Perceptions of climatic change and food insecurity: a case study of Buhera District, Eastern Zimbabwe
- Authors: Mashiri, Martin
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Food security
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSoc (Rural Development)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16287 , vital:40706
- Description: The world is experiencing strange weather conditions which have, arguably not been experienced before. Some parts of the world are experiencing severe drought, other parts are receiving above normal rainfall associated with violent cyclones. The changing environmental conditions are perceived by environmental scientists as the consequences of climatic change that has been triggered by global warming which has been largely attributed to an increase of greenhouse emissions due to human activities such as transportation, industry and energy production. Sub-Saharan Africa contributes the least greenhouse gas emissions in the world but it is unfortunate that the region is suffering most from the perceived impacts of climatic change. The region has been experiencing prolonged drought conditions that have negatively impacted food production and it is projected that millions will suffer malnutrition and starvation in future if the perceived causes of climatic change are not addressed. This research seeks to make an in-depth analysis on the perceptions of climatic change and food insecurity in Buhera district east of Zimbabwe. The researcher used interviews and observations to gather firsthand information from a diverse number of participants. The findings of this research largely drew upon the Sustainable Livelihood Framework as a lens for interpretation. The results of this research indicate that there is less food available in Buhera due to poor crop production; perceived to be as a result of the changing climate
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Rural household dietary diversity and food security in Raymond Mhlaba local municipality
- Authors: Mnukwa, Minentle Lwando
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Food security
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/17282 , vital:40872
- Description: In order to formulate or implement relevant food security programmes in rural areas, it is important to have a deep understanding of the food security status of rural households. Accordingly, this study was conducted to assess the food security status of rural households in Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality. The study also sought to identify the socio-economic characteristics that influence household food security status. The research relied on primary data. Primary data were collected by using a structured questionnaire, which covered both demographic features of respondent households, and their recent food consumption patterns. The household survey was conducted among 272 participants of Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality. Statistical tools employed in this study included both descriptive and inferential statistics. The main descriptive statistics used were frequency tables, means and percentages in relation to a number of demographic characteristics and food security indicators. The main indicator of food security/insecurity used in the study was the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS). After calculating the HDDS for each household, households were defined as either food secure or insecure depending on whether their HDDS was above or below the average HDDS. A logistic regression model (binary or dichotomous) was then used to identify socio-economic factors that influence some households to have above-average rather than below-average food security levels. The Binary logistic regression model revealed that four out of eight variables included in the model were significant in explaining the variation in the food security situation of households in the study areas, namely age of household head, education level of household head, household income and household size. Of these, the first three were positively associated with aboveaverage food security status, while household size had a negative association. A Tobit model was further used to identify the determinants of the household dietary diversity score. The exact same variables were significant from the Tobit analysis, and in the same manner.
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