Household food security status and its associated factors among pensioners in Arba Minch town, South Ethiopia

Introduction

Food insecurity has remained a serious public health problem in developing countries, such as Ethiopia, over the past two decades. Vulnerable populations, such as pensioners, have been affected by this problem because of emerging socio-demographic changes, a global financial crisis, and climate change, all of which have contributed to the high food prices. Hence, this study aimed to assess household food security status and associated factors among pensioners in Arba Minch town, South Ethiopia.

Methods

A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from September to October 2023. Two hundred forty-four pensioners were chosen using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected, cleaned, and entered into EPI-Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Variables with a p-value of ≤0.25 in the bivariate analyses were candidates for the multivariable regression analysis. In the multivariable logistic regression, variables with a p-value of 0.05 were considered to have a significant association with the dependent variable.

Results

A total of 238 retired people were interviewed, with a response rate of 97.5%. Among the interviewed pensioners, 223 (91.4%) households were food insecure. Having more than one dependent member [AOR = 2.4, 95% C.I: 1.30, 6.64], being jobless after retirement [AOR = 3, 95% C.I:1.17, 5.61], and being in the lowest tertile of wealth status [AOR = 2, 95% C.I:1.36, 4.99] were identified as predictors of food insecurity.

Conclusion

The magnitude of household food insecurity was higher compared to the national average, and factors such as the current occupational status of the household head, dependency ratio, and wealth status of the household were significantly associated with household food insecurity. Therefore, policymakers and programmers should provide new strategies focusing on additional income-generating activities and salary increments and consider free services such as school fees and healthcare.

Association between household food security and infant feeding practices among women with children aged 6-23 months in rural Zambia

Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices directly affect the nutritional status of children under two years of age, ultimately impacting their survival. However, ensuring that newborns and young children are fed according to the WHO-recommended practice has proven to be a challenge in many developing nations, especially in households that face food insecurity. This study aims to determine the association between IYCF practices and household food security's availability and access dimensions in rural Zambia. The study uses data from a cross-sectional survey of 2,127 mother-child pairs drawn from 28 rural districts in 8 out of the 10 Zambian provinces. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency, and minimum acceptable diet with measures of household food security such as household dietary diversity score, and food insecurity experience scale, while controlling for confounding variables. The results show that children living in households classified as being food-secure based on the household dietary diversity score were significantly more likely to achieve appropriate feeding practices on all three IYCF measures, even after controlling for confounding factors. Notably, poor IYCF practices exist even in food-secure households, as most children in these households still need to receive a minimum acceptable diet. Although living in a household classified as food secure based on the access dimensions of household dietary diversity score and food insecurity experience scale is significantly associated with improvements in all three IYCF indicators even after controlling for confounding factors, the relationship does not hold for the availability measure of months of adequate household food provisioning. These findings highlight the need for targeting specific dimensions of household food security to solve child malnutrition, especially in rural areas. The focus should go beyond basic food availability, ensuring adequate diversity, and enhancing knowledge of appropriate feeding practices.

Livelihood Impacts of Large-Scale Agricultural Investments Using Empirical Evidence from Shashamane Rural District of Oromia Region, Ethiopia

The impact of Large Scale Agricultural Investments (LSAI) on local people’s livelihood improvement has received less attention than it deserves in Ethiopia in general, and the Oromia regional states in particular. The main objective of this study was to analyze the impact of LSAI, which began operations in 2008, on 10,000 hectares of fertile land in the Shashamane rural district of Oromia region, Ethiopia to enhance the quality of life of the local people. A quasi-experimental study design strategy was used to achieve this goal. We obtained primary data from 300 households, comprising 134 treatment homes (households in a community with LSAI) from the Shashamane rural district and 166 control households (households in a community without LSAI) from the Shala district using systematic random sampling. Analysis was undertaken using principal component analysis (PCA) and propensity score matching (PSM). The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) was used to examine the theoretical concept with empirical findings. According to the Average Treatment Effect on Treated (ATT) results, the treated households’ natural, human, and financial capital were −0.91, −0.81, and −0.15 less than control families, respectively. Loss of household livelihoods has deepened and exacerbated local poverty. Businesses have not mechanized and controlled these sizable portions of the parcel; instead, peasants have worked on them and exploited the idle parcel. The research suggests that the government’s pro-LSAI investment policy is desirable. However, weak institutional frameworks for protecting local people’s livelihoods as well as LSAI malpractice and the lack of continuous follow-up are causing the LSAI policy to fail. To mitigate the negative impact of LSAI on peasants, it is necessary to consider the local people’s livelihoods, responsive institutions, and accountable ventures.

