| dc.description.abstract | The study title: “the influence of access to food on rural livelihoods at household level” in Wakiso District, focused on determining the role of access to food on rural livelihoods. The problem was that Uganda had been declared food secure even though individuals at household level tended to lack access to food and were at risk of nutritional deficiency and associated negative health outcomes (UNAP, 2011).The objectives of the study were: to establish the level
of access to food at household level; identify rural livelihoods; determine the link between access to food on rural livelihoods; and identify other factors that affected rural livelihoods at household level. A descriptive cross sectional study design was adopted. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected.
The study population comprised of 218,142 households from which a sample of 272 was drawn among rural households using the multistage stage, ballot method and systematic random sampling for the rural households’ respondents. The data was analyzed using correlation, cross tabulation and regression in order to understand how the independent variable impacts on the
rural livelihood at household level.
The study was a success. The key findings showed; there was a low level of access to food at household level (78.7%) yet majority were engaged in crop production as a major livelihood (83.2%); a positive relationship between access to food on rural livelihood at households level in Wakiso District (r= .462**, p<.01). Access to food had a potential to influence 21.1% of rural
livelihood at household level; access to resources (30.839%) and family inheritance (23.768%) were other significant determinants of livelihoods.
Key recommendations: mobilize households into clusters that will engage in entrepreneurship and modern farming methods such as intensive farming to increase food production on small plots of land for access to food and household nutritional sufficiency as a public health concern, Increase diversity of livelihoods to break dependence crop production as a traditional livelihood;
opt for animal husbandry including poultry and horticulture for improved household nutrition and incomes, Upscale access to food as it directly impacts or influences rural livelihoods. Increase on household food utilization to meet recommended dietary allowances for different household age groups that would promote productivity, Emphasis on infrastructure especially roads that support ease of access to better markets for increased profitability of sales to boost income and additionally equipping of health centers and schools in order to minimize on household heads expenses on access of such services as they are provided under National mandate.
Suggestions for further inquiry emerging were: determining the influence of government food and Nutrition polices on rural household food and nutrition security; determining the influence of vulnerability across the household on individual nutritional status of rural households in Wakiso District. | en_US |
