Food security indicators after humanitarian interventions in Zimbabwe
Summary of research1
Rural households in Zimbabwe experience various levels of food insecurity and vulnerability. Worsening macroeconomic conditions, a fragile political environment, poor rainfall, low incomes, deteriorating environmental conditions, and the impact of HIV and AIDS characterise their circumstances. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have responded to the situation with a number of food interventions to alleviate food insecurity and poverty. A recent study set out to provide an analysis of food security indicators used to assess households benefiting from food interventions in 2006 in Zimbabwe.
In the study, a total of 60 households were chosen for each of three districts (Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe (UMP), Chivi and Tsholotsho), targeting beneficiaries of the Agricultural Protracted Relief Programme. Data were collected in July 2006. UMP district has a mixture of agro-ecological regions representing a range of natural resource bases that underpin different livelihoods in the area. Chivi is located in the south-eastern part of the country and receives poor and erratic rains. Livelihood activities are generally organised around crop production with some income generating activities, including gold panning, cross-border training and vegetable gardening. Tsholotsho is also in the dry southern part of the country with low and erratic rainfall. Floods recurrently occur and households are mainly dependent on remittances, livestock and drought-resistant crop production.
Household food security indicators, calculated on the basis of data collected by questionnaire, included the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS), months of food shortages, and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Districts were compared by analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc analysis.
Key findings were that the mean HDDS differed between the districts. Households in Chivi consumed foods from a greater variety of groups than households in Tsholotsho and UMP (4.7 vs 2.7 and 3.0 respectively, p <0.001). Food shortages during the previous year were experienced by 76.4% of the households, with UMP having the lowest occurrence of food shortages (56.7%) and Tsholotsho the highest (95%). Households in Tsholotsho experienced hunger throughout the year. For households in UMP and Chivi, October to January were the critical months when households experienced the most hunger. Spearman correlation analysis showed an inverse correlation between HFIAS and HDDS (r = -0.425, p <0.01). Households that experienced food shortages the previous year had a lower mean HDDS (3.2 vs 3.9, p < 0.001) and a higher mean HFIAS (17.1 vs 12.0, p < 0.001) than households that did not experience food shortages.
The authors concluded that there is value in using a variety and combinations of indicators in the design of food security interventions. The HDDS showed that beyond availability, food security also involves access to a variety of nutritious foods. The indicator pertaining to months of food shortages allows a deeper understanding of the nature of food insecurity. Hunger in Tsholotsho is experienced throughout the year, implying that the causes are chronic rather than seasonal, whereas Chivi and UMP experience seasonal hunger. The HFIAS use fully revealed the condition of food security in each site in terms of availability, stability, and intake of food.
The results show that any response to food insecurity needs to focus on increased consumption of specific food items to increase dietary diversity, particularly in Tsholotsho and UMP. Backyard gardens in Chivi and UMP provide a means for growing a variety of such crops. However, market interventions such as cash or food for work, that address erratic local food prices and chronic rather than seasonal food shortages, would be ideal for addressing food access in Tsholotsho. Seasonality in food shortages in Chivi and UMP should be taken into account in the design, targeting and timing of interventions. In Tsholotsho, the respondents' perceptions were that the situation had become worse regardless of the interventions, whereas in Chivi and UMP, the respondents did not perceive any noticeable differences.
In summary, the authors conclude that indicators are most beneficial when used in conjunction with one another, rather than as a summary index or scale.
1Gandure. S, Drimie. S and Faber. M (2010). Food security indicators after humanitarian interventions including food aid in Zimbabwe. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, vol 31, no 4, pp 513-522. 2010
More like this
FEX: Nutrition among men and household food security in an internally displaced persons camp in Kenya
Summary of research* Location: Kenya What we know: Internally displaced persons (IDP) are vulnerable to nutrition and food insecurity. What this article adds: A 2013 study...
FEX: Assessment of adolescent girl nutrition, dietary practices and roles in Zimbabwe
Amelia Reese-Masterson and Pamela Murakwani Amelia Reese-Masterson has been with International Medical Corps since November 2011 as Research Advisor in the Nutrition, Food...
FEX: From the editor
An aerial view of Darfur, Sudan The role of data and analytical tools in guiding and evaluating emergency programming figures strongly in this issue of Field Exchange. There...
en-net: Oxfam Novib is looking for a Gender and Nutrition research consultant
- Consultancy for research on the role of women and gender review of FFS curriculum - 1. Background and rationale The 'Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security' (hereafter,...
FEX: Validation of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale in rural Tanzania
Summary of published research1 In developing tools to measure household food insecurity, researchers have most often either adapted a version of the Cornell/Radimer measuring...
FEX: HIV/AIDS Home Based Care in Zimbabwe
By Hisham Khogali Hisham Khogali is currently the Senior Food Security Officer of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Prior to this, Hisham worked...
FEX: Adapting a resilience improvement programme in conflict: Experiences from Yemen
By Mustafa Ghulam and Mohammed H Alshama'a Lisez cet article en français ici Mustafa Ghulam is a Food Security and Livelihoods Progamme Manger with Save the Children,...
FEX: Simple tools for measuring household food access and dietary diversity
Summary of international workshop1 An international workshop on simple tools for measuring household access to food and dietary diversity was held on March 21-23, 2007 in...
en-net: FANTA/FEWS NET data solicitation
FANTA and FEWS NET have begun a research initiative, in collaboration with the IPC Global Support Unit, to investigate the relationship between several household food...
Resource: Multi-sectoral Nutrition Programming – Exploring Impact
Executive Summary Multi-sector nutrition programmes (MSNPs) have gained increasing prominence over the last two decades in order to address the many direct and underlying...
FEX: Spotting the invisible crisis: early warning indicators in urban slums of Nairobi, Kenya
By Lilly Schofield, Shukri F Mohamed, Elizabeth Wambui Kimani-Murage, Frederick Murunga Wekesah, Blessing Mberu and Thaddaeus Egondi, Catherine Kyobutungi and Remare Ettarh...
FEX: Research snapshots
Factors influencing pastoral and agropastoral household vulnerability to food insecurity in Kenya Kenya has a population of more than 38 million, 10% of whom are classified as...
FEX: Lessons learned in West Darfur: challenges in assessment methodologies
By Aranka Anema Aranka Anema has a background in medical anthropology. She is currently working with MSF-Holland as Medical Editor and has been involved with the Nutrition...
FEX: Community Supplementary Feeding Programme (CSFP) Evaluation in Zimbabwe
The first Field Exchange carried an article about the CSFP in Zimbabwe: Nutrition in commercial farms; finding the right plaster for the wound. Since then the findings of a...
FEX: Differences in food insecurity between adults and children in Zimbabwe
Summary of published research1 Mother and child harvesting sweet potato on communal land in Zimbabwe A variety of methods have been utilised to assess food insecurity,...
FEX: Review of urban food security targeting methodology and emergency triggers
Summary of report1 People queuing at an Oxfam feeding programme in Mbare, Harare A recent report compiled by Oxfam GB, Concern Worldwide and Action Contre la Faim (ACF)...
FEX: Cash supported income generation activities in Southern Sudan
By Emily Sloane and Silke Pietzsch Emily Sloane was a Food Security and Livelihoods Trainee at ACF-USA supporting the evaluation of the project's income generating activities...
FEX: Food insecurity amongst AIDS caregivers in Ethiopia
Summary of review1 A group of community health volunteers A recent study set out to assess the validity and dependability of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS)...
FEX: Farming in Bags: Micro Gardening in Northern Uganda
By Holly Welcome Radice, Action Against Hunger-USA Holly Welcome Radice has worked as a food security officer for AAHUSA in Liberia, Uganda, and as programme co-ordinator in...
FEX: Determinants of household vulnerability to food insecurity in Malawi
Summary of Research1 Location: Malawi What we know: Subsistence farming households are vulnerable to food insecurity. What this article adds: A household level study...
Reference this page
Food security indicators after humanitarian interventions in Zimbabwe. Field Exchange 41, August 2011. p25. www.ennonline.net/fex/41/food
(ENN_4208)