Strategies for coping with household food insecurity in Chipinga District of Zimbabwe

Abstract

Household food deficit is a serious and prevalent public security issue, especially for people living in the dry areas of Zimbabwe. Yet national welfare surveys usually exclude a large portion of the dry areas. This explains partially why there is inadequate data on household food deficit. Food deficit confronting households living in isolated and inaccessible communities is unique. Studies have focused on the status, determinants and the factors influencing adoption of viable options. The current study was designed to assess the state of food deficit among families and how they survived during lean periods. Several dynamics of food deficit (incidence, determinants, coping strategies and the challenges affecting the adoption of viable coping options) were examined using insights from the Mortimore and Adams model, Actor-oriented model and the sustainable livelihood framework. Four separate studies were carried out. A sequentially integrated mixed methods design was used, split into interconnected qualitative and quantitative research phases. Results of the first phase informed the second one. A multi-stage sampling procedure was followed leading to the selection of Chipinge district, wards and villages as the study areas. Data were collected from 120 randomly and purposively sampled respondents. A household questionnaire survey, key informant interviews, citizen jury, participatory mapping and focus group discussions were utilised to gather data. A tape recorder was used as an assistive device in data collection. A 7-day food recall method was used to collect data on coping mechanisms that participants preferred. Thematic content analysis was applied to bring meaning to qualitative data and interpreting participatory maps. The quantitative data were captured and analysed using the International Business Machines (IBM) Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. Descriptive statistics, Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), point score analysis, household food balance model and Coping Strategy Index were used to analyse quantitative data. Approximately, 81 % of the respondents reported that they were vulnerable to food deficit. Households headed by women, children and the elderly were food insecure. However, those headed by people more than 60 years old and children were the most food insecure. All the households that experienced severe food deficit were concerned that they did not have money to purchase supplies. Respondents reported that they could not afford balanced diets. Highly significant associations (P < 0.001) were observed between household food insecurity and livelihood capital factors such as sex, age literacy, marital status, land size, off-farm activities and livestock ownership. Despite this, no significant association existed between food deficit and capitals such as rainfall index, access to extension amenities and distance to the water sources and market (P > 0.05). Households applied temporary food intake coping mechanisms to manage deficit situations. Furthermore, less preferred food was consumed as a food deficit coping strategy. Traditional foods such as meat of wild animals and fruits were used to supplement available food Sale of productive assets, changes in diet, withdrawal of food and migration were cited as some of the major strategies for coping with food deficit. The preferred coping measures did not reduce household food deficit adequately. Key informants perceived demographic, ecological, economic, social and infrastructural issues as factors that limited adoption of viable coping options. Drought, crop diseases, livestock pests, unpredictable rainfall patterns and drought were the major ecological factors affecting preferred coping measures. Decrease in land holdings and rapid population growth were some of the demographic factors hindering adoption of sustainable coping options. Poverty features such as lack of draft power and lack of investable excess money limited the adoption of sustainable coping options. Lack of irrigation amenities, reliance on rain-fed smallholder farming, and limited access to veterinary facilities were cited as the infrastructural challenges. Social factors limiting adoption of viable coping strategies included lack of savings and health complications. Based on the results of the current study, it was concluded that the degraded ecosystem should be rehabilitated and safeguarded from further destruction. Shortage of land, poor accessibility to rural credit and inadequate off-farm employment opportunities should be addressed. While farming played a critical role in reducing food deficit, the challenge in Chipinge district could not be addressed via agriculture only. The results of the current study are important because of their possible influence in agenda setting, informing interventions, advocating for programmes and policies that fortify household food security. Considering the diversity of coping strategies used in Chipinge district, stakeholders should utilise broad-based pro-food security programmes to support beneficial coping options that support household resilience. The expansion of this study to cover other areas with various climatic conditions might be a valuable avenue for a future study. Further research should establish how sustainable indigenous food systems can be developed and be buttressed by state policies in these dry areas.