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•Farming households were more food insecure than non-farming households.•Food insecurity significantly predicted children's mean micronutrient density adequacy.•Dietary diversity did not predict children's mean micronutrient density adequacy.•An increase in household size was associated with a decrease in children's mean micronutrient density adequacy. The aim of this study was to examine predictors of household food insecurity, dietary diversity, and children's mean micronutrient density adequacy and the relationship among these dietary measures. Baseline analysis of a quasi-experimental 16-mo intervention study conducted in 12 rural communities in the three main agroecological zones in Ghana. The study included 608 caregivers with their 2- to 5-y-old children. Nutrient density adequacy was estimated for a subsample of 120 children. Food insecurity was more severe among farming households than their non-farming counterparts (P = 0.032). Dietary diversity score was significantly higher among non-farming households than farming households (P < 0.001). Food insecurity was negatively correlated with both household dietary diversity (r = –0.385; P < 0.001) and child mean micronutrient adequacy (r = –0.305; P < 0.001). There was no significant correlation between dietary diversity and children's mean micronutrient density adequacy. Belonging to a household that is severely food insecure and household size were significant predictors of children's mean micronutrient density adequacy (ß = –0.124, P = 0.006; ß = 0.011, P = 0.006, respectively). Household food insecurity continues to be a good indicator of lower nutrient intake in children.

Issues relating to food availability, accessibility/affordability, and food utilization remain paramount among different stakeholders such as policymakers and academics. Using data from 250 maize farming households in Nigeria, the study used Foster–Greer–Thorbecke and probit regression model to investigate the factors determining households food security. The food insecurity measure shows that 23.2% points of the households express the incidence of food insecurity while 5.5% points and 1.8% points were found to have depth and severity of food insecurity, respectively. After controlling for households' socio-economic and demographic characteristics, the probit regression model suggested that, among others, value of output sold, education, credit access and participation in government safety nets program significantly influenced food security among the maize farmers in the study area. Based on our findings, effort should be intensified to enhance the productivity of land through improved production practices. There should be high-level awareness that will increase farmers' participation in safety net programs. Thus, government at all levels (local, state, and federal) should have adequate budget allocation to this course in order to improve the livelihood outcomes of the farming households.

Background Food insecurity and malnutrition are persistent challenges worldwide and Lesotho is not an exception. Hunger and poverty have worsened with the dawn of COVID-19 pandemic and on-going Russia–Ukraine war. The study seeks to assess food security and associated socio-economic factors among farming households in Lesotho. Household food security has been assessed using Household Food Access Scale (HFIAS) and Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS). Questionnaires were employed to collect data from 236 farming households. Results The HFIAS results show that 40% of the farming households were food secure, 18% were mildly food insecure, 32% were moderately food insecure and 10% were severely food secure and severe food insecurity mostly experienced in the highlands. HDDS results indicated that the farming households had consumed 8 to 12 food groups 7 days prior to data collection, the mean HDDS is 9.68. Households that are involved in commercial farming had more (9.98) diverse diets than those in subsistence farming (8.67). Households in the highlands have the lowest diet diversity (9.0) among the four agro-ecological zones. A logistic regression analysis indicated that the socio-economic factors associated with food security were household income, household size, marital status and education status of the respondent. Conclusions The findings depict that over half (60%) of the farming households experience varied degrees of food insecurity. Contrary to this, the farming households had consumed highly varied diets in the past 7 days. The socio-economic factors that influence the attainment of food security household food security were household size, household income, education and marital status. The findings suggest that agricultural development interventions must be more sensitive to household food security and nutrition, which includes training farmers on nutrition and food security issues. Furthermore, socio-economic factors must be considered in the development of interventions, since they influence the food security of the farming households.

Despite the critical role of gender and poverty in shaping household food security, only few studies have systematically distinguished the causes of food insecurity based on the intersection of gender and socioeconomic status. This study addresses this gap by examining gender-related risks of food insecurity among farming households in rural Indonesia. Specifically, it investigates differences in food insecurity between female- and male-headed households in the agricultural sector and identifies the socioeconomic determinants of food insecurity for each group, incorporating the influence of regency-level social protection expenditure. The analysis combines microdata from the 2022 National Socioeconomic Survey with fiscal data from the Ministry of Finance on social spending, applying an ordered probit model to capture household food insecurity across four ordered categories, ranging from food secure to severely food insecure. The findings reveal that female-headed households face a significantly higher likelihood of food insecurity than male-headed households across all socioeconomic strata, including poor/vulnerable and middle-to-upper-class groups. Key determinants that mitigate food insecurity include access to productive resources, education, employment, and government social assistance, while demographic and household characteristics such as age, disability, household size, and energy poverty, exacerbate vulnerability.

