Food Consumption and Determinants of Food Insecurity in the Department of Man (Western Côte d'Ivoire)

Abstract

Despite the progress made in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to ensure food security, pockets of food insecurity still remain in the Ivorian landscape. The objective of this study was to assess the food consumption of rural households in the department of Man in western Côte d'Ivoire and to identify the determinants of food insecurity. The assessment of food consumption was based on the calculation of the food consumption score. A survey of 1065 households was conducted to characterise the socio-economic profile and food consumption within these households. A survey of 1065 households was conducted to characterise the socio-economic profile and food consumption within these households. During the favourable period (October-February), 98.5% of households had an acceptable food consumption score, compared with 87.5% during the transitional period (March-June) and 15.5% during the lean season (July-September). The lean season is the most critical with 33.6% of households having a poor food consumption score and 50.9% of households having a borderline food consumption score. The results show that the gender and educational level of the head of household, the size of the household and the size of the crops influence food security. Food insecurity is experienced cyclically (every year) by households.