Assessing Household Food Insecurity and Coping Strategies in Rural Areas: The Case of Niğde Province of Turkey

Year 2023, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 206 - 222, 27.12.2023

Shafiqa Ghafarı Betül Bahadır

https://doi.org/10.61513/tead.1389201

Abstract

The aim of the study is to determine the food security status of rural households in Niğde province and to examine the risks that cause food insecurity in these households and the strategies to cope with these risks. The data of the research consists of data collected through a survey from 101 households determined according to the simple random sampling method, living in the villages of Merkez, Bor and Çiftlik districts, which constitute 75.8% of the rural population of Niğde province. The study used the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) to measure the food security level of rural households. As a result of the study, it was observed that 45.54% of the interviewed households had different levels of food insecurity. In the study, it was observed that the households experiencing food insecurity, compared to the households with food security, have small-scale agricultural lands, subsistence production in crop production, low product diversity, low animal stock, and small rumuninat rearing and low agricultural gross profit margins. The main risks that may affect the livelihoods and therefore food security of rural households in Niğde province was the increasing input prices, inability to benefit from agricultural supports, and adverse climatic conditions. The results obtained from the study are expected to guide the policies to be created for the planning and implementation of long-term rural development strategies to ensure food security. In addition, the study is one of the pioneering studies investigating the food security situation of households living in rural areas in Türkiye.

Keywords

Rural household, HFIAS scale, Coping strategies, Food consumption, Food security

Kırsal Kesimde Hanehalkı Gıda Güvencesizliği ve Başa Çıkma Stratejilerinin İncelenmesi: Niğde İli Örneği

Abstract

Çalışmada, Niğde ili kırsal alandaki hanehalkının gıda güvencesi durumlarının belirlenmesi ve bu hanelerde gıda güvencesizliğine neden olabilecek riskler ve bu riskler ile baş çıkma stratejilerinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın verileri, Niğde ili kırsal nüfusun %75,8'ini oluşturan Merkez, Bor ve Çiftlik ilçelerine bağlı kırsal alanda yaşayan hanelerden basit tesadüfi örnekleme yöntemine göre belirlenen 101 adet haneden anket yoluyla toplanan veriler oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada kırsal hanelerin gıda güvencesi düzeyini ölçmek için Hanehalkı Gıda Güvencesizliği Erişim Ölçeği (HFIAS) kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda görüşülen hanelerin %45.54’ünün farklı seviyelerde gıda güvencesizliğine sahip oldukları görülmüştür. Gıda güvencesizliği yaşayan hanelerin gıda güvencesine sahip hanelere göre, tarım arazilerinin küçük ölçekli, bitkisel üretimde geçimlik üretim yapan ve ürün çeşitliliği az, hayvan varlığı düşük ve küçükbaş hayvancılığa daha fazla yer veren ve tarımsal brüt kar marjı düşük işletmeler olduğu görülmüştür. Niğde ilindeki kırsal hanelerde, geçimlerini ve dolaysıyla gıda güvencesi durumlarını etkileyebilecek başlıca riskler arasında artan girdi fiyatları, tarımsal desteklerden yararlanamama, olumsuz iklim koşulları gibi tarımsal üretime yönelik genel riskler gelmektedir. Çalışmadan elde edilen sonuçlar ile gıda güvencesinin sağlanmasına yönelik uzun vadeli kırsal kalkınma stratejilerinin planlanması ve uygulanmasına yönelik oluşturulacak politikalarda yol gösterici olması beklenmektedir. Ayrıca çalışma, Türkiye'de kırsal alanda yaşayan hanelerin gıda güvencesi durumunun araştırıldığı öncü çalışmalardan biri olma niteliği taşımaktadır.

Keywords

Kırsal hanehalkı, HFIAS ölçeği, Başa çıkma stratejisi, Gıda tüketimi, Gıda güvencesi

Ethical Statement

Isparta Uygulamalı Bilimler Üniversitesi Etik Kurulu 06.11.2023 tarihinde 169 nolu oturumunda 07 sayılı karar sayısına göre etik kurul uygunluk kararı alınmıştır.