Buffer-Capacity-Based Livelihood Resilience to Stressors—An Early Warning Tool and Its Application in Makueni County, Kenya

Persistent vulnerability of smallholder farmers to natural hazards and livelihood insecurity call for the identification of measures that enhance the resilience of their agriculture-dependent livelihoods. Without understanding how to secure smallholder livelihoods against adverse social-ecological dynamics, especially related to climate variability and market failures, hunger, poverty, and livelihood collapse are likely to become more entrenched. This study aims for this better understanding by applying the Livelihood Resilience Indicator Framework to investigate the livelihood resilience of smallholder farmers in Makueni County, Kenya, to disease and pest infestations, low yields, and hunger. We analyzed the buffer capacity dimension of resilience among smallholder farmers, using survey data collected in 2016 on 134 households. We conducted principal component analysis to calculate a buffer capacity index at household level, which we then assessed in relation to crop and livestock pests and diseases, yields, and food shortage. We found that there was a significant positive correlation between buffer capacity and maize yields, which could be attributed to diversity in agricultural practices and income. The incidence of pests and diseases correlated significantly and negatively with buffer capacity and specifically with land size, economic status, and social capital. While no significant relationship could be established between buffer capacity and the occurrence of food insecurity, this variable correlated with access to land and livestock, diversity in agricultural practices, and access to infrastructure. The expected positive relation between food security and access to infrastructure and services turned out to be negative, raising questions about the relations between the livelihood resilience construct and rural infrastructure and services. More differentiation is thus needed on the multi-faceted interactions between access to infrastructure and services, including their actual use and benefits to livelihood resilience. In general, most findings supported the Livelihood Resilience Indicator Framework in that households with higher buffer capacity were better equipped to cope with shocks and stressors, hence demonstrating the potential of the framework as an early warning tool.

Assessing Smallholder Farmer's Participation in the Wheat Value Chain in North-West Mt. Kenya

Wheat is the second most important carbohydrate staple in Kenya and is produced by both smallholder and large-scale farmers. Smallholders are the majority, but produce <20% of the total national production. Compared to large-scale farmers, they have been considered to be less efficient producers and thus fail to benefit fully from their participation in the wheat value chain. This study aims at establishing the value accruing to smallholder and large-scale farmers participating in wheat production in north-west Mt. Kenya. For comparative purposes and to explore the potential of smallholder farmers, a sample of 58 smallholder and seven large-scale farmers was selected for the study. We use budget analysis to determine the gross output, cost of production and gross margins attained by the smallholder and large-scale farmers. Further, an analysis of constraints to productivity is done to establish the factors hindering farmers from reaching high yield potential. Results of the study show that smallholder farmers obtain lower yields, have higher costs of production per bag of wheat and lower gross margins compared to large-scale farmers. High cost of inputs, low market prices, low bargaining power, high cost of machinery services, diseases and weeds were among factors excluding smallholder farmers from benefitting from their participation in the value chain. However, results also show that smallholder farmers can produce wheat profitably albeit with necessary support. Thus, interventions should consider these constraints and aim at improving smallholder farmers' horizontal and vertical integration in the value chain. We recommend continued investment in research and development on wheat, adoption of climate resilient agricultural practices, improvements in the fertilizer subsidy programme and creating or increasing participation in producer groups that will provide possibilities of increased bargaining power and reduction of costs through improved access to machinery services, markets and credit.

Evaluating the Impact of Large-Scale Agricultural Investments on Household Food Security Using an Endogenous Switching Regression Model

This study set out to estimate the effects of large-scale agricultural investments (LSAIs) on household food security in one community each in Kenya, Madagascar and Mozambique. An endogenous switching regression model was adopted to control for a possible selection bias due to unobserved factors. It was found that households with members employed by large-scale agricultural investment companies were more likely larger households headed by younger migrant males holding smaller plots and fewer livestock than non-engaged households. The endogenous switching regression results confirmed the presence of both a positive and negative selection bias. In general, the results showed that households with a member employed by an LSAI enjoyed better household food security, higher dietary diversity, better food consumption scores and more adequate household food provisioning. Households without employed members could also enjoy these benefits should the LSAIs employ their members. However, the seasonal nature and low wages paid by LSAI may only support the purchase of food and not facilitate savings and investments to significantly improve food security.

