate a strong association between all the LPI subscales and household food access. These results clarify the differential impact of social and physical infrastructure on household food security and demonstrate that the prevailing conditions of an urban environment may better explain (and predict) urban household food security than household income alone. This investigation emphasizes the central role that urban planning and development can play in reducing food insecurity in poor urban neighborhoods.

English

It is estimated that 25% of Zimbabwe’s population lives in urban areas (CSO, 2002), 70% below the poverty line, and a million in the city of Gweru. The worsening macroeconomic situation in 2008 resulted in urban food insecurity. Households adopted different survival strategies, including the intensification of urban agriculture. In an effort to assess the extent to which urban household food insecurity is mitigated by UA activities, a comparative analysis between households practicing and not practicing UA was done in Gweru in 2009. Household size as well as household head sex, age and employment status were found to affect household UA practice. Results indicated that UA practicing households were food-secure than non-practicing households. Household size, UA participation, household income, household head sex, maize meal price affected household food expenditure. Household head sex, UA participation, household head age and informal activities carried out by household members significantly affected urban household food security. The study concluded that there are synergies that exist between UA and urban household food security. Key words: Urban agriculture, household food security, Gweru.

Gendered Mobilities and Food Access in Blantyre, Malawi

Access to food, rather than a shortage of food availability, is the central problem for urban household food security. Blantyre presents a useful case study for demonstrating the importance of linking gender and urban food security. Rates of urban food insecurity are less severe than in other cities surveyed by AFSUN. Yet, female-centred households were twice as likely to be severely food insecure as nuclear households. This paper offers some explanations for the survey findings by drawing on qualitative research to understand the gendered geographies of food access in Blantyre. The first point is that gender shapes mobility, which in turn shapes a household’s ability to increase its food security by procuring food from the most affordable sources, particularly peri-urban markets. The second point is that gender shapes a household’s ability to produce its own food, a popular livelihood strategy in Blantyre that often mitigates the effects of low incomes on household food security. The third point is that gender influences a person’s potential income, which shapes the household’s economic access to food. These three points demonstrate the multi-dimensional relationship between gender and urban food security.

Encapsulated Folic Acid in Cheddar Cheese Reduce Methionine -Induced Hyper-Homocysteinemia in Male BALB/C Mice

Encapsulated Folic Acid in Cheddar Cheese Reduce Methionine -Induced Hyper-Homocysteinemia in Male BALB/C Mice This paper is based on research carried out in 2009 in the low-income residential area of Epworth in Harare, Zimbabwe. The paper assesses the contribution of rural-urban linkages to the food security of urban households in a crisis context. Research findings demonstrate that in conditions of extreme economic distress such as those that were besetting Zimbabwe at the time, the socio-cultural linkages that exist between the city and the village, as well as the economic relations of reciprocity embedded within these interactions are crucial to the survival of distressed urban households.

Rural-Urban Transfers and Household Food Security in Harare’s Crisis Context

Rural-Urban Transfers and Household Food Security in Harare’s Crisis Context This paper is based on research carried out in 2009 in the low-income residential area of Epworth in Harare, Zimbabwe. The paper assesses the contribution of rural-urban linkages to the food security of urban households in a crisis context. Research findings demonstrate that in conditions of extreme economic distress such as those that were besetting Zimbabwe at the time, the socio-cultural linkages that exist between the city and the village, as well as the economic relations of reciprocity embedded within these interactions are crucial to the survival of distressed urban households.

Situation analysis of an informal settlement in the Vaal Triangle

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has indicated that urban poverty is found primarily in squatter settlements. At present one in seven (13,5 per cent) of all South African households live in informal settlements. The major research question is to what extent the interlocking micro-mechanisms identified by UNICEF as causes of malnutrition influence the nutrition and health of residents in an informal settlement in the Vaal Triangle. This question will be tested empirically against the UNICEF framework of immediate, underlying and basic causes of malnutrition. Pre-tested questionnaires were administered to 340 randomly selected care-givers. A previously validated quantified food frequency questionnaire was administered by trained enumerators as the test measurement, and 24-hour recall as the reference measurement, for dietary intake and food consumption patterns. The data were statistically analysed for means and standard deviations. The great majority of the respondents (nine out of ten) live in corrugated iron shacks, and overcrowding is common; 32 per cent live in two rooms or fewer, 44 per cent in three to four rooms and 24 per cent in more than four rooms. Thirty-one per cent of the households consisted of six or more members, 19 per cent of five members, 22 per cent of four members and 28 per cent of three or fewer members. The unemployment rate was 94 per cent for respondents and 80 per cent for their partners. Two-thirds of care-givers (69 per cent) have an income below R500 per month. The main health problems that were observed were chronic coughing (44 per cent) and headaches (54 per cent). The causes of these were not established. Diets were poor and consisted overwhelmingly of refined carbohydrates. The top 10 food items consumed were: stiff and soft maize meal porridge, brewed rooibos and leaf tea, coffee, mabela, white bread, crumbly maize porridge, carbonated cold drink and mageu. The daily intakes (mean and standard deviation) of various nutrients were: 4550 ± 1993 kJ energy, 20 ± 9 g protein, 21 ± 21 g fat and 182 ± 78 g carbohydrates. The results indicate that this is a poverty-stricken community with chronic household food insecurity and compromised nutrition. It is hoped that the knowledge gained from this survey will improve the planning and implementation of sustainable community-based interventions to promote urban household food security and combat nutrition-related diseases.

Urban agriculture in Kampala: Indigenous adaptive response to the economic crisis

Agricultural production within African cities has become an increasingly important practice as urban households have adapted to the economic hardships of the past decade. In Kampala, as in many East African cities, important constraints limit urban agriculture—institutional obstacles that block access to underutilized urban land, as well as both municipal bylaws that suppress urban agriculture, and urban officials’ views of the practice which range from indifference to hostility. Those bylaws and views are based on generalizations about urban agriculture, most of which are shown, here to be misleading or false. Altering the legal status of urban farming and providing access to underutilized land could have important implications for the food security of urban households.