Determinants of the food security of small holder farmers in Nepal

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study has investigated the determinants of the food security of small holder farmers in Nepal. Ithas used the data from the Annual Household Survey 2014/15, National Sample Census of Agriculture 2011/12 both published by the Central Bureau of Statistics and the Household Budget Survey 2014/15published by the Nepal Rastra Bank to collect socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the smallholder farmers in Nepal. After the descriptive analysis of the data it was put into probit regression model due to the dichotomous nature of the dependent variable to estimate the likelihood of the household being food poor. The model was fitted with 7 independent variables that were identified by previous researchers affecting thefood insecurity of smallholder farmer's household. The probit regression results showed that household socioeconomic and demographic characteristics;household size, gender and age of household head, household income,urban region of household and agricultural land holding had significant impact on the fate of household being food poor at 95% level of confidence. Household size, male head, and age of household head were positively associated with food insecurity of the smallholder farmers' household. The household income, agriculture land holding, and urban households had negative association with the likelihood of the households being food poor. Thus established relationship of food insecurity of smallholder farmer household with socioeconomic and demographic factors would help in determining whether the household is likely to be food poor or not.