Well-Designed Food Governance as Psychological Mechanism of Consumer Perceptions in the Context of Tourism Poverty Alleviation

Poverty is a challenge leading to food insecurity in people's minds. This article discusses food governance as a psychological mechanism to facilitate the sense of wellness in people's minds in the context of tourism poverty alleviation. Mainly, we argue that, when a government is implementing tourism poverty alleviation, not only are economic efforts, but also positive psychological feelings are required. We, thus, argue that sound food governance may increase the sense of wellness in the minds of people as food consumers by increasing food safety and security. This perspective paper contributes by explicating the influences of macrolevel governance design of safer and more secure food systems on people's psychological wellness, especially against the background of tourism poverty alleviation in developing countries.

A new understanding and evaluation of food sustainability in six different food systems in Kenya and Bolivia

Food systems must become more sustainable and equitable, a transformation which requires the transdisciplinary co-production of knowledge. We present a framework of food sustainability that was co-created by academic and non-academic actors and comprises five dimensions: food security, right to food, environmental performance, poverty and inequality, and social-ecological resilience. For each dimension, an interdisciplinary research team-together with actors from different food systems-defined key indicators and empirically applied them to six case studies in Kenya and Bolivia. Food sustainability scores were analysed for the food systems as a whole, for the five dimensions, and for food system activities. We then identified the indicators with the greatest influence on sustainability scores. While all food systems displayed strengths and weaknesses, local and agroecological food systems scored comparatively highly across all dimensions. Agro-industrial food systems scored lowest in environmental performance and food security, while their resilience scores were medium to high. The lowest-scoring dimensions were right to food, poverty and inequality, with particularly low scores obtained for the indicators women's access to land and credit, agrobiodiversity, local food traditions, social protection, and remedies for violations of the right to food. This qualifies them as key levers for policy interventions towards food sustainability.

Linking Household Food Security and Food Value Chains in North West Mt. Kenya

Smallholder farmers and pastoralists produce the largest proportion of food consumed in sub-Saharan Africa. However, they remain among the food insecure populations. This paper explores the food (in)security among smallholder farmers and pastoralists using a sample of 175 households in three agro-food value chains of wheat, dairy, and beef in the north-west Mt. Kenya region. The study seeks to answer if a farmer’s participation in a particular agro-food value chain determines his/her food security situation. We use the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and two Poisson regression models, parsimonious and full, to assess the household food security status and determinants of food security among the smallholder farmers and pastoralists. The results show that 61% of the households were either mildly, moderately, or severely food insecure. Households in the beef value chain experienced relatively higher incidences of food insecurity compared to households in the wheat and dairy value chains. The HFIAS scores revealed a wide gap between households with minimum and maximum score. Household size, income and income-related variables (ability to save and borrow to meet family needs), transport assets, membership in farmers’ associations, and household energy were significant in determining household food security, while access to credit and to extension services was not. Strategies that focus on boosting smallholder farmers’ incomes, building strong and resilient farmers associations to improve inclusive and equitable value chains have the potential to get smallholder farmers out of recurrent food insecurity.

Applying the Theory of Access to Food Security among Smallholder Family Farmers around North-West Mount Kenya

Access to productive resources such as land and water is fundamental for households that rely on crop and livestock production for their livelihoods. Research often assumes that agricultural production—and thus, food security—are favoured by tenure security of resources (as represented by a “bundle of property rights”). However, research has not yet elucidated how food security is influenced by additional factors, represented within a “bundle of powers”. Guided by the Theory of Access developed by Ribot and Peluso, we explore the main factors in the respective bundles of rights and powers that influence household food security around north-west Mount Kenya. We interviewed 76 households—38 food secure and 38 food insecure—who were subsampled from a previous food security survey of 380 households. Results show that household food insecurity was not exclusively the result of a lack of private property rights as many farmers had retained their property rights. Instead, a major factor preventing access to productive resources was the difficulty faced by food insecure households in accessing farm technology (i.e. hand tools and implements). Access to authority and via social relations were significantly correlated with access to technology, so improving the latter must take into account the former.