Examining the contribution of livelihood strategies to household food security in rural Zimbabwe : the case of smallholder farmers in Muzarabani District

Abstract

Household food security is a serious and prevalent security issue, especially for poor households living in the dry areas of Muzarabani. Yet vulnerability assessments usually exclude a large portion of these dry areas which make up agro ecolological region IV and V. This explains partly why there is insufficient data on household food insecurity. It is within this context that the current study was designed to examine the impact of livelihood strategies on household food security situation in Muzarabani District. The study assessed how farm-based strategies and non-farm strategies affect household food security situation, drawing insights from the Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF) as the framework of analysis. Using a qualitative ethnographic approach, this study examined the contribution of on-farm and off-farm livelihood strategies to household food security by analysing how various livelihood strategies contribute to levels of household food security or the degree to which they heighten the risks to food insecurity. A randomly selected sample of 65 households in Kapembere and Muringazuva wards was used. Secondary data was collected from various data bases. Extended household visits, observation, transact walks, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions were used to collect primary data. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Emerging from the study, livelihood strategies are intrinsically linked to how a household is able to cope with food security challenges brought about by natural and economic factors. The study further brought out how rural farm households make livelihood decisions, and how such decisions affect household food security. The study particularly analysed households’ livelihood choices, how much they contribute to household food security, and more importantly, the extent to which they contribute to the vulnerability of households to food insecurity. This study added knowledge on how livelihood pathways adopted by poor rural households either contribute to household food self-sufficiency or vulnerability to food insecurity. This was achieved through analyzing the way in which livelihood choices have resulted in susceptibility of households and danger to food insecurity using a qualitative approach. The results of the current study are important because of their possible influence in informing interventions, agenda setting, advocating for policies and programmes that improve household food security.