References

• Arene, C. & Anyaeji, C.R. (2010). Determinants of food security among households in Nsukka Metropolis of Enugu State, Nigeria. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences. 30(1): 9-16.35.
• Arıkan, R. (2007). Araştırma Teknikleri ve Rapor Hazırlama, Asil Yayın Dağıtım Ltd. Şti., Ankara.
• Babatunde, R.O. (2009). Off-farm income diversification among rural households in Nigeria: impact on income, food security and nutrition, Food Policy, 35(4), 303-311.
• Coates, J., Swindale, A. & Bilinsky, P. (2007). Household food ınsecurity access scale (hfıas) for measurement of household food access: ındicator guide 3. Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project, Academy for Educational Development,.
• Cook, J.T. & Frank, D.A. (2008). Food security, poverty, and human development in the United States. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1136(1):193-209.
• Erkuş, A., Bulbul, M., Kıral T., Açıl A.F. & Demirci R. (1995). Tarım Ekonomisi, Ankara Üniv. Zir. Fak. Eğitim, Araştırma ve Geliştirme Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara.
• FAO, 2008. An Introduction to the Basic Concept of Food Security. Food Security Information for Action, Practical Guides. Rome. (www.foodsec.org/docs/concepts_guide.pdf )
• FAO, (2011). World Livestock 2011, Livestock in Food Security, Rome.
• FSAC (Food Security and Agriculture Cluster). (2014). Seasonal Food Security Assessment (SFSA) European and Ministry of Agriculture project, Kabul, Afghanistan. www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/assessments / SFSA14%20report%20revised.pdf.
• Furness, B. W., Simon, P. A., Wold, C. M., & Asarian-Anderson, J. (2004). Prevalence and predictors of food insecurity among low-income households in Los Angeles County. Public Health Nutrition, 7(6), 791794.
• Gürer, B. (2021). The effect of socio-economic inequalities and dietary diversity on the food insecurity levels of urban households: a case study of Niğde province, Türkiye. Progress in Nutrition. 23(2).
• Keino, S., Plasqui, G., & Van den Borne, B. (2014). Household food insecurity access: a predictor of overweight and underweight among Kenyan women. Agriculture & Food Security, 3(1), 1-8.
• Kirk, S. F., Kuhle, S., McIsaac, J. L. D., Williams, P. L., Rossiter, M., Ohinmaa, A., & Veugelers, P. J. (2015). Food security status among grade 5 students in Nova Scotia, Canada and its association with health outcomes. Public Health Nutrition, 18(16), 2943-2951.
• Kuku-Shittu, O., Mathiassen, A., Wadhwa, A., Myles, L. & Ajibo-la A. (2013). Comprehensive food security and vulnerability analysis: Nigeria. IFPRI Discussion Paper 01275. 44ps.
• Labadarios, D., Mchiza, Z.J.R., Steyn, N.P., Gericke, G., Maunder, E.M.W., Davids, Y.D. & Parker, W.A. (2011). Food security in South Africa: A review of national surveys, Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 89, 891-899.
• Mahmoudi, S., Khoramivafa, M., Hadidi, M., Ahmadi, M. & Jalali, A. (2020). Food security status among rural households in Sarpolzahab and its association with socio-economic and agricultural factors. Journal of Research & Rural Planning, 9(2), 35-47.
• Malkanthi, R.L.D.K., Silva, K.D.R.R., & Jayasinghe, J.M.U.K. (2011). Measuring household food security in subsistence paddy farming sector in Sri Lanka: Development of household food insecurity index (HFSI). Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 70(OCE4), E207 (201 pages).
• Maxwell D., Watkins, B., Wheeler, R. & Collins, G. (2003). The Coping Strategies Index: A tool for rapidly measuring food security and the impact of food aid programs in emergencies, Field Methods Manual, CARE and World Food Program (WFP) Vulnerability Assessment Mapping.
• Mohammadzadeh, A., Dorosty, A., & Eshraghian, M. (2010). Household food security status and associated factors among high-school students in Esfahan, Iran. Public Health Nutrition, 13(10), 1609-1613.
• Mudzielwana, R. V. A. (2020). Analysing food security status among farmworkers in the Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme, Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, MSc Thesis, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
• Musafiri, E. (2014). An assessment of food security status and factors influencing the choice of food insecurity coping mechanisms in Rwanda: the case of Gisagara district, Doctoral Dissertation, University of Nairobi.
• Nathalie, D.C. (2012). A comparative overview of commonly used food security indicators, case study in the Limpopo Province, South Africa, Universiteit Gent, 12-116.
• Panin, A. (2000). A comparative economic analysis of smallholder cattle and small ruminant production systems in Botswana, Tropical Animal Health and Production, 32(3), 189-196.
• Perret, S.R., Anseeuw, W. & Mathebula, F. (2005). Poverty and livelihoods in rural South Africa: Investigating diversity and dynamics of livelihoods, Case studies in Limpopo.
• Resmî Gazete (2006). 5488 Sayılı Tarım Kanunu. 18 Nisan 2006. https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2006/04/20060425-1.htm;
• Rose, D. & Charlton, K.E. (2002). Prevalence of household food poverty in South Africa: results from a large, nationally representative survey, Public Health Nutrition, 5(3), 383-389.
• Salarkia, N., Abdollahi, M., Amini, M., Neyestani, T. & Neyestani, R. (2014). An adapted Household Food Insecurity Access Scale is a valid tool as a proxy measure of food access for use in urban Iran. Food Security. 6. 10.1007/s12571-014-0335-7.
• SBB (T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı Stratejisi ve Bütçe Başkanlığı). (2020). Onbirinci Kalkınma Planı. http://www.sbb.gov.tr/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/OnbirinciKalkinmaPlani.pdf.
• Sharafkhani, R., Dastgiri, S., Gharaaghaji, R., Ghavamzadeh, S., & Didarloo, A. (2010). The role of household structure on the prevalence of food insecurity. European Journal of General Medicine, 7(4), 385-388.
• Stuff, J. E., Horton, J. A, Bogle, M. L., Connell, C., Ryan, D., Zaghloul, S., Thornton, A., Simpson, P., Gossett, J., & Zeto, K. (2003). High prevalence of food insecurity and hunger in households in the rural Lower Mississippi Delta. The Journal of rural health: official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association, 20(2), 173-180.
• Quandt, S. A., Arcury, T. A., Early, J., Tapia, J., & Davis, J. D. (2004). Household food security among migrant and seasonal latino farmworkers in North Carolina. Public Health Reports, 119(6), 568-576.
• Turan, Ö. (2012). Gıda Güvencesi Değerlendirmesinde Kullanılan Yöntemler. Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü. Yüksek Lisans Tezi. Bursa, 90s.
• TÜİK (2020). Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu Veri Tabanı. www.tuik.gov.tr TÜİK, (2021). Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu Veri Tabanı, Ankara. www.tuik.gov.tr
• World Food Program (WFP), (2016). Reach Comprehensive Food Security Monitoring Exercise. Registered Syrian Refugees in Jordan. https://www.wfp.org/publications/jordan-comprehensive-food-security-monitoring-exercise-%20registered-syrian-refugees-2016
• Zereyesus, Y.A., Weldensie, T.E., Francis, T. & Vincent, A.B. (2017). Implications of non-farm work to vulnerability to food poverty-recent evidence from Northern Ghana, World Development, 91, 113-124.