We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Making progress towards food security: evidence from an intervention in three rural districts of Rwanda.
- Authors
Nsabuwera, Vincent; Hedt-Gauthier, Bethany; Khogali, Mohammed; Edginton, Mary; Hinderaker, Sven G; Nisingizwe, Marie Paul; Tihabyona, Jean de Dieu; Sikubwabo, Benoit; Sembagare, Samuel; Habinshuti, Antoinette; Drobac, Peter
- Abstract
<bold>Objective: </bold>Determining interventions to address food insecurity and poverty, as well as setting targets to be achieved in a specific time period have been a persistent challenge for development practitioners and decision makers. The present study aimed to assess the changes in food access and consumption at the household level after one-year implementation of an integrated food security intervention in three rural districts of Rwanda.<bold>Design: </bold>A before-and-after intervention study comparing Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) scores and household Food Consumption Scores (FCS) at baseline and after one year of programme implementation.<bold>Setting: </bold>Three rural districts of Rwanda (Kayonza, Kirehe and Burera) where the Partners In Health Food Security and Livelihoods Program (FSLP) has been implemented since July 2013.<bold>Subjects: </bold>All 600 households enrolled in the FSLP were included in the study.<bold>Results: </bold>There were significant improvements (P<0·001) in HFIAS and FCS. The median decrease in HFIAS was 8 units (interquartile range (IQR) -13·0, -3·0) and the median increase for FCS was 4·5 units (IQR -6·0, 18·0). Severe food insecurity decreased from 78% to 49%, while acceptable food consumption improved from 48% to 64%. The change in HFIAS was significantly higher (P=0·019) for the poorest households.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Our study demonstrated that an integrated programme, implemented in a setting of extreme poverty, was associated with considerable improvements towards household food security. Other government and non-government organizations' projects should consider a similar holistic approach when designing structural interventions to address food insecurity and extreme poverty.
- Subjects
RWANDA; FOOD security; ABSOLUTE poverty; FOOD consumption; NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations
- Publication
Public Health Nutrition, 2016, Vol 19, Issue 7, p1296
- ISSN
1368-9800
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1017/S1368980015002207