Hungry For Information: Food Insecurity and Empowerment in the Honduran Hillsides

Symposium on Revalorizing Extension

Elizabeth M. Sloffer

04 April 2018

Honduras Information

• Honduras is a Feed the Future Country (Dry corridor)

• Population: ~9.1 Million• 18% live at <$1.90/day7

• 12% Undernourished in 2015 according to FAO3

• Food insecurity >90% in many rural areas2

• Serious personal security and safety problems

FAO Food Utilization Indicators3

Access to improved water sources

Access to improved sanitation facilities

Percentage of children under 5 years of age affected by wasting

Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted

Percentage of children under 5 years of ages who are underweight

Percentage of adults who are underweight

Prevalence of anemia among pregnant women

Prevalence of anemia among children under 5 years of age

Prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in the population

Prevalence of iodine deficiency in the population

3

Inputs including Access to food

Hea

lth

Ou

tco

mes

Horticulture Innovation Lab Regional Center at Zamorano

Women Face Barriers in Agriculture Work

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

Women Men Women Men

N=38 N=not available

WEAI Score: 0.79 WEAI Score: 0.75

Honduras 2016 Honduras 2012

Dis

em

po

we

rme

nt In

de

x (

1-5

DE

)

Contribution of Each Indicator to Disempowerment in the WEAI1

Input in productive decisions Autonomy in production

Ownership of assets Purchase, sale, or transfer of assets

Access to and decisions on credit Control over use of income

Group member Speaking in public

Workload Leisure 2012 data (4)

Dietary Diversity6 by Food Security Status5

Average: 7.5 ± 1.9

Range: 3 to 10

*p<0.1** p<0.05

Food InsecureFood Secure

0%10%

20%30%

40%50%

60%70%80%

90%

100%

Pe

rce

nta

ge o

f P

op

ula

tio

n

**

*

Average: 7.7 ± 1.9

Range: 3 to 11

Dietary Diversity6 by Gender

Average: 8.1 ± 1.8

Range: 4 to 11

*p<0.1** p<0.05

FemaleMale

Average: 7.4 ± 1.8

Range: 3 to 10

0%

10%

20%30%

40%50%

60%

70%80%

90%100%

Pe

rce

nta

ge o

f P

op

ula

tio

n

**

*

Preliminary Findings of Social Networking & Interviews

• Interview and social network participants do not identify authoritative sources of nutrition information

• There was no difference (P>0.05) in total reported network size between men and women.

• For women, larger reported networks were associated with higher empowerment scores (r=0.37, P<0.05).

• A larger network was associated with higher HDD score (r=0.22, P=0.09).

Conclusions

1. Incorporate nutrition messaging into extension programs

2. Consider the time requirements of participants

Funding Sources

References

1. Alkire, S., Meinzen-Dick, R., Peterman, A., Quisumbing, A., Seymour, G., & Vaz, A. (2013). The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index. World Development, 52, 71–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.06.007

2. Chicoine, A. L., Kemmer, T. M., Coello, M., Medina Sevilla, R. M., Polo Sepulveda, S. V., & Velasquez Arriaga, R. (2014). ELCSA, a Survey for Measuring Household Food Security, Reveals an Extremely High Prevalence of Food Insecurity in the Montana de la Flor and Santa Maria Regions of Honduras. Topics in Clinical Nutrition, 29(3), 239–249. https://doi.org/10.1097/TIN.0000000000000003

3. FAO, WFP, & IFAD. (2015). The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015. The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015. Meeting the 2015 International Hunger Targets: Taking Stock of Uneven Progress. Rome: FAO.

4. Malapit, H., Sproule, K., Kovarik, C., Meinzen-Dick, R., Quisumbing, A., Ramzan, F., … Alkire, S. (2014). Measuring Progress Toward Empowerment: Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index: Baseline Report (Vol. 2015). Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute. Retrieved from http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/weaireport2013.pdf

5. Maxwell, D., Watkins, B., Wheeler, R., & Collins, G. (2003). The Coping Strategies Index: A Tool for Rapidly Measuring Food Security and the Impact of Food Aid Programs in Emergencies. Nairobi, Kenya: CARE and World Food Programme.

6. Swindale, A., & Bilinsky, P. (2006). Household dietary diversity score (HDDS) for measurement of household food access: indicator guide. Washington, DC: Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project, Academy for Educational Development.

7. World Bank. (2017, April 7). Honduras Overview. Retrieved September 12, 2017, from http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/honduras/overview#1