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