Food Insecurity And Coping Strategies In Nadowli District, Upper West Region, Ghana

Abstract

Food insecurity is a major development problem that is caused by a myriad of factors in the global, regional, national and local spheres of human life. Several efforts have been put in place to alleviate food insecurity globally, nationally and even locally. Despite these efforts, the situation continues to prevail and sometimes even increase in the contemporary human society. The main objective of this study is to examine the patterns of food insecurity and analyse the coping strategies households in Nadowli district use in dealing with it. The research design employed in the study was cross-sectional design which sought to obtain information that was to examine the existing status of household food insecurity and coping strategies among the small scale farmers. A total of 178 small scale farmers’ households were systematically sampled for data collection. Data was collected by use of structured questionnaire, observation and Focus Group Discussion. The findings show that households in Kuuri, Tangasie and Charisombo were food insecure and vulnerable. It was also realised that both climatic and non-climatic factors contributed to food insecurity in the study communities. As a result, households used diverse coping strategies such as reduction in number of meals, selling their livestock, borrowing from friends, youth migrating to the southern part of the country for alternative livelihoods among others as ways of dealing with food insecurity. These findings contribute to knowledge on household characteristics and national policies on climate change smart agricultural practices and food security, also, in defining who food insecure is. The study recommends ensuring effective coping and adaptation strategies to climate variability and change stresses, whilst promoting sustainable land use planning and a maintaining a manageable family size.