scholarly journals Impact of CSA Innovations on Household Food and Nutrition Security: Evidence From the Upper Blue Nile Highland of Ethiopia

Author(s):  
Abyiot Teklu ◽  
Belay Simane ◽  
Mintewab Bezabih

Abstract Background: Food insecurity remains a major challenge to smallholder farmers in the face of changing climate in the Upper Blue Nile Highlands of Ethiopia. To improve food and nutrition security of climate change vulnerable smallholder farmers in eastern Ethiopia, several climate-smart agriculture (CSA) innovations have been adopted and scaled-up. However, the impact of these innovations on household food and nutritional security was not systematically studied. This study examined the impact of selected CSA technologies on household food and nutrition security. Cross-sectional data were generated from 424 randomly selected rural smallholder agriculture households in the five selected agroecosystems of the Upper Blue Nile Highlands of Ethiopia. The study employed propensity score matching and endogenous switching regression estimation models. Results: Households that practiced crop residue management had an 8.46 higher Food Consumption Score (FCS) and a 0.4 higher Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) than non-adopters. Similarly, households who adopted compost and agroforestry had a 0.462 and 0.446 higher Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) than non-adopters, respectively. The endogenous switching regression analysis result showed that households that practiced crop residue management had an 22.6 higher Food Consumption Score (FCS) and a 2.2 higher Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) than non-adopters. Similarly, households who adopted physical SWC had a 2.3 higher Food Consumption Score (FCS) than non-adopters. Whereas, compost and agroforestry had a 0.28 and 2.12 higher Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) than non-adopters, respectively. Conclusions: This shows that households adopting CSA innovations are more likely to have higher food security compared to non-adopters. This suggests that promotion and scale-up of CSA innovations in the study area can enhance household food and nutrition security.

Social Change ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 396-419
Author(s):  
Swati Dutta ◽  
Sunil Kumar Mishra

The level of food diversity in any household is an indicator of its healthy dietary habits. It depends on demographic and socio-economic conditions, geographic location, consumption habits and expenditure, cultural practices, income, food prices and the availability, access and utilisation of food. Against this backdrop, our study analyses the pattern of food consumption, dietary diversity, food frequency and the Recommended Dietary Allowance in 12 villages located in 6 districts of Bihar to understand the socio-economic determinants of a household’s food security. The results show that the diversity of food consumption is mainly dependent on the consumption of cereals across various socio-economic classes. Our analysis also emphasises the importance of schemes like the Public Distribution System which has a positive influence on food security outcomes of a household. The logistic regression results show that if the household belongs to the richest consumption class, with better education levels and more salaried members, then the probability of better food and nutrition security is high. In contrast, the low social status of a household, especially those from a Scheduled Caste background, will reveal reduced household food security.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1851
Author(s):  
Priviledge Cheteni ◽  
Yohane Khamfula ◽  
Gisele Mah

Food security is one of the most severe challenges facing the majority of African countries. The objective of this study was to explore household food dietary diversity and food security in a rural area in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. A total of 296 household heads were randomly sampled to participate in the study. The Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Household Food Consumption Score (HFCS) were used to identify the consumption patterns of the households and their food security status. Meanwhile, a binary model was used to identify the variables that had an impact on household food security. Findings from the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) revealed that 61 percent of the households had lower dietary diversity and were consuming at least three food groups, which mainly include pulses, milk, and cereals. The results from the Household Food Consumption Score (HFCS), however, showed that the majority of the households had adequate levels of food consumption. The binary model revealed that age, household income, access to credit, and gender are statistically significant in influencing household food security status in the study area. It can be concluded that household dietary diversity is not guaranteed by food security, as proven by the regression model. Therefore, the government should consider the impact of low income on food security and it should intensify efforts directed at helping rural households to reduce incidences of food insecurity.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjani Kumar ◽  
Praduman Kumar ◽  
P. K. Joshi

This article examines the status, progress and challenges of managing food and nutrition security in Nepal, one of the least developed countries, by using data from the national living standards surveys conducted jointly by Government of Nepal and World Bank. Nepal, like many other developing countries, is struggling to ensure food and nutrition security. This study analyses the dimensions of food security in terms of availability, access and utilization (nutritional outcome). The analysis shows that the trends in food consumption pattern and nutritional intake have changed significantly overtime. The diversity in dietary pattern has become more apparent over time and the dietary diversity depicts a positive impact on nutritional outcome.


