Perspectives of rural farmer households on food security through a qualitative study in Indonesia

Abstract

In developing countries, rural farmers contribute significantly to food production, but their households are still vulnerable to poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition, and stunting. Although quantitative studies have explored the factors that influence farmers' dietary diversity, the data can be improved by integrating farmers' experiences and perspectives on whether and how these factors affect their dietary diversity. Malnutrition and food insecurity are more prevalent in developing and underdeveloped nations like Africa and Southeast Asia. Due to increased work, this country usually sees a rise in stunting, malnutrition, and increased physical activity. Stunting has a higher prevalence than other nutritional disorders, such as malnutrition, according to Nutrition Status Monitoring (NSM) data over the last three years. The frequency of stunting in children under five has risen from 27% in 2016 to 29% in 2017. This will assist in designing and implementing interventions. Forty rural farmers in Bone Regency, Indonesia, became informants in targeted interviews as part of the qualitative study (20 male and 20 female farmers). According to the research results, both male and female informants were concerned about the availability and variety of food. They feel that household food production is essential to achieve food security. Food sales are affected by prices, household income, distance to markets, and the range of food available. Household food production, knowledge, nutrition, availability, use of information, time, and household income are significant determinants of the variety of food consumed. In farming households, gender influences and variations on the distribution and use of food collected and income are explored. Men have more time to engage in agricultural endeavors that promote dietary diversity. Based on these findings, efforts to increase dietary diversity should address current food security and production challenges, support increased farm incomes and market access, utilize designs that address gender issues, and include nutrition capacity building, diverse practices, and social behavior change strategies. Key words: rural farmers, food security, food diversity, nutrition, market access, Indonesia