Food coping strategies in northern Ghana. A socio-spatial analysis along the urban–rural continuum

Abstract

Background: Food insecurity is a worrying challenge worldwide, with sub-Sahara Africa most affected. Literature reveals that in developing countries, food insecurity is a largely ''managed process'' , meaning people are active participants in responding to the risks they face in life. This paper focuses on how households cope with food shortages and how these food coping strategies vary along the urban-rural continuum. A transect approach was used to guide data collection in and around the city of Tamale in northern Ghana. A total of 19 Focus Group discussions, having eight participants each (four women, four men), were conducted between March and May 2014. Additionally, three qualitative in-depth interviews were also conducted, one each in the urban, periurban and rural area. Results:In periurban and rural areas, gathering of wild food and selling of charcoal was widely practised, while in urban areas, most households tended to reduce the number of meals as a more frequent coping strategy. The study identified five coping strategies along the urban-rural continuum as the most severe in times of food insecurity, namely skipping a whole day without food, borrowing, buying food on credit, consuming seed stock and restricting adult intake in favour of children. Hunting, consuming less preferred food, taking occasional jobs and engaging in small trading were considered as not severe. Conclusions:Study results reveal that food coping strategies vary from one spatial entity to another in terms of frequency, severity and coping strategy indices along the urban-rural continuum. This information is useful for indicators to predict crisis (early warning), to understand shortfalls in access to adequate food (assessment), to allocate resources (targeting) or to track the impact of interventions (monitoring and evaluation).

Food Access and Coping Strategies Adopted by Households to Fight Hunger among Indigenous Communities of Sierra Tarahumara in Mexico

“…Grobler [37] found in Bophelong, a low-income neighborhood in South Africa, that the coping strategies used by most of the households in the sample is relying on less expensive commodities, followed by buying only necessities, sticking to budget, limiting portions and skipping meals. For their part, the work of Chagomoka et al [38], carried out in Ghana, pointed out that households used coping strategies more frequently, such as skipping meals the whole day, borrowing food or money to buy food, consuming seed stock and purchasing food on credit. Shariff and Khor [2] found, in a rural community in Malaysia, that borrowing money to buy food, receiving food from family members, relatives and neighbors and reducing the number of meals seemed to cushion the food insecure households from experiencing food insufficiency.…”

Spatial variations of household food insecurity in East Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia: implications for agroecosystem-based interventions

“…Understanding of household food insecurity spatial patterns at microlevel using geographic information system (GIS) [30] is very important to identify the most affected geographical locations, to design local interventions, to allocate scarce resources to the most affected areas, to convince policy and decision makers and program managers using visualizing maps and to ensure equity in the community [4,30]. However, there are limited studies on spatial variability analysis of household food insecurity based on agroecosystem characteristics in Ethiopia.…”

“…To be effective and bring sustainable solutions and meeting the needs of the most vulnerable community [6], recognition of the spatial distribution of food insecurity in specific contexts is very crucial [4,26]. Different studies elsewhere abroad have tried to identify certain geographical regions as highly vulnerable to household food security [27][28][29].…”

“…According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life [2]. Household food insecurity is recognized as a major public health problem in both developing and developed nations since it leads to poor health outcomes through a complex networking of factors [3,4]. Food security remains a serious challenge for many households in East Africa [5], and Ethiopia is one of the most food…”

Food security measurement in rural households: the case of indigenous communities in Sierra Tarahumara, Mexico

“…For their part, the work of Chagomoka et al (2016), carried out in Ghana, pointed out that households used coping strategies more frequently, such as skipping meals the whole day, borrowing food or money to buy food, consuming seed stock and purchasing food on credit. Shariff and Khor (2008) found, in a rural community in…”