Decision makers need actionable information on the factors that inhibit household adaptation to climate variability and other changes, especially those changes reinforcing environmentally unsustainable livelihood strategies. In this paper, we show how a combination of quantitative and qualitative data can help assess current livelihood vulnerability and the social and institutional obstacles facing specific population groups that lock in risk and undermine opportunities. Detailed analysis of current household economies in two case study communities (one in Uganda and one in Kenya) in the Lake Victoria Basin, East Africa, was combined with a qualitative, intersectional exploration of constraints on income adaptation and diversification. Quantitative household economy analysis showed low levels of household disposable income overall and additionally, poor returns on investment from enterprises typically controlled by women. Qualitative research highlighted changes in gender roles driven by women's entrepreneurial responses to reduced household income from traditional agricultural and natural resource-based activities. However, due to unequal access to finance and culturally mediated norms and expectations, many women's enterprises were small scale and insecure. The broader political economy context is one of limited national investment in education and infrastructure, further constraining local opportunities for human and economic development. The approach described here was directed by the need to understand and quantify economic vulnerability, along with the cultural and institutional constraints on adaptation, as a basis for making better adaptation policies and interventions to build resilience over the longer term.
The safety of homemade weaning foods in low‐ and middle‐income countries is of great concern as rural households have limited access to standardized commercial weaning foods. In the Acholi subregion of Uganda, complementary foods are locally produced. However, there is limited information on the Food safety knowledge (FSK), food safety attitude (FSA), and food hygiene practices (FHP) of the caregivers. This study examined food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices of the caregivers of children 6–23 months of age in Amuru and Nwoya districts, Northern Uganda, between March 2019 and June 2019. A cross‐sectional study was conducted involving 180 caregivers. Data were collected using semi‐structured questionnaires and focus group discussions and analyzed using descriptive statistics, multivariate binary logistic regression, and thematic content analysis. Caregivers had sufficient FSK (74.1%) and positive FSA (68.1%). However, only 17.6% of them adhered to FHP. Frequency of food safety training (p = .041) and households with children who suffered from foodborne illness (p = .001) significantly predicted FSK. Conversely, both FSK and FSA were significantly predicted by gender roles in decision‐making on household income (p = .006) and households with older children (p = .041). A significant positive correlation was observed between FSK and FSA (r = .406, p = .000). However, major barriers to adherence to FHP were inadequate sanitation facilities and caregiver's workload. The overall nontranslation of sufficient FSK and positive FSA into proper FHP calls for future intervention to harness the sociodemographic factors that influence FSK and FSA and address the barriers to FHP among caregivers.
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