Spatial Analysis of Food Crop Diversification in Busia County-Kenya: Implications on Household Food Security

Abstract

Food insecurity is a major problem in Busia County as studies show that 54 percent of households face food insufficiency and child malnutrition. This problem is compounded by small land holdings per household, with just 155,990 acres under food crops. Studies that have been done in the County to show the major food crops that are cultivated, however, no single one has been done showing the variations of these food crops within regions, while it is well known that diversity in terms of space has a bearing in food security at household level. This research sought to find out how food crops are diversified within space and its implications on household food security. Mixed design approach was used (descriptive and correlational). Nine research assistants were involved to collect data in the cropping season using interview schedules and observation schedules. Primary data was collected in one cropping season using interview and observation schedules. Gibbs and Martins Index of crop diversification was applied to determine crop diversification. Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) was used to determine food security status. Multi-stage mixed sampling techniques involving purposive, simple random stratified proportionate was used. Qualitative data was used to address research questions while quantitative data addressed the hypotheses. The results showed that there was a wide range of food crops grown in the County with cereals taking the largest portion while oils and miscellaneous crops had the lowest acreage. The study further revealed that Busia County had household food security index of 3.52 in the range of 1 to 6. It also found no statistically significant difference in regional diversification of food crops (p= .126). Finally, it revealed a very low negative correlation (r= -.080) with an insignificant relationship (p= .13) between crop diversification and household food security.