Author(s):  
Mebratu Feyisa

This study empirically investigates the effect of productive safety net programme (PSNP) on household food consumption and dietary diversity in Ethiopia. The study applied random effects with instrumental variable to estimate the effect of PSNP membership. The result of the study indicates that though PSNP membership improves household food consumption, it reduces household dietary diversity score. Household food consumption and dietary diversity are also significantly influenced by sex, age, education status of household head, household size, livestock ownership, distance to the nearest market and participation in non-farm activities. The findings of this study suggest that PSNP membership should be reinforced by building household awareness of the benefits of consuming a variety of foods. In addition, PSNP membership should be designed to endow the households to accumulate essential assets, especially livestock.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chanyalew Seyoum Aweke ◽  
Maria Sassi ◽  
Edward Lahiff ◽  
Muluken G. Wordofa

Abstract Food insecurity remains one of the major challenges in Ethiopia. There is scanty empirical evidence regarding the contribution of seasonality to household food and nutrition security. This study was conducted in eastern Ethiopia with the aim of examining seasonal household food and nutrition security and factors influencing this seasonal variation. Data was gathered from randomly selected households during pre- and post-harvest seasons. A Random Effects Generalized Least Squares (GLS) regression was employed for analysis. The result indicated considerable variation between the two seasons in terms of dietary diversity and food security. Households producing more food groups, cultivating larger size of land, having higher household income, keeping more livestock, owning cell phone, having access to cooperatives, and having access to improved drinking water as well as education were more likely to be more food secure across seasons. However, households keeping livestock in their dwelling units and households who had access to credit were negatively associated with seasonal food insecurity. Future interventions aiming at ensuring food security should pay attention to seasonality and mechanisms of improving diversified food production and household income as well as expanding education opportunities and access to cooperatives, infrastructure (mobile telephone) and sanitation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5521 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Wangu ◽  
Ellen Mangnus ◽  
A.C.M. (Guus) van Westen

Food and nutrition security remain at the top of development priorities in low income countries. This is especially the case for smallholder farmers who derive their livelihood from agriculture yet are often the most deprived. Inclusive agribusinesses have been championed as a key strategy to address local constraints that limit smallholders’ participation in regional and global value chains, thereby enhancing their livelihood, and food and nutrition security, accordingly. In this paper, based on a mixed method research approach, we explore the potential food and security contribution of inclusive agribusiness in Makueni county, Kenya. We focus on the smallholders’ constraints and needs, exploring the extent to which these are addressed by such purported pro-poor approach. First, using independent sample t-tests and a probit regression model, we explore who are able to participate in an ongoing intervention. We compare how participants and non-participants differ in terms of key socio-economic characteristics and establish which of these attributes are associated with successful integration into the business. Second, we again use independent sample t-tests to determine how the participants and non-participants compare in terms of their food and nutrition security. The household food and nutrition security is assessed with the conventional measurement tools: the household food insecurity access scale and the household food dietary diversity score. We find that participation in the inclusive agribusiness favors smallholder households with relatively higher production capacity in terms of better physical capital (land and number of mango trees, financial capital), access to loans, and human capital (age, education, and family size). Following income improvement, the participants’ household food security situation is significantly better than for non-participants. However, participation does not improve household dietary diversity, implying that improvement in income does not necessarily lead to better household nutrition security. To address the limitations of inclusive agribusiness, we propose policymakers and development actors to critically explore the contextual background prior to intervention design and implementation, and accordingly devise a broader approach for more inclusivity of the very poor and marginalized, and better food and nutrition security outcomes as a result. Given that not every smallholder could benefit from inclusive agribusiness for their food needs due to resource scarcity, alternative livelihood supports, including social protection programs and safety net plans, should be considered.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2715 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Nkomoki ◽  
Miroslava Bavorová ◽  
Jan Banout

Food security is a global challenge and threatens mainly smallholder farmers in developing countries. The main aim of this paper is to determine factors that are associated with food security in Zambia. This study utilizes the household questionnaire survey dataset of 400 smallholder farmers in four districts conducted in southern Zambia in 2016. To measure food security, the study employs two food security indicators, namely the food consumption score (FCS) and the household hunger scale (HHS). Two ordered probit models are estimated with the dependent variables FCS and HHS. Both the FCS and HHS models’ findings reveal that higher education levels of household head, increasing livestock income, secure land tenure, increasing land size, and group membership increase the probability of household food and nutrition security. The results imply that policies supporting livestock development programs such as training of farmers in animal husbandry, as well as policies increasing land tenure security and empowerment of farmers groups, have the potential to enhance household food and nutrition security.


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