This study presents a micro-level indicator of farmers' positioning in the market chain, based on the conceptual framework outlined by Antràs and Chor (2013, 2018). The indicator considers the selling location of a farming household and its crop buyers. Using panel data from the World Bank's 'Living Standards Measurement Study: Integrated Surveys on Agriculture' for Ethiopia and Nigeria, this paper applies the proposed indicator empirically and showcases its superior performance in comparison to existing alternatives at the micro-level. Furthermore, by analyzing the dynamics of farmers' food and total consumption over time and controlling for various household and production characteristics, as well as potential confounding factors, this study shows that moving towards a downstream position in the market chain has a positive impact on farmers' food and total consumption levels. The results are validated through sensitivity analysis and robustness checks.

Poverty has constituted a significant threat to life and economic development in most developing nations of the world. The rural dwellers in Nigeria have suffered welfare deficits and depletion in general living standards. Developmental programmes and interventions implemented to address rural poverty and inequality in Nigeria have targeted improving crop value chains to increase productivity and income and therefore eliminate poverty in the country. Hence, this study examined the impacts of the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) on poverty reduction among cassava and rice-based farming households in rural Nigeria. The 2022 version of the panel data set obtained from the VCDP management office within the Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) spanning the period between 2019 and 2022 was used. The data were analysed by descriptive statistics, the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) poverty measure, and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach. The poverty gap estimates show that poverty headcount was lower among the cassava-based and rice-based beneficiary households (24.02% and 26.75%, respectively) compared to their non-beneficiary counterpart (66.67% and 53.42%, respectively). While annual per capita income significantly increased by ₦ 59,205.570 (131.36 USD) among beneficiaries in cassava-based households at 1%, poverty gap was reduced by 0.021% among the beneficiaries in rice-based farming households at 10%. It could be revealed that the intervention was effective in reducing poverty, more especially among the rice-based farming households. Therefore, the study recommends that the implementation of the VCDP should be sustained and scaled up for wider coverage and effective poverty reduction, especially among cassava-based farming households in rural Nigeria.

The objective of this study was to analyze the access of information, control, and benefits for women in beef cattle farming households in Lakitan Utara Nagari, Pesisir Selatan Regency, Sumatera Barat Province. This study employed a descriptive approach using survey and involved 100 families. The survey comprised of questionnaires and interviews. Results showed that women gained access of information mostly from their farming counterparts. They also have the access to and control for decision making on resources and livestock care. These women also enjoyed the benefits from farming beef cattle.

This study presents a micro-level indicator of farmers’ positioning in the market chain, based on the conceptual framework outlined by Antràs and Chor (2013, 2018). The indicator considers the selling location of a farming household and its crop buyers. Using panel data from the World Bank’s ‘Living Standards Measurement Study: Integrated Surveys on Agriculture’ for Ethiopia and Nigeria, this paper applies the proposed indicator empirically and showcases its superior performance in comparison to existing alternatives at the micro-level. Furthermore, by analyzing the dynamics of farmers’ food and total consumption over time and controlling for various household and production characteristics, as well as potential confounding factors, this study shows that moving towards a downstream position in the market chain has a positive impact on farmers’ food and total consumption levels. The results are validated through sensitivity analysis and robustness checks.

The article presents the results of empirical research into expenditure on electricity and the dependencies of the share of these expenses with regard to the features of farming households in Poland. The source material came from empirical research conducted on a random sample of 480 farming households in Poland (each exceeding 5 ha of UAA), with multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) used in the analyses. Through a combination of survey methods and MCA, this study aims to assess electricity usage in farming households, with particular emphasis on identifying the portion of energy costs directly linked to agricultural operations. Statistical analysis demonstrated the existence of strong dependencies between the share of expenditure on electricity from agricultural production and the economic size of a farm (φ 2  = 0.2655), the district (φ 2  = 0.2561), and the agricultural production system (φ 2  = 0.1070). The research shows that expenditure on energy constitutes a considerable percentage of total expenses on energy in the studied farming households. The research results may become a point of reference for other techniques and tools used in energy measurements at the micro-economic level, including the combining of various approaches and the modifying of techniques and tools developed earlier. The results can also be an important source of information for the economic and institutional sphere, including operators on the electricity market.

With climate change complicating South African households' ability in attaining food security, climate-smart agriculture has been a significant recommendation for small-scale farming households. This paper examined the contribution of CSA adaptation to household food security in King Cetshwayo District Municipality's small-scale farming system. Also, the paper investigated the relative popularities of specific CSA practices and the factors that determined ' 'household's choices among them. It involved comparing two local municipalities-Mthojaneni and uMhlathuze; selected based on their agricultural potentials. Data collection was done, using structured questionnaires, from 327 small-scale farmers sampled through a multi-stage technique. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, composite score index, the binary logistic and multinomial logistic regression models. Findings reveal that adaptation of CSA practices has a significant and positive influence on household food security. Further analysis shows that gender significantly and positively influenced household food security in Mthonjaneni but had no significant influence in uMhlathuze. Household food security was significantly and positively influenced by farm income, income from non-farm sources, farming experience and household participation in Mthonjaneni and uMhlathuze. By contrast, household size and dependency ratio significantly but negatively influenced household food security in Mthonjaneni and uMhlathuze. This paper argues that small-scale farmers should incorporate CSA practices as much as possible to maximize their benefits and improve their productivity and chances of being food secure.