Determinants of rural household food security: the demand perspective

The realization of high population growth has come along with amplified awareness of the need to improve food security. The paper probed this trajectory further. This study, set in Ghana, explored factors that determine the food security status of households in rural areas. The food entitlement decline theory underpins the study. Using a cross-sectional design, data was collected from 325 households from 10 communities in Sekyere Afram Plains District of the Ashanti Region through a survey. Statistical techniques such as regression and co-variation were used to analyze the data. The Food Consumption Score was adapted to compute Food Security status of households. The food entitlement decline theory was also validated based on specific socio-demographic characteristics of the households. The analysis showed that age of head of household, marital status of household head, number of people living in the household, and level of literacy were significantly associated with food security. Contrary to the prevailing expectation, the study found that literacy had a negative yet significant effect on food security. It recommends that policy focuses on context-specific studies rather than generally agreed variables and measures to tackle effectively the context-nuanced prospects and challenges to food security in Ghana.