The Influence of Agricultural Land Use on Household Food Security Situation in Kisii Central Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Food security is a situation where people have access to sufficient, stable and safe food to meet their dietary needs for an active and healthy life. The aim of this paper is to determine the influence of agricultural land use on household food security situation in Kisii Central sub-county, Kenya. A sample of 209 households was picked from three sub-Locations within the three main agro-ecological zones of the study area. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the required data from household heads. Assessment of household food security status was based on experienced-based method. Agricultural land use was categorized into food crop, cash crop, fruits and vegetables and natural pasture and/or napier grass. The influence of agricultural land use on household food security situation was analyzed using the Pearson’s Chi-square test. Data analysis showed that 77.5% of the sampled households were food secure while 22.5% were not. About (65%) of the agricultural land was allocated to food crops, 25% to cash crops and the remaining proportion was left for other agricultural land uses. Cash crop (0.000) and natural pasture and/or napier grass (0.002) were found to have a significant influence on household food security while food crop (0.228) and fruits and vegetables (0.192) did not. The study recommends that more efficient ways of utilizing the land resource through increased use of high quality seeds and fertilizers to increase productivity. Investment in projects that enhance commercialization of small-scale farming in order to generate household income should be promoted.

Keywords: Agricultural land use, Household food security, Kisii Central