International Journal of Agriculture and Food Security ISSN: 0812-3497 Vol. 6(1), pp. 168-182, April, 2019 Available online at www.advancedscholarsjournals.org © Advanced Scholars Journals Full length Research paper Determinants of Household Food Security in Musanze District, Rwanda Thomas Gill1*, Amanda Kaeser1, David Ader1, Emily Urban1, Tracy Bucyana2 1 University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Smith International Center, 2640 Morgan Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996 USA 2 Zamura Feeds, Inc., Ruhungeri, Musanze District, Rwanda Accepted 28 March, 2019. Despite significant economic growth and development in Rwanda over the past 20 years, twenty percent of Rwandan households remain food insecure. Interventions to address the wide variations in household food insecurity in Rwanda need to be data-driven. It is important to first characterize the household food security landscape within an intervention’s proposed target area, so that stakeholders can design appropriate food security interventions. The food security status of households in Musanze District, northwest Rwanda, was measured using both an experience-based scale and a 24-hour dietary recall method, and calculated regression models to identify the significant determinants of household food security in Musanze District. Findings indicated that urban households which owned multiple assets, and had a household member with an education beyond primary school were most likely to be food secure in Musanze District. Amount of food purchased from the market was also identified as a significant determinant of household food security in the dietary recall model. Implications include the need to: 1) use multiple measures for food security characterization, 2) consider multiple educational pathways in food security interventions for long-term, sustainable impact, and, 3) base food security interventions on appropriate-scale data, including spatial context, to result in intended impacts. Key words: dietary diversity; nutrition; Africa; education; appropriate-scale data. Abbreviations (ASAP) African Sustainable Agriculture Project Foundation, (CFSVA) Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis, (CHW) Community Health Workers, (FAO) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FIES) Food Insecurity Experience Scale, (HDDS) Household Dietary Diversity Score, (MDD-W) Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women, (TI) USAID Feed the Future Tworore Inkoko, Twunguke, (USAID) United States Agency for International Development, (USG) United States Government, (UTIA) University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (WFP) World Food Programme of the United Nations. INTRODUCTION The Sustainable Development Goals of the United achieving this goal is what transpires in sub-Saharan Nations have set an ambitious target of ending hunger Africa, the region with the largest available acreage of globally by 2030 (United Nations, 2015). Central to underutilized land and fastest growing population (Tiwari et al., 2018). While questions remain as to how hunger can really be addressed in conflict-prone areas of the continent, countries that have enjoyed relative peace and stability over the Millennium Development Goal period *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] Phone: +1- (2000-2015) lend hope that a food secure Africa can be 865-974-5797; ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1367-8684 attained (Adenle et al., 2017). Thomas. et al 169 Rwanda has enjoyed a period of relative peace and of food available and accessible to a household is stability since the genocide of 1994, and has shown dependent upon a household’s level of knowledge about, remarkable progress toward abolishing hunger. Under its and current practices related to food preparation, storage, “Vision 2020”, and driven by rapid population expansion intra-household distribution of food, and dietary/nutritional and agricultural development, Rwanda has experienced diversity. an annual 15-year-average (2000-2015) economic growth rate of 7.8%, well above the sub-Saharan African Stability average of 2.3% (World Bank, 2017). This has resulted in increased food availability from higher crop production refers to a household’s ability to withstand shocks and volumes, resulting in Rwanda becoming self-sufficient in stresses to its food security status, such as changes in food supply in 2009 (World Bank, 2011). Despite this, political or economic climates, and environmental much of this food availability trend has been accounted challenges such as climate change. for by a move to calorie-dense roots and tubers, and These four dimensions are general guidelines to away from grains and plant- and animal-based protein analyzing food security, however previous studies have production (de Graaff et al., 2011). The most recent identified a variety of determinants of household food (2015) Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability security. Recent research shows that food secure Analysis (CFSVA), compiled by the Rwandan households (versus food insecure households) in low- government, describes the task ahead: twenty percent of income countries are more likely to be urban (Smith et all Rwandan households remain food insecure (WFP, al., 2005), have more years of schooling (Maharjan and 2016). It is likely that the household food security Joshi, 2011; Oluwatayo, 2009), have more assets (Guo, landscape is multi-faceted, with food and nutritional 2011; Harris-Fry et al., 2015), own livestock (Haile et al., concerns including sufficient per capita caloric, protein 2005), and spend more on food in the market (Omotesho and/or micronutrient intake. The challenge to bring these et al., 2010; Melgar-Quinonez et al., 2006). Food secure households to food security is made markedly more households are also less likely to be employed in the complex by climate change, environmental degradation agriculture sector (Maharjan and Joshi, 2011; Beyene and a 2.8% annual population growth rate (Paul et al., and Muche, 2010). Studies have also shown that other 2017). important determinants of household food security At the World Food Summit in 1996, the United Nations include variables such as household size (Babatunde et Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defined food al., 2007; Sekhampu, 2013), number of females of security to exist when “all people, at all times, have reproductive age in a household (Harris-Fry et al., 2015), physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe, access to other productive resources (e.g. land, credit, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food other inputs) (Aidoo et al., 2013; Bogale and Genene, preferences for an active and healthy life”. This 2012; Bashir and Mehmood, 2010; Tefera, 2009), overarching and widely-accepted definition contains four agricultural practices, technology adoption and farming dimensions of food security: availability, access, systems (Beyene and Muche, 2010; Feleke et al., 2005), utilization and stability (FAO, 2009). At the household and distance to markets (Feleke et al., 2005). level, these four dimensions can be described as: The 2015 CFSVA national survey identified key determinants of Rwandan household food security as:i) Availability urban/rural, ii) skilled labor, business owners and salaried work versus employment in agriculture, iii) available land addresses the supply of food to a population, and acreage, iv) production of crops for household includes productive resources needed to obtain food for consumption, v) ownership of livestock and vi) market the household, as well as a household’s stocks and net engagement for buying and selling food (WFP, 2016). trade of food; This same survey describes Rwandan food insecure households as ones that are unable to meet essential Access food and non-food needs without engaging in atypical coping strategies, have an unacceptable diet, and/or, use involves both economic purchasing power of a a high share of their budget to cover food needs. household, including income and other resources for However, at sub-national levels, food security varies buying or trading for food, as well as physical aspects of widely across Rwanda (Table 1). The percentage of food household food access, such as distance to markets and secure households by district varies from 98% in access to transport to reach markets to purchase or sell Nyarugenge District, Kigali Province, to 43% in Rutsiro food. District in Western Province (WFP, 2016). In order to appropriately design food security interventions and set Utilization attainable targets at the household level, it is important to 170 Int. J. Agric. Food Sec. first characterize the household food security landscape households are engaged in agricultural production, with within an intervention’s proposed target area. Projects the majority (58%) of agricultural production carried out and programs to address food insecurity are frequently by smallholders on landholdings of less than 0.5ha (WFP, directed towards specific regions within a country; 2016). With mean elevation of 1850m, favorable climate national level data are therefore insufficient to inform the (average temperatures between 59 and 77oF) and rich design and successful implementation of such volcanic soils, Musanze District’s predominant interventions. It is therefore paramount to identify which agricultural system includes production of starchy food socio-economic characteristics are significant crops such as potatoes, maize, bananas and wheat, determinants of food security in a region in order to along with beans and a variety of fruits