Household Food Security Situation and Coping Strategies in Urban Setting: The Case Study From Hosaina Town, Snnpr.
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2012-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Rapid urbanization is possibly the most prevailing demographic process in most developing countries
in recent decades, but some urban areas are not well prepared to satisfy the growing demands of the
residents. With the current continuing urbanization, increasing urban poverty trends, and rapid rUIlup
in prices of food, the question of urban food security could become one of the greatest challenge
for many urban households, and the concern offood security are progressively shifting from rural to
urban. A study was conducted in to investigate the main determinants and state of urban household
food security, causes and impacts of food insecurity on the household's behavioural and socioeconomic
aspects as well as their coping strategies. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies
were applied. By considering as the most appropriate approach to have a great understanding of
realities regarding the research objectives through dialogue between the researcher and respondents;
for soliciting knowledge, opinions, perceptions, experiences and views of participants to get the
intricate details of phenomena, qualitative methods were applied as a dominant approach in the
study. Quantitative method was also applied to show some numerical data. The triangulation of semistructured
interview of sample households, in-depth interview with key informants, focus group
discussions, observations, in-depth study of case households, published and unpublished materials
were employed as sources of data. The entire data were analyzed based on the meanings, opinions,
and life experiences of the people reside in Hosaina town. Generally, the study found that the state of
food security for the majority of the sample households was get worse. This was verified mainly by the
data collected regarding to the current state of diet of the households: food variety, number of meals
per day and trends of food consumption over time had declined to a low level. Household
composition, Sources of income, amount of income and market prices were identified as the major
factors that determine urban household food security. Poverty, lack of productive assets,
unemployment, high dependency on the casual jobs, rapid urbanization, alld increase ill prices of food
and other commodities were distinguished asfactors contributingfor the occurrence or exacerbating
household food insecurity. Emotional problems, hunger, productivity losses, inefficient income
earning, poor performance and higher risk of chronic disease were explained by the households as
some of the impacts of food insecurity. A number of coping strategies were employed to cope with
food shortages. After all, the study recommended expanding income earning opportunities,
addressing food prices, improving urban infrastructure and social services, promoting urban
agriculture and the social capital, and rural development as strategies to enhance the accessibility of
food for urban households.
Key words: urban; household;food security; food insecurity; determinants;
impacts; coping strategies
Description
Keywords
urban, household, food security, food insecurity, determinants, impacts, coping strategies