Social dimensions of food insecurity and coping strategies; A case of nepal

Abstract

Food Security in Nepal is improving over the period. However, there is still high level of malnutrition and food insecurity in the country which varies with the socio-economic and geographical location of the households. In order to target programme and policies effectively,evidence are required about what types of households are most affected by food insecurity. This study provides evidences how social dimensions such as gender of household head, caste/ ethnicity, size of household, education of household head, income, place of residence (urban versus rural), ecological belt (mountain, hill and terai) are associated with the food insecurity through a systematic analysis.Further, the study also assessed the types of coping mechanismsadopted by different ethnic/caste groups to manage food insecurity situation. In order to contribute to generate evidences on those aspects, analysis of Nepal Living Standard Survey (NLSS) 2011 andNLSS IV 2024 data wasdone. The analysis revealed that lower-income household; those with less educated household head, large family size, households residing in mountains, and rural residents are significantly more vulnerable to food insecurity. Analysis showed that the food insecurity decreases by increased level of education of household head;completing an education level of 11 or higher leads to 62.7% lower odds of experiencing food insecurity than the illiterate household head, indicating the impact of education on reducing food insecurity. Moreover, the food insecurity decreases as the household income increases; there is 82.6% lower odds of experiencing food insecurity by the households belonging to fifth quintile as compared to first quintile. Likewise, compared to urban residents, the rural residents are more likely to face food insecurityby 26%. The geographical belt showed that households in the mountain face more food insecurity.Additionally, caste and ethnic disparities further exacerbate food insecurity. However, there was no significant association in the food insecurity to gender of household head.The study highlights the coping mechanism adopted by insecure households, including reducing meal size, consuming less nutritious food, borrowing money or food and selling of assets to cope during food insecurity. The study contributes to existing knowledge on food insecurity in Nepal by providing empirical evidence of its socio-economic determinants. Considering the findings, development practitioners and policy makers should consider where better targeting of food securityprogramme could be done. Targeting to the residents of mountain, Dalits, illiterate and rural households could be prioritized. Key words: Food Insecurity, Gender, Ethnicity, Education, Income, Coping strategy.