Exploring mechanisms of food insecurity in indigenous agricultural communities in Guatemala: a mixed methods study

Webb, Meghan Farley; Chary, Anita; Vries, Thomas T. De; Davis, Samantha; Dykstra, Michael; Flood, David; Rhodes, Margaret Haley; Rohloff, Peter

doi:10.1186/s40795-016-0091-5

Cited by 20 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In this study, individuals from larger and poorer households reliant on subsistence agriculture were more likely than individuals from smaller and wealthier households to have insufficient food availability and access. This is consistent with other studies in Latin America, in which overcrowding and low socioeconomic status have been cited as factors contributing to household food insecurity [14,40,41]. Beyond the total number of people in the household, household life cycle factors including household composition, age of household members, and marital status also influence individual and household food security [41][42][43].…”

Section: Factors Associated With Seasonal Food Insecuritysupporting

confidence: 91%

Factors Associated with Seasonal Food Insecurity among Small-Scale Subsistence Farming Households in Rural Honduras

Dodd

Cerna

Orellana

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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In the context of climate change, a nutritional transition, and increased pressures to migrate internally and internationally, this study examined the relationship between seasonal food insecurity and demographic, socioeconomic, and agricultural production factors among small-scale subsistence farmers in rural northern Honduras. Anchored by a partnership with the Fundación para la Investigación Participativa con Agricultores de Honduras (FIPAH) and the Yorito Municipal Health Centre, a cross-sectional household survey was administered in Yorito, Honduras, in July 2014. The study population included 1263 individuals from 248 households across 22 rural communities. A multivariate mixed effects negative binomial regression model was built to investigate the relationship between the self-reported number of months without food availability and access from subsistence agriculture in the previous year (August 2013–July 2014) and demographic, socioeconomic, and agricultural production variables. This study found a lengthier ‘lean season’ among surveyed household than previously documented in Honduras. Overall, 62.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): [59.52, 64.87]) of individuals experienced at least four months of insufficient food in the previous year. Individuals from poorer and larger households were more likely to experience insufficient food compared to individuals from wealthier and smaller households. Additionally, individuals from households that produced both maize and beans were less likely to have insufficient food compared to individuals from households that did not grow these staple crops (prevalence ratio (PR) = 0.83; 95% CI: [0.69, 0.99]). Receiving remittances from a migrant family member did not significantly reduce the prevalence of having insufficient food. As unpredictable crop yields linked to climate change and extreme weather events are projected to negatively influence the food security and nutrition outcomes of rural populations, it is important to understand how demographic, socioeconomic, and agricultural production factors may modify the ability of individuals and households engaged in small-scale subsistence agriculture to respond to adverse shocks.

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Section: Factors Associated With Seasonal Food Insecuritysupporting

confidence: 91%

Factors Associated with Seasonal Food Insecurity among Small-Scale Subsistence Farming Households in Rural Honduras

Dodd

Cerna

Orellana

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…Example 3: Nutrition of some households In the western highlands of Guatemala has declined when farmers started to grow exclusively high-value vegetable crops for export markets (Webb et al, 2016). Some of these vegetable farmers stopped growing or consuming nutrient-rich crops from traditional diversified farm systems characterized by Milpa system of maize, common beans, and associated crops.…”

Section: Getting the Right Varietymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of these vegetable farmers stopped growing or consuming nutrient-rich crops from traditional diversified farm systems characterized by Milpa system of maize, common beans, and associated crops. High-value crops may require large investments in fertilizer and other inputs; financial pressures may encourage producers to invest in commercial production, abandon traditional agriculture, and consume low-quality processed food (Webb et al, 2016). More research is required to understand when and how the replacement of food by cash crops affects the nutrition status of farm household members.…”

Section: Getting the Right Varietymentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision-Making to Diversify Farm Systems for Climate Change Adaptation

Zonneveld¹,

Turmel

Hellin

2020

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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On-farm diversification is a promising strategy for farmers to adapt to climate change. However, few recommendations exist on how to diversify farm systems in ways that best fit the agroecological and socioeconomic challenges farmers face. Farmers' ability to adopt diversification strategies is often stymied by their aversion to risk, loss of local knowledge, and limited access to agronomic and market information, this is especially the case for smallholders. We outline seven steps on how practitioners and researchers in agricultural development can work with farmers in decision-making about on-farm diversification of cropping, pasture, and agroforestry systems while taking into account these constraints. These seven steps are relevant for all types of farmers but particularly for smallholders in tropical and subtropical regions. It is these farmers who are usually most vulnerable to climate change and who are, subsequently, often the target of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) interventions. Networks of agricultural innovation provide an enabling environment for on-farm diversification. These networks connect farmers and farmer organizations with local, national, or international private companies, public organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and research institutes. These actors can work with farmers to develop diversified production systems incorporating both high-value crops and traditional food production systems. These diversified farm systems with both food and cash crops act as a safety net in the event of price fluctuations or other disruptions to crop value chains. In this way, farmers can adapt their farm systems to climate change in ways that provide greater food security and improved income.

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“…These broad climatic, political and economic processes interact with household level dynamics of resource endowment, access to markets and infrastructure, political marginalization and more to shape individual experiences of food insecurity (Corbera et al, 2007;Jarosz, 2011;Webb et al, 2016). Considering the complexity and interdependence of issues interacting with and exacerbating food insecurity in the region-and the influx of funds and intervention targeted to address these issues-insights into the lived experience of affected people are essential to align the problem framing and management of issues with the complex reality in which intervention is received.…”

Section: Food Security In the Central American Dry Corridormentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences and Drivers of Food Insecurity in Guatemala's Dry Corridor: Insights From the Integration of Ethnographic and Household Survey Data

Beveridge

Fraval

Wijk

et al. 2019

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Eradicating hunger is a complex and multifaceted challenge, requiring evidence bases that can inform wide scale action, but that are also participatory and grounded to have local relevance and effectiveness. The Rural Household Multi-Indicator Surveys (RHoMIS) provides a broad assessment of household capabilities and food security outcomes, while ethnographic approaches evidence how individuals' perceptions, experiences and local socio-political context shape food security experiences and intervention outcomes. However, integrating these research approaches presents methodological and ontological challenges. We combine a quantitative approach with life history interviews to understand the drivers, experiences and outcomes of food insecurity in Guatemala's dry corridor region. We also reflect on the effectiveness and challenges of integrating the two methods for purposes of selective sampling, triangulating evidence, and producing a cohesive analyses of food insecurity in the region. Variables with a statistically significant association with severe food insecurity in the region are: coffee cultivation (when market participation is low), dependence on agricultural labor income, and poverty level. Drivers of food insecurity experiences most commonly identified by participants are: consecutive drought; ill health and displacement of income for medicine; social marginalization; high start-up costs in production; absence or separation of a household head; and a lack of income and education opportunity. Ethnographic approaches identify a broader range of drivers contributing to food insecurity experiences, and add explanatory power to a statistical model of severe food insecurity. This integrated analysis provides a holistic picture of food insecurity in Guatemala's dry corridor region.

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Exploring mechanisms of food insecurity in indigenous agricultural communities in Guatemala: a mixed methods study

Cited by 20 publications

References 26 publications

Factors Associated with Seasonal Food Insecurity among Small-Scale Subsistence Farming Households in Rural Honduras

Factors Associated with Seasonal Food Insecurity among Small-Scale Subsistence Farming Households in Rural Honduras

Decision-Making to Diversify Farm Systems for Climate Change Adaptation

Experiences and Drivers of Food Insecurity in Guatemala's Dry Corridor: Insights From the Integration of Ethnographic and Household Survey